Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin paid a courtesy call on the Director of Climate Change, Prof. Halil Hasar.

16 September 2025

Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin paid a courtesy call on the Director of Climate Change, Prof. Halil Hasar. During the visit, which took place at the Directorate of Climate Change, Mayor Şahin outlined the initiatives being implemented to position Gaziantep as a “Green and Resilient City.”

Emphasizing the strategic importance of Gaziantep due to its geographic location, Mayor Şahin briefed Director Hasar on projects that are expected to serve as models for other provinces across Türkiye, including initiatives developed under headings such as “the Climate Plan”, “Green City”, “Resilient City”, and “Green Industry”.

Mayor Şahin also noted that work on the Local Climate Action Plan would be launched without delay and shared the current status of the hydrogen-powered public transportation vehicles under development.

Expressing his satisfaction with the visit, Director Hasar underscored the value of Gaziantep’s efforts to become a green and resilient city, adding that these initiatives would set an important example for other provinces.

He indicated that the world is facing a deepening climate crisis, and highlighted the critical role of local governments in Türkiye’s response to this crisis.

Director Hasar also pointed out the importance of showcasing Gaziantep’s climate adaptation efforts to the international community at COP30, which is set to be held in November, noting that sharing such local-level initiatives would clearly demonstrate the role of municipalities in Türkiye’s climate change mitigation efforts.

Orhan Solak, Deputy Director of Climate Change, and Ayşegül Tekerekoğlu, Head of Environmental Protection, Zero Waste, and Climate Change Department at Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality were also in attendance at the meeting.