Gastronomy is one of the strongest expressions of the relationship between people and food. Throughout history, humanity has not only built cities. It has gathered around tables.

Every table brings together the richness of the soil, the value of water, the rhythm of the seasons, the work of human hands and the wisdom passed down through generations.

Yet today, our tables do more than sustain life. They also reveal what we are losing.

Every day, millions of tonnes of food are lost or wasted. With every meal that is lost, water is lost. Soil is lost. Energy is lost. Human effort is lost. And the natural resources entrusted to us are steadily depleted.

When the climate changes, it is not only the weather that changes. The soil changes. Water changes. Biodiversity changes. Production changes. And ultimately, our tables change.

Because every meal wasted takes more than food away from us. It takes from the soil. It takes from the water. It takes from the future.

That is why change must begin where it can make the greatest difference: in our cities. Especially in Cities of Gastronomy.

Because transformation begins at the table.

We often recognise the true value of a resource only when it begins to diminish. True responsibility is to protect it before it is diminished.

Because the most valuable resource is the one that is never lost.

Every meal saved is a sign of respect for the soil. A tribute to water. A recognition of human effort. A mark of our commitment to life.

Every organic resource returned to nature's cycle helps restore nature's balance. It reduces methane. It lightens the burden on our climate. And every cycle restored becomes a quiet yet powerful legacy for future generations.

Today, this shared responsibility becomes a new beginning.

Born in Gaziantep, where centuries of culinary wisdom continue to shape daily life, this initiative carries its call to COP31 as a shared climate action for cities.

The International Circular Food Systems & Gastronomy Initiative (ICFG) brings Cities of Gastronomy together around a shared future built on circular food systems.

Because no city, no kitchen, no institution can overcome the climate crisis alone.

But together, we can prevent food loss and food waste, return organic resources to nature's cycle, develop measurable climate solutions at the city level and contribute to a zero-waste future.

This journey unites cities, institutions and all stakeholders ready to take responsibility for our shared future.

Because climate action does not begin only at international negotiating tables.

It begins in every restaurant. Every hotel. Every gastronomy city.

The greatest legacy we can leave to future generations is not only our recipes.

It is the soil that makes them possible. The water that sustains them. The biodiversity that enriches them. And the living world that supports them.

And tomorrow's table is shaped by the climate we create today.