Issue: 3
Gozde Avci, Coordinator of the “Reduction of Socio-Economic Differences in Southeast Anatolia” project, which is implemented by UNDP in partnership with GAP Regional Development Administration, and Sezai Hazir, President and Projects General Coordinator of the Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21 came across Nihat Sahin, the representative of Sancak Arat Denim Textile Company, at Siirt Chamber of Commerce. Avci and Hazir learned that Sancak Arat Denim Textile Company was willing to set up a factory in Siirt during the encounter and engaged themselves in how to combine their project with the factory plan.
During the meetings held consequently, the parties discussed what they could do about a joint vocational and employment project. Nihat Sahin prepared a vocational training programme while Gozde Avci ensured resources to be allocated from the project she coordinated. Following the preparation of the protocols, a press conference that brought all parties together was held on 8 February 2006 where the protocol was signed and announced to the public.
The project provides vocational training and employment to 600 young men and women
Vocational training programmes will be organised in Siirt from May 2006-December 2007 in order to provide a qualified workforce of overall 600 for the factory of the Sancak Arat Denim Textile Company that will be opened in April 2006. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation finances the project. The training programme will cover fibre cleaning, machine maintenance, quality control and ironing regarding the textile sector. Young literate people aged 16-30 will benefit from the project and the factory will start hiring workers in groups of 100 as of July 2006. Job applications will be submitted to Siirt Youth Centre. A minimum of 30% of those that will be hired within the context of the project will be women.
Governor’s Office of Siirt allocated the Evren Community Centre for the training. GAP Regional Administration will provide the required raw material such as fibre, fabric, machinery spare parts for the training and also assess job applications jointly with the company.
“More entrepreneurs should come to the region to invest”
Speaking at the press conference, Muammer Ozgul, President of the GAP Regional Development Administration emphasized that the project is an asset for the region and summoned investors to the region, which is near cotton-producing areas and also the Middle-Eastern markets. Walter Gyger, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Turkey said that they were proud to partake in the project, and it gave them an opportunity to show their solidarity for the socio-economic development, wealth and peace in the Southeastern Anatolia.
Huseyin Avni Mutlu, Governor of Siirt pointed at the importance of the arrival of more entrepreneurs to the region and said that Siirt needed job opportunities to a great extent. Jakob Simonsen, UNDP Representative in Turkey stated that the project would be implemented with the joint coordination of the private sector, NGOs, municipality, GAP Administration, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the UNDP, and it posed a good example for such partnerships.
Sezai Hazir, President of the Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21 said that 8 Youth Houses were opened in the context of the “Reduction of Socio-Economic Differences in Southeast Anatolia” project and 42 thousand young people were participating in the training programmes in diverse areas. He also underlined the fact that the project, which offers employment opportunities to 600 young men and women, was a first in the world. Ulvi Ensari and Nihat Sahin, speaking in the name of Sancak Arat Denim Textile Company, said they were delighted to be a part of such an important project, born out of a brief encounter at the Siirt Chamber of Commerce.
The project via a pilot implementation will offer alternative means of living to the people of the region whose livelihood depends on goat farming and aims to diminish the pressure of goat browsing on the Scot’s pine forests in Uzundere.
In the framework of the project entitled “Diminishing goat browsing pressure on the Scot’s pine forests in Uzundere”, ETGD will train women on seasonal flower production and marketing techniques in the field and provide the sale of the produced seasonal flowers in the markets of Erzurum and neighbouring provinces. The income yielded through flower sales will be utilised in the purchase of greenhouses and seeds for the women participating in the project, and the infrastructure of a sustainable seasonal flower sales income will be established.
Uzundere district where the project will be carried is covered with Scot’s pine forests (Pinus silvestris). However, the goats that are traditionally grown in the region browse on the pine seedlings and hinder the natural rejuvenation of the forests. Consequently, the pine forests, which are the main characteristic of the biological diversity in the region, risk losing its existence within the ecosystem. Since they have not been introduced to different means of living, inhabitants of the region keep on goat farming although its meat and milk output is pretty low. In the scope of the project, Hemsin breed of sheep, whose farming in the region has been previously tried and been successful, will replace the goats. Accordingly, 400 goats of eight volunteering households will be sold and with the money acquired through sales 200 Hemsin breed of sheep will be purchased and distributed to the target families. This will diminish the goat browsing pressure on the Scot’s pines as well as decrease the number of cattle grazing in the fields and increase the meat and milk yield.
