Issue: 133
The projects to be supported in 2017 have been announced under the Future Lies In Tourism Project implemented in cooperation by the T.R. Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Anadolu Efes and UNDP. Under the Project that provides funding support to tourism ideas in addition to such services as training, technical assistance, planning and consulting, it is decided to develop eco-tourism in Buldan district of Denizli, extend tourism over 4 seasons in Foça district of Izmir, and combine three Lycian Way hiking routes in Demre district of Antalya to offer for tourism.
Call of Birds
The “Birds Call You”, one of the projects supported in the 4th term of the Future Lies In Tourism Project, will be implemented by the Association of Protecting Animals in cooperation with Buldan Municipality and District Governorship. The project draws attention to 300 bird species, rich biodiversity and eco-tourism potential of Buldan’s Yayla Lake, a significant asset of Denizli; and aims to enhance awareness for this region. It is aimed in this context to create awareness in the region and Yayla Lake, stimulate the eco-tourism potential, and contribute to sustainable tourism and local economy.
Lycian Way
The Lycian Way, the first long-distance hiking path in Turkey attracts many tourists every year. The project which will be implemented by the Association of Culture Routes in cooperation with Demre District Governorship, Demre Municipality and Kapaklı Village Muhktar’s Office has been designed in consideration of the region’s tourism potential and such basic needs as rest and accommodation of prospective tourists. The project aims to raise awareness in sustainable tourism in the region and combine the three different Lycian Way hiking routes at Kapaklı and Hoyran villages of Demre. It also aspires to make the region a centre where visitors may choose from alternative routes and rest.
“Four Seasons at Foça” in Izmir
The “Four Seasons at Foça” Project which will be implemented by the Association of Tourism Operators, Investors and Shop-Owners of Foça jointly with Foça District Governorship and Foça Municipality aims to extend the current tourism activities over four seasons in Foça relying on the assistance of such activities as olive farming, vegetable and fruit farming, coastal fishing and traditional viticulture; and promote environmentally-responsive production and operation models for tourism in the region.
The “Turkey’s Engineer Girls” Project, initiated by the support of Limak Holding and the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, and consulting by UNDP Turkey, will soon increase the number of scholarship awards from 40 to 60. The project aims not only to ensure that girls who aspire to become engineers achieve their goals, but also deploy them as mentors across the country in the future. The continued scholarship is based on one requirement only that scholarship holders will engage in at least 4 hours a month of social responsibility work.
Focusing on social engineering in addition to conventional engineering, the “Turkey’s Engineer Girls” Project formulated a social engineering program at Bosphorus University for 3rd and 4th year students. The project took the students participating in the program to Kilyos and provided training on finance, social media and entrepreneurship. The project also brings together scholarship holders in Istanbul to meet one another, and provides internship training for those who are not able to find one.
To improve livelihood opportunities of Syrians and support host communities better cope and recover from the impact of displacement, Gaziantep Municipality provides local services including vocational training, competency development programmes as well as workshops, domestic economics and psycho-social rehabilitation trainings and various interventions to boost local economy for stronger labour force absorption capacity.
European Union funded “Mitigating the Impact of Syrian Crisis in Southeast Anatolia Region Project” has been implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with Southeastern Anatolia Development Project Regional Development Administration (GAP BKİ), the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and with local partners Gaziantep Municipality, Gaziantep Chamber of Industry, and Şanlıurfa Municipality.
Gaziantep Municipality, with the target of improving the livelihoods in order increase the employability of the impacted communities including the Syrians under temporary protection, provides vocational trainings for industry and service sectors in Gaziantep, with regards to increase vocational skills for Syrians, to enhance their employability chances and to support livelihoods in short and long run.
Rebuilding the future
Within the scope of the vocational training courses combined with life skills trainings, such as on Turkish language, cooking, skin care, glass atelier, hair styling and kutnu weaving courses are given by the Gaziantep Municipality with collaboration of UNDP, in GASMEK. Training and counselling programs are provided for free and with the help of Arab translator. New courses might be opened in line with the local demand. The courses are planned to be completed in June 2017.
The program provides also competency development programmes to empower and contribute to the works of trainers, specialists and consultants who work on the issues of migration, refugee and Syrian crisis whose number reached to 82 so far. Besides, 2, 952 Syrians, and 82 Turkish citizens, have been beneficiary under the scope of “Basic life skills training program”. To support their access to the job market, more Syrians are targeted to take part in life skills trainings, vocational trainings and Turkish language courses so that they can not only recover from the crisis but also improve the longer-term development prospects.
