Turkish actor Engin Altan Düzyatan, known for his leading role in the popular television series, Resurrection: Ertuğrul, has become the face of a Canadian NGO's campaign for clean drinking water on Friday.
Düzyatan, who came to Canada at the invitation of Human Concern International (HCI), one of the oldest humanitarian organizations established by Canadian Muslims, held a news conference in the national capital of Ottawa with the group's CEO Mahmuda Khan and Liberal Party lawmaker Iqra Khalid.
The actor said he is committed to raising awareness about the effects of climate change around the world.
He said he traveled to Africa to document the effects of the lack of access to clean water on communities and noted his striking encounter with facts that deeply affected him, starting in Kenya.
"Fifty-three percent of African people do not have access to clean water, and three out of 10 newborns die from diseases caused by contaminated water," he said.
The Canadian government supports water infrastructure investments in fragile and post-conflict countries, he said, but it needs to do more to support sustainable water projects in developing countries.
"As part of the UN's commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Canada has a responsibility to its own people by eliminating long-term water restrictions on indigenous peoples' reserves," he said.
"I support HCI's call for the government of Canada to fulfill its commitment to addressing access to clean water in Canada," the Turkish actor added.
Düzyatan will attend a donation event in Toronto on Sunday organized by HCI to ensure that Canadian natives have access to clean drinking water.
HCI is a global charity founded in Canada in 1979.