Moreover, planned pasture grazing and pasture improvement will be gradually put to practice in the villages of Sapaca, Dikyar, Kirazli, Ulubag, Golbasi and Cevizli of Uzundere. An experiment will also be carried out in order to compare the effects of goat and sheep grazing. Hence, grazing will not be allowed in one of the three pre-determined pastures, only goats will graze in the other pasture while only Hemsin breed of sheep will be able to graze in the third field. The changes in the characteristics of the soil and vegetation in these fields will be analysed and compared.
During the talks carried out within the context of the project, the Governorship of Erzurum stated that they are evaluating the encouragement of sheep farming for the development of stockbreeding in Erzurum. The outcome of the project, which is a pilot-scale experiment, is thought to be beneficial to this extent. The Provincial Directorate of Environment and Forestry, the Uzundere Provincial Administration, Erzurum Directorate of the Union of Agriculture Credit Cooperations, the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Uzundere Municipality support the project as they believe it is going to protect the pine forests and contribute to the strengthening of the region’s economy. Other goat farmers are believed to want to benefit from the results of the project eventually. Should they demand, similar cattle replacement could be carried out in districts such as Pazaryolu, Ispir and Yusufeli that are in the Coruh Valley and have similar climatic characteristics as Uzundere.
Women have already started working to grow seasonal flowers in the greenhouse allocated by the Uzundere Provincial Administration. Women say that Erzurum Agricultural Volunteers Association’s initiative will be economically and also socially beneficial as its financial income is favourable and spending the long and severe winter days will become enjoyable.
The conference, co-organised with the Ministry of Interior as UNDP’s main partner in the IDP Project, involved more than 80 participants from the Turkish government, national and international civil society organisations and international organisations. Notably the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Dr. Walter Kälin, participated throughout the conference to provide his insights on the global context of internal displacement.
The knowledge and experience presented at the conference provided an opportunity for civil society and state institutions engaged in the IDP issues to benefit from global and national experiences with a focus on legal protection, national responsibilities, property compensation, and the role of civil society. The conference also provided the opportunity for state and civil society organisations to engage in a dialogue regarding issues of displacement and to strengthen their knowledge and awareness of the issues.
Jakob Simonsen, the UN Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Representative in Turkey inaugurated the conference with a speech in which he emphasised the three main objectives of the conference: 1) to draw on international experiences in dealing with internally displaced persons, 2) to bring together civil society and state institutions in a dialogue on how Turkey can effectively support the needs of IDPs, and 3) to collectively identify steps that Turkey can forward to ensure that IDPs have the rights to enjoy an adequate standard of living.
Walter Kälin delivered the key-note speech on “The Legal Protection of IDPs: Origins, Concepts, Challenges and Perspectives”. Kälin highlighted that internal displacement is a global issue, facing more than 25 million people in 50 continents. He also noted that the IDPs, as citizens of the country, enjoy the full rights as other citizens including the right to protection and assistance per the UN’s Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which Turkey has accepted. Recognising that Turkey has taken important strides to address the internal displacement situation in the country, he also noted that “internal displacement ends when people can start a new life.”
Roberta Cohen, Director of Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement and Rhodry Williams from Brookings Institution were also among the speakers. Dr. Cohen spoke on the issue of national responsibility, underlined that IDPs as citizens have fundamental rights including the right to return or to integrate into a new community. She also highlighted conditions for sustainable returns, including reconciliation and trust and the need to involve IDPs into the planning process of their future. Mr. Williams provided an analysis of different global experiences regarding compensation, noting that the Compensation Law in Turkey could become a good international practice if it is implemented professionally and transparently.
