"Within the framework of its deep-rooted heritage, the Republic of Türkiye continues to be the conscience of the world today," said First Lady Mrs.Emine Erdoğan, spouse of the President of the Republic of Türkiye Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at the panel on the Fair Distribution of Social Welfare held in New York, where the 78^th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) continued.

Under the auspices of First Lady Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, spouse of the President of the Republic of Türkiye Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a panel on "Fair Distribution of Social Welfare" was organized at the Turkish House in New York, hosted by the Ministry.

Speaking at the panel, First Lady Mrs. Emine Erdoğan mentioned the existence of caravanserais, inns, soup kitchens and baths in Anatolia, which served people without discrimination and mediated the sharing of prosperity:

"Within the framework of its deep-rooted heritage, the State continues to be the conscience of the world today. The philanthropy of the people also played a major role in maintaining social balance and peace. The principle of equity has always been at the center of these practices."

Mrs. Emine Erdoğan stated that Türkiye inherited strong solidarity institutions such as Darüleytam, Darülaceze, Darüşşafaka, Kızılay from the Ottoman Empire and "succeeded in carrying the tradition of the social government to more advanced levels".

Stating that thanks to the Turkish people who could not remain indifferent to any suffering in the world, the country was the largest aid provider in proportion to its national income, Mrs. Emine Erdoğan stated, " Institutions such as TIKA, Yunus Emre Institute, Presidency for Turks Abroad and Relative Communities, Maarif Foundation, AFAD, Red Crescent continue to build bridges of solidarity."

" As a country, Türkiye sees humanity as "one family" and will continue to extend its hand of compassion to asylum seekers, refugees and all the oppressed as if they are its own citizens."

Pointed out the social state structure of Türkiye

In her speech prioritizing the social state approach of Türkiye, First Lady Mrs. Emine Erdoğan said, "While the concept of social security and social justice dates back to the industrial era in the world, it dates back to ancient times in Turkic states. In the age when continents and societies were colonized, the ancestors who conquered hearts left masterpieces in vast geographies that still cause them to be remembered with respect."

Referring to the February 6 earthquakes, Mrs. Emine Erdoğan said, "I can say that during the February 6 earthquakes, we once again realized the meaning of the phrase that everything you do from the heart will come back to you. Friends all over the world mobilized to prevent the destruction of the sanctuaries of the heart while cities were falling into ruins."

"Türkiye is a social state that moves forward together, for the better." First Lady Mrs. Emine Erdoğan also spoke about the laws enacted to protect older persons, persons with disabilities and children, and mentioned that the share of the budget allocated to such assistance increased four-fold since 2002.

Emine Erdoğan reminded that during the pandemic, Türkiye delivered masks, hygiene kits and Turkovac vaccine to all countries in need, without patents and free of charge, regardless of income level, and said, "Thanks to the tradition of solidarity, many countries today can say 'we have learned to give assistance from the Turks'."

Emine Erdoğan thanked the Ministry of Family and Social Services for organizing the event and noted that since the establishment of the Ministry in 2011, great steps were taken in the name of social justice.

"We believe that a fairer world is only possible when we leave no one behind"

In her speech at the panel, Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said that social welfare needed to be distributed fairly to all segments of society.

"Leaving no one behind and distributing social welfare fairly to all segments of society is the key to building a prosperous world," Minister Göktaş said, adding that building a good future with people-oriented policies was "not only the responsibility of Türkiye but of the whole world".

"We believe that a fairer world is only possible when we leave no one behind," said Minister Göktaş, adding that in light of the Ministry's motto "All together for the better, all together for the future", the Ministry believed that global problems could only be solved with a common will.

"We were on the ground with all institutions from the first moment of the earthquake"

Explaining that the world was dealing with issues such as migration, wars, food and climate crises, Minister Göktaş reminded that in Türkiye, the earthquakes of February 6 were the "disaster of the century" in which more than 50.000 people lost their lives. Minister Göktaş noted the following:

"We have been in the field with all the institutions since the first moment of the earthquake. From education to healthcare, from employment to housing, from agriculture to social services, we have worked and are working to rebuild the region and shoulder the burdens of the people. We care about the well-being of the nation and the ability of its citizens to rebuild their lives. To this end, we provided fundamental needs assessments and psychosocial support to more than 5 million people affected by the earthquake under the coordination of the Ministry."

Pointing out that natural disasters affected women, children, persons with disabilities, older persons, the poor and migrant groups more deeply, Minister Göktaş said that the Ministry attached great importance to meeting the special needs of these groups within the scope of the earthquake response agenda.

Emphasizing Turkish foreign policy based on humanitarian values

Reminding the words of President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, "The main axis of Turkish foreign policy is based on humanitarian values." Minister Göktaş said, "With this perspective, we will not give up prioritizing humanitarian values in the Century of Türkiye while implementing the policies as a requirement of the heritage we inherited from our ancient tradition. The main obstacle to the success of development is to consider it only in its economic dimension."

Minister Göktaş also referred to President of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statement that "The root of many issues in the world today is not lack of financial means, but lack of compassion and empathy" and stated that policies towards women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons as well as refugees in Türkiye were formulated with this understanding.

Emphasizing that the empowerment of women in all areas of social life was one of the most important factors increasing the common welfare of the society, Minister Göktaş stated that the Ministry prioritized providing economic and social support to women in Türkiye.

Explaining that Türkiye implemented innovative service models for the protection and care of children in need, Minister Göktaş added that the Ministry expanded the foster family service within the scope of the " Gönül Elçileri Projesi" led by Emine Erdoğan in order for children to grow up in a family environment.

Following the speeches, First Lady Mrs.Emine Erdoğan and Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş informed the guests about the assistance provided by Türkiye to natural disasters and abroad through a photo exhibition and a promotional video prepared within the framework of the program.