The Protocol Signing Ceremony of the “Strengthening Social Stability in Southeast AnatoliaProject”, was held in Gaziantep with the participation of the authorities of Gaziantep Municipality and GAP Regional Development Administration on December 16, 2016.
As regards to officialise the project, a protocol was signed in a meeting with the participation of Fatma Şahin, Gaziantep Mayor, Claudio Tomasi, UNDP Turkey Country Director, Sadrettin Karahocagil, President for Southeastern Anatolia Development Project Regional Development Administration.
At the beginning of the meeting a presentation on the “Needs and Priorities of Municipality” report prepared by UNDP, Southeastern Anatolia Development Project Regional Development Administration and a committee of Department Heads led by Serdar Tolay, Gaziantep Municipality Assistant Secretary General Serdar Tolay and McKinsey Global Management Consulting Company. Thereafter the presentation, the cooperation protocol ensuring mutual liabilities and responsibilities of the Municipality’s Investments under the scope of the “Strengthening Social Stability in Southeast Anatolia” Project was signed.
The overall objective of the Competitiveness Agenda for the Southeast Anatolia (GAP) Region Project is to reduce regional disparities in Turkey, by contributing to the improvement of social stability, equality, economic development and competitiveness of the GAP Region. The project aims at enhancing the underlying productive capacities of the region through two main strategies of sustainable production and entrepreneurship; and three supporting action lines of internationalization, applies technology and clustering.
Coping, Rebuilding, Recovering and Protecting
The aim of the project is to decrease the pressure on local resources of Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, which are highly impacted by the population influx due to Syrian crisis and to support both local population and Syrians under temporary protection. Primarily, the target is to improve the livelihoods in order to increase the employability of the impacted communities including the Syrians under temporary protection and to provide vocational trainings for industry and service sectors in Gaziantep in order to increase vocational skills for local population and Syrians, to enhance their employability chances and to support livelihoods in the short and long run.
Secondly, with the waste management component, it is planned to provide assistance in enhancing local administrations capacities and provide the local communities and the Syrian population to benefit from the better services.
As one of the development agencies with the largest presence in Syria and the region, UNDP works with affected communities to help them cope, rebuild, recover and protect development gains.
Acclaimed Turkish actors Mert Fırat and Melisa Sözen are starring in a new UNDP advocacy video that takes on domestic violence in Turkey and the region with a powerful message: “Violence has no excuse”.
The campaign is part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s efforts to combat violence against women in Eastern Europe, Turkey and Central Asia. It aims to mobilize women and men to stand united and reject domestic violence, challenging notions that it can ever be justified.
Talking about his participation in the project, Mert Fırat, a well-established film and TV star, makes a powerful plea for gender equality: “This is a moral problem. Whatever our faith, if we want to make progress as a civilization, as humanity, if we want to grow and improve, I think we should ensure gender equality and make sure no one rules over another.”
“Expecting a solution from only women is not enough. Men should also contribute. Our laws need to be modern, and implemented more rigorously,” he added.
Famous for her role in the internationally-acclaimed movie “Winter Sleep”, which received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, Melisa Sözen remarks: “Unfortunately, violence against women is one of the biggest problems in Turkey. We are in 2016 and yet we still have to do a campaign against this. It’s embarrassing. But this is how we can help, and I’m very happy to be a part of this”.
UNDP is working with local partners and other UN agencies to end violence against women and girls in countries in the region. One crucial element of these efforts is to engage men to be equally involved to women in saying no to violence. Campaigns like this one aim to do just that.
Despite recent progress in legislation, prevention and prosecution, many women and girls in the region still experience high levels of violence throughout their lives. On average, 1 in 4 women in Eastern Europe and Central Asia face physical abuse from their partners while 1 in 15 women face sexual violence from a non-partner.
In addition to Fırat and Sözen, the campaign also attracted the support of actresses Selen Uçer and Müge Boz and actors Özgün Aydın and Volkan Yosunlu. The video was directed by award-winning director İlksen Başarır, a strong supporter of gender equality in Turkey.
The campaign was launched to coincide with the UN-led 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign taking place from 25 November to 10 December. The video will be disseminated on social media, in cinemas, and select TV channels.
Contact informationFor more information, please contact: florin.marin@undp.org and faik.uyanik@undp.org
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