The meeting also benefited from the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Ministry of Interior and a representative of Hacettepe University's Institute of Population studies provided in-depth presentations on the involvement and actions of the Government to identify and address the needs of the IDPs. The Ministry of Interior of Turkey, represented by Bekir Sitki Dag of the Strategy Development Board, presented the national status of IDP response, highlighting the commitment of the Government of Turkey to engage in meaningful dialogue with civil society in responding to NGO needs. He underlined that the Government’s strategy on IDPs is well described in the ministerial council agreement on principles dated 17 August 2005, which is well aligned to the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
Hacettepe University Population Studies Institute Director Prof. Sebahat Tezcan informed the audience that the Migration and IDP survey will be finalized shortly and shared with a broad range of stakeholders starting April 2006.
The UNDP manages the IDP project while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and the State Planning Organization are the national partners.
The presentations at the conference:
Speech on ‘The Support Project For Developing A Program Concerning Internally Displaced People In Turkey Speech Delivered by Interior Minister Abdülkadir Aksu
Presentation on “The Legal Protection Of Internally Displaced Persons” by Dr. Walter Kälin
Speech on “Property Compensation: Observations On Turkey’s Compensation Law No. 5233 In International Context” by Rhodri C. Williams
Presentation on “Return To Village And Rehabilitation Project“ by Bekir Sitki Dag
Speech on “National Responsibilities: Providing An Adequate Response To IDP Needs,” by Roberta Cohen
Presentation on “Turkey Migration And Internally Displaced Population Survey” by Dr. Sinan Turkyilmaz
The Seminar provided an opportunity for high ranking public administrators and over 120 inspectors to examine and benefit from the global experience in democratizing public administration and security sector relations.
The UNDP Advisor Prof. Andrew Goldsmith presented the assessment carried out by the UNDP through 2005 on public administration security sector relations followed by a set of recommendations that Turkey’s reformers may refer to in their efforts.
The Seminar also included experts from the UK and Turkey. Ibrahim Cerrah and Zuhtu Eraslan, Bedri Eryilmaz and Prof. Omer Peker provided detailed analysis of policing functions and how they can be improved for promotion and protection of rights.
The Seminar is within the context of UNDP’s Democratic Governance Trust Fund (2005) project with the Ministry of Interior in Civilian Oversight of the Security Sector.
The Board of Inspectors of the Ministry of Interior in Turkey is a lead partner in democratic governance and human rights. The UNDP supports also a human rights training program with this institution in cooperation with the Danish Institute of Human Rights.
The Conference provided an opportunity for Turkey’s key agencies for poverty reduction to identify areas of cooperation with civil society in both policy making and in service delivery.
Mevlut Bilici, General Director opened the seminar highlighting his agency’s interest and commitment to work with the international community. He added that the General Directorate’s cooperation with the civil society is legally well founded, and reflected in the establishment law of the Directorate.
Sarah Poole, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP, highlighted the importance of national responsibility in reduction of poverty and made reference to the UN Millennium Development Goals Report of last year, which calls for priority public investments for effective response to the needs of the poor.
Geoff Prewitt of the Bratislava Regional Centre of UNDP made an incisive presentation advocating for expanded civil society participation in monitoring assistance and participatory poverty surveys. Filiz Bikmen of the Third Sector Foundation presented the findings of several studies on public perceptions on the roles of civil society and state in poverty reduction.
This conference is within the context of the project entitled “Promotion of Cooperation in the Area of Social Assistance”. A web portal for pooling national experience in cooperation with the civil society and other issues has been available as of 1 March 2006.
The system of governance in Turkey has traditionally been highly centralised, run out of Ankara by a strong national bureaucracy that dominates over weak, dependent, provincial and local governments. For decades, moreover, the state institutions have been resistant to serious change and governments have been reluctant to draw on external advice and assistance for the reform of the administrative systems of government.
Decentralisation and local government has been a particularly sensitive area as a result of the strong traditions of unitary and centralised governance. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and NGOs were also not encouraged for many years. Changes have, however, taken place in recent years as a result of structural reform imperatives arising from the economic crisis and more recently as a result of priorities relating to the EU accession. The government has recognised the need for reforms and the benefits of partnering with external agencies in order to modernise Turkey’s state structures and to comply with the requirements for the EU accession, since virtually all of the EU assistance programmes now require the channelling of financial flows to and through regional and local administrations. And this recognition materialised in the Local Administration Reform Programme of Turkey, funded by the European Commission and being implemented by the UNDP.
UNDP’s technical support to the 'Local Administration Reform' Programme
In the context of a broader programme to modernize and democratize the Turkish administrative system, so as to align it with EU standards and to strengthen the administrative capacities for future EU membership, the Government of Turkey has undertaken a programme aimed at the reform and modernisation of the local administrations in the country (Municipalities and Special Provincial Administrations).
The programme, already launched through the adoption of new legislation on Local Authorities, encompasses a wide number of reforms, in all aspects of local administration and management, with the final purpose of enabling Local Authorities to provide better public services, carry out a more efficient management of their financial resources and enhance their capacity for a more active engagement in policy making with national authorities as well as in creating partnerships with other Local Authorities in EU member countries. The primary responsibility for the implementation of the programme has been conferred to the Ministry of Interior (General Directorate for Local Authorities). The Programme is supported by the European Union through the MEDA programme.
UNDP Turkey has been selected by the Turkish Government and the European Commission to provide technical assistance requested by the Ministry of Interior and financed by the European Union. To this end, a Project titled 'Support to Local Administration Reform' programme has been launched. New Horizons interviewed the team leader/chief technical advisor of the project Adolfo Sanchez:
UNDP Turkey: Can you tell us about the LAR Programme?
Adolfo Sanchez (A.S.): The Local Administration Reform Programme is a project agreed between the European Commission and the Turkish Government in 2003, with the overall objective of supporting the advancement of local administration reform in Turkey by 1) strengthening the capacity of both central and local administrations to formulate and implement reform policies and initiatives, 2) improving budgetary procedures and service performance in selected pilot administrations and 3) improving the efficiency and effectiveness of human resources (through training).
The project started in August 2005 and will have duration of 29 months (November 2007).
The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Interior (General Directorate for Local Authorities), with technical assistance provided by UNDP-Turkey and funded by the EC MEDA Programme.
Main stakeholders of the project are, alongside the General Directorate for Local Authorities, the Unions of Local Authorities (national and regional), Municipalities and Special Provincial Administrations (especially those selected as pilots for the sub-projects on budgetary process and service performance), other Units within the Ministry of Interior (Education Department, Board of Inspectors, Provincial Governorships and District Sub-governorships) and TODAIE.
Beneficiaries of the project are managers and staff of the MoI (Headquarters and territorial units), representatives and staff of the Unions of local authorities, elected representatives, managers and staff of local authorities, and Turkish consultants on local administration finances.
UNDP Turkey: What are the envisaged activities during the programme?
S.A.: The programme’s work-plan is geared towards the achievement of a number of specific “results” (in total, 23 results); and the activities have been designed and time-scheduled as a means to get those results. The expected results are grouped under four main Components: 1) Strengthening reform capacity (at MoI, Unions of Local Authorities and local authorities themselves; 2) Improve budgetary process and service performance (in selected pilot local administrations); 3) Increase effectiveness and efficiency of human resources in local administrations; and 4) General steering and management of the programme.
In all four Components, UNDP’s role is to provide advisory services, technical assistance and training, through both Turkish and international experts, for the implementation of the planned activities and the achievement of the expected results.
The main activities envisaged under the project are:
UNDP Turkey: What do you expect to achieve at the end of the programme?
S.A.: In the first place, we are expecting to achieve – to a greater or lesser extent – each one of the results set for the project. Also, the project is expected to set the foundations of a better communication and co-operation between the Ministry of Interior (General Directorate for Local Authorities) and the Unions of local authorities, as representative organizations of all local administrations in Turkey. This should pave the way for further programmes and projects in which identification, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation both the Ministry of Interior and the Unions of local authorities should be involved as equal partners.
Eventually, the project should render a certain change in the way local administration affairs are being conducted and managed by the Ministry of Interior (Headquarters and Governorships/Sub-governorships), so that the concepts and practice of strategic planning, co-operation, partnership and efficiency are gradually introduced in this important area of the Government’s reform policies, in the context of Turkey’s EU pre-accession process.
UNDP Turkey: What are the main issues in the area of Local Administration in Turkey today? Do you think this programme will be sufficient to address those issues? What else could be done?
S.A.: In general terms, one could say that the institutional position and role of the local authorities in the Turkish system of Government and Public Administration is not yet comparable with the position held by the same authorities in EU Member States. This is so from different perspectives, from the relative weight of the local public sector in terms of GDP or consolidated public expenditure, to the scope of their responsibilities and competences in the organisation and delivery of public services and the promotion of socio-economic development at local level; as well as from the viewpoint of their relative position of autonomy vis a vis the central government, in terms of public policies and decision-making powers.
Many of these weaknesses or “gaps” have been addressed by the new legislation enacted over the past two years; but now the challenge is to make this new legislation work.
In this respect, a lot of information and awareness-raising is still needed at local level (particularly in the small and medium-sized municipalities). Also, massive training and capacity development actions will be required for the local authorities (elected representatives, managers and staff) to cope with some of their new responsibilities, particularly in fields related to the modernisation of management approaches and tools (strategic planning, multi-annual budgeting, service performance and quality, efficient management of public funds, etc.)
Another important challenge is the need to further democratise the decision-making processes in local administration, broadening access to information and participation (both for elected members of the Councils, as well as for the citizens and their organisations). This should be supplemented by measures and advancements in the field of accountability (of Mayors and executive bodies towards elected Councils; of Mayors, executive and elected Councils towards the citizens). Decisive actions and progress in these fields are critical for ensuring that local authorities perform their tasks and duties at the service of the citizens, and to prevent corruption and misuse of public funds.
UNDP Turkey: This programme was originally supposed to contribute to the elaboration of new legislation on Local Administration in Turkey. However, much of such legislation was already enacted before the start of the project. What was the impact of the new legislation on Local Administration on the programme? Does the programme still have a focus or specific objectives in this field? Are there any other legislation needed in this area in Turkey to which elaboration the project may be contributing?
At this stage, support to the drafting of legislation is not one of the top priority objectives of the programme, which has turned its focus towards removing obstacles and supporting progress in the implementation of the new legislation.
However, the project will carry out a detailed evaluation of the new legislation, from the viewpoint of its compliance with Turkey’s international obligations in this field (European Charter of Local Self-government and other international instruments ratified by the Turkish Grand National Assembly), as well as in order to detect any possible gaps or shortcomings which set obstacles for the local authorities in Turkey to get ready to play their expected role in an EU-membership context. It is to be noted that, while the most important “administrative capacities” required for effective EU membership are meant to be related to capacities at the level of central government, Local authorities in EU member states do also play an important role in the effective implementation of EU acquis (for instance, in the field of environmental protection or socio-economic development) and are also bound by the same rules as the central government on a number of aspects (public aids, public procurement, etc.)
UNDP Turkey: In which ways would this project contribute to the implementation of the new legislation on Local Administration?
S.A.: As mentioned before, the main ways in which the project is expected to contribute to this objective are:
The Local Agenda 21 (LA 21) programme was the UNDP’s main instrument for the promotion of good governance and local democracy in Turkey. The programme itself drew on the UNDP’s links with global environmental initiatives, such as the Rio Conference, and was a direct result of the participation of Turkey’s government and mayors in HABITAT II, the major environmental UN Summit, which was held in Turkey in 1996.
In this sensitive area, the UNDP adopted a successful catalytic approach, which relied extensively on national technical inputs and capacity in the early stages of programme design and implementation. At the same time, it also brought to bear its international experience to facilitate the introduction of initiatives that are innovative and new in the Turkish context.
The main element of the LA 21 programme entails the establishment of City Councils, which are city level participatory mechanisms for decision-making. These Councils have brought together community-based organisations, NGOs, labour unions, academics, the private sector, individual citizens and the local Government into a consultative forum that raises and discusses issues of direct concern to the communities themselves.
LA 21, with active inputs from the UNDP, also helped set up the Youth Association for Habitat and Agenda 21 and also helped the formation of local youth platforms that cooperate at the national level. The LA 21 project is “nationally executed” by the International Union of Local Authorities – Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (IULA-EMME), which is based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Results of the LA 21 Programme
The UNDP has succeeded in mobilising a significant volume of resources for the LA 21 programme, which is viewed by most of the donors and partners of the UNDP in Turkey as a success story. Approximately 2 million dollars was mobilised from the so-called “Capacity 21” funds from UNDP Headquarters and a further 4.5 million dollars was mobilised from the Governments of Turkey, Canada, Denmark, France and Switzerland.
LA 21 exemplifies UNDP Turkey’s ability to leverage its own limited resources and effect changes in Turkey that have far wider implications than the management of environmental assets alone. It helped to increase significantly the level of participation of CSOs and private citizens in decision-making and also increased the level of decentralisation of governance in Turkey. At the broadest level, the UNDP LA 21 programme has spread a locally adapted model of City Councils largely spontaneously and through local initiatives from nine pilot initiatives to over 50 cities throughout the country.
The UNDP has played an important catalytic role in the development of the LA 21 model. The LA 21 programme has been a flagship programme that, along with one or two other notable initiatives, put the UNDP on the development map in Turkey. It has gained the UNDP considerable profile and credibility as a partner at the local level in a programme that is viewed by the central Government, the local authorities, donors and national CSOs alike as a success.
Local Agenda 21 Programme converted into a long-range programme
Sadun Emrealp is the National Coordinator of the Local Agenda 21 Programme in Turkey. We interviewed him about the programme’s achievements and its future targets.
UNDP Turkey: Can you tell us about the history of the Turkey Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Programme?
Sadun Emrealp (S.E.): Habitat II Summit, held in Istanbul in 1996, accelerated the launch of the LA21 Programme in Turkey in 1997. The starting point was supporting the municipalities in Turkey. The LA21 processes in Turkey were launched in late 1997 via the project entitled “Promotion and Development of Local Agenda 21s in Turkey” with the support of the UNDP and under the coordination of IULA-EMME*. The project, commencing by the decision of the Council of Ministers, was completed in December 1999 following a period of nearly two years of implementation.
During the first implementation period, we could hardly reach 9 provinces but in a short time we could attain 20 partners. Upon the achievements of this project, the UNDP supported the continuation project entitled “Implementing Local Agenda 21s in Turkey”, which started in January 2000 with the consent of the Council of Ministers. By virtue of the incorporation of a number of sub-projects, coupled with the inclusion of new local authorities, we attained the envisaged 50 partners and even surpassed it. Currently there are 62 official partners and also around 20 municipalities that have started working with us but cannot become programme partners due to limitations.
While the LA21 Programme initially started off with single projects, today the project framework has been converted into a long-range programme. Since participatory structures like City Councils have found a place in legislation, today we have reached the point where the boundaries of partnerships will expand rather than an increase in the number of partners.
The third phase of the LA21 Programme has been launched via a number of intertwined and mutually-supporting projects. The framework project of the third phase is entitled “Localising the UN Millennium Development Goals and WSSD Plan of Implementation through the Turkey Local Agenda 21 Governance Network”. This project aims at increasing the support of the central government and to augment the visibility of LA21 via making a substantial impact in localising the respective global targets and actions. A Supporting Local Projects Programme has also been launched within the context of the project.
UNDP Turkey: What was the impact of legal procedures with regards to City Councils?
S.E.: Various participatory structures have to be established within the scope of legal procedures and City Councils come atop all. The most delicate part of the matter here was it was not possible to initially foresee it. As of its final status in 2003, it was legally adopted as to bring the central local administrations with the civil society together. The 76th Article of the legislation bears the heading “City Councils”. The second part of the law describes how the councils will function. The new legal procedures aren’t only limited to that. For instance, there is an article pertaining to participation at the neighbourhood level; in another article citizenship law is redefined based on participation. Participation of non-governmental organisations in special municipal commissions is anticipated. According to municipal laws now, it is obligatory to open women’s shelters in residential areas with a population exceeding 50 thousand.
UNDP Turkey: Is there a one-to-one relation in between the political structure of municipalities and implementing the new legislation?
S.E.: The personality of mayors does not always overlap with the political views of the parties they are affiliated to. Moreover, it usually is totally different. A mayor of a remote place does form a perfect partnership with you and starts implementing all processes arising from the new laws. It is an advantage when and if they are closer to the central government as a matter of obtaining resources but this is not advantageous when it comes to implementation.
UNDP Turkey: Are all the favourable developments you cited being implemented?
SE: The law was enforced only in 2005. Therefore, it is yet too early to get the results. A substantial evaluation can be made after at least a year has gone by.
UNDP Turkey: What was the role of LA21 and the UNDP in the enforcement of the new legislation?
S.E.: There was a direct role and that’s how we understand it: Meetings were held in LA21 cities prior to the enforcement of the legislation. Several suggestions were developed during these meetings and many of those suggestions were reflected in the legislation. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has an obligation to prepare directives with respect to municipal laws. The Ministry worked in cooperation with LA21 cities. The mentioned directive is about to be published. There are some articles that cause anxiety relating to their probable effects in practice even before they are enforced. But since the LA21 cities had been perfectly implementing all those envisaged in the articles for a long time and they could convey it to the authorities citing examples, all concerns were dispelled and they finally were enforced.
One of those directives is the one on City Councils. The 77th Article of the directive is about the participation of volunteers in municipal services. The directive regarding this article has also been published.
UNDP Turkey: Is the public aware of the new laws and directives? Will they find their way in the daily lives of the people?
S.E.: Local practices will enable the new laws and directives to find their way in the daily life. It is essential to work with local administrations that are devoted to these issues. Creating structures such as Neighbourhood Committees means that citizens will participate in the materialisation of laws and directives in the everyday life of local communities. There are many well-functioning Neighbourhood Committees in provinces such as Izmit, Izmir, Diyarbakir and Antalya where economically disadvantaged people inhabit. Besides, there are also around 40 Women’s Councils in Turkey. They bring together diverse institutions and organisations and engage unorganised women in local governments.
UNDP Turkey: What are your future targets?
S.E.: The fact that we are still involved is tragicomic. There is still a need for IULA-EMME and the UNDP as umbrella organisations, whereas these are things that each municipality, each city should accomplish in their own capacity. Our future role will be to start an action to localise the Millennium Development Goals and to rapidly extend the achievements of the programme all over Turkey.
UNDP Turkey: What will be done in the upcoming period in order to localise the Millennium Development Goals?
S.E.: We face difficulties to that extent in Turkey and the world. Everybody talks about localising the Millennium Development Goals, but it is not clear what we exactly mean by that. Implementation and assessment indicators are missing. Governance indicators such as transparency, participation and accountability cannot me measured. It is hard to find a common multiple. For instance, we cannot determine how much of the municipal budget is spent in the context of the Millennium Development Goals.
In the upcoming period, we are aiming to start the practices within the framework of the “Our City Supports the Millennium Development Goals” campaign, develop the implementation indicators and extend and deepen the support for local projects.
That was what Sadun Emrealp, Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Programme National Coordinator, told us.
*IULA-EMME: International Union of Local Authorities-Section for Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Region
Supporting Local Projects Programme is a small grants programme. In the first phase of the implementation period of this programme 8 and in the second phase 16 projects have been found eligible for support. The 8 projects were endorsed in May 2005 and have started to be implemented as of August 2005. The second group of 16 projects has started to be implemented as of the beginning of 2006.
New Millennium Resource Centre Project:
One of the projects that are supported in the second group of projects is the “New Millennium Resource Centre Project” from Yalova, a western city near Istanbul. The main targets of the project that the youth of Yalova is conducting are as follows:
“New Millennium Resource Centre”, “New Millennium Talks”, “New Millennium Conferences”, “New Millennium Periodical” and “New Millennium Library” are the activities that will be held within the context of the project. The “New Millennium Talks” will be conducted under eight headings: “Education Issues in the New Millennium”, “Environmental Threats in the New Millennium”, “The Concept of Security in the New Millennium”, “Regional and Global Cooperation in the New Millennium”, “Religion and Society Relations in the New Millennium”, “The Problem of Sustainable Development in the New Millennium”, “Energy Policies in the New Millennium” and “Public Health Issues in the New Millennium”.
“Turkey in the New Millennium”, “Europe in the New Millennium” and “The World in the New Millennium” will be discussed at the three conferences that will be held.
New Millennium Resource Centre:
Local Agenda 21 House
Cumhuriyet Meydani Ugur Mumcu Ishani Kat:2
Yalova
Phone: +90 226 811 51 22
Fax: +90 226 811 51 20
E-mail: genelsekreterlik@yalovakentmeclisi.org
UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis launched the book entitled ‘The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges’ on 28 January 2006 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
‘The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges’ presents how, through using creative, incentive-based tools, governments could respond in a more affordable and sustainable way to international challenges such as avian flu, terrorism, and climate change. The widespread adoption of these approaches could break the cycle of under-funded and inadequate responses to global problems, and foster a new, less crisis-prone globalized world.
More affordable, sustainable crisis response would ensure that existing and future development aid could be used more effectively, improving the prospect of reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of halving poverty by 2015, and of sustaining development beyond the target date.
Speaking at the launch, UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis said: "The growing interdependence between countries and the challenges this brings requires more effective management of globalization - management characterized by new levels of cooperation between public and private actors, between states and global markets."
'Landmark' text
The New Public Finance is the third in a series on global public goods published by Oxford University Press for UNDP's Office of Development Studies (ODS). It is edited by Inge Kaul who is the Director of ODS at UNDP and Pedro Conceição from the UNDP.
It has already drawn high acclaim from prominent international figures. Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz called the volume "a landmark text that provides the important beginnings of a field that will be tilled for years to come".
Trevor Manuel, Minister of Finance for South Africa said: "This is a bold and penetrating compilation of papers on the most profound challenges of modern public finance – how to construct better partnerships between governments and private sector players and how to strengthen cooperation between nations in pursuit of common interests."
The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, a primary proponent of public–private partnerships noted: "The New Public Finance shows how we can equip people and countries for the future – for a new global economy that combines greater prosperity and fairness both within and across nations. It is important reading for today's policymakers".
The current concentration of financial innovations, all aimed at finding more efficient and effective ways of meeting global challenges, reflects a fundamental change in the traditional role of the state, argue the report's editors. "Governments act more and more as intermediaries between the policy demands of global, mobile actors, and those of local, domestic constituencies," says Inge Kaul, the lead-editor of The New Public Finance.
The emergence of this new 'intermediary state' is evident in the political debates surrounding outsourcing, labour-market flexibility, and capping harmful emissions. It underlies the added policy emphasis on managing cross-border risks to, for example, prevent an outbreak of avian flu, fight international terrorism, or prepare for violent weather patterns associated with global warming.
"Governments who learn to strategically manage such long term and financial risks are the ones who will ride out brewing fiscal storms," said the book's co-editor Pedro Conceição.
These include the Bi-communal Development Programme (BDP), the Action for Cooperation and Trust (ACT) and the Partnership for the Future (PFF). All RBEC programmes in Cyprus were designed and implemented in full co-operation with the Cypriot authorities to respond to immediate needs.
The accession to the European Union marks a new stage in the island's history, but despite past and present national and international initiatives, the existing socio-economic gap between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities is still a major obstacle to the peace-building process in Cyprus.
To fill the gap between the northern part of Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus, RBEC has established a new trust fund, which will support the sustainable development of the Turkish-Cypriot community through the quick delivery of targeted technical assistance projects. Contributions to the Fund, in cash or in kind, may be accepted by RBEC from Governments of Member States of the United Nations and of the Specialized Agencies as well as from intergovernmental or non-governmental organizations, or from private sources.
Partnership fora
On the other hand, UNDP in Cyprus is giving intra-island trade a boost with the establishment of Partnership Fora, which seeks to bring Cyprus's two communities together to do business and thus contribute to the reconciliation process. Funded by the European Union under the UNDP Partnership for the Future (PFF) programme, the project fosters business by promoting direct personal contact between Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot companies.
Meetings between enterprises are arranged by the UNDP/PFF based on matching business interests. Since meetings focus on one product/service group at a time, they also provide opportunities for identifying and analyzing obstacles hampering intra-island trade and for subsequent follow-up action. So far two Partnership Fora have been successfully organized, focusing on ICT and the furniture industry and more events are planned.
Giuseppe Belsito, UNDP/PFF Business Development Adviser, said that psychological barriers, bureaucratic obstacles and lack of awareness are some of the reasons that continue to prevent the island's two communities from forming business partnerships. But the Partnership Fora shows that "the private sector can be a formidable reconciliation force in a post-conflict situation," he said.