Issue: 135
The project on Organic Agriculture Cluster in the Southeast Anatolia Region (GAP Region) participated to BIOFACH Fair, which was organized in Nurnberg, Germany on 14-18 February 2017. The project has been attending to BIOFACH Fair for four years with its stakeholders from the region.
Stakeholders like governmental institutions, development agencies, producers unions and private sector from the region found an opportunity to display their organic products together under the same roof. In 2015, BIOFACH Fair Cooperation Protocol was signed among GAP Regional Development Administration, Dicle, İpekyolu and Karacadağ Development Agencies. Thus, this cooperation ensured the participation to BIOFACH 2017 with a wide range of organic products produced in the region such as; olive oil, honey, mulberry, almond, lentil, molasses, pomegranate syrup, and cotton. While the booth, where the products were displayed, was 9m2 in 2015, today it became 49 m2 through regional cooperation.
The Organic Agriculture Cluster in the Southeast Anatolia Region Project is being implemented by Southeast Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration (GAP RDA) in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and respective stakeholders in the region.
During the for days period, representatives from Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Consul General and Attaché of Nurnberg, representatives from various companies and media visited the booth where organic products produced in GAP Region were displayed. BIOFACH took place for the 28th year in succession and around 50.000 visitors expected to attend this year.
In order to ensure competitiveness and sustainability of organic cluster, it is crucial to enable promotion of the products, forming cooperation, and developing marketing strategies for the products produced by cluster members. In this context, participating to BIOFACH Fair plays a great role for promoting local organic products of GAP Region worldwide and establishing international cooperation.
Biodiversity assessments were done through field research in Forestry Directorates of Köyceğiz, Gazipaşa, Gülnar, Pos, Andırın, which are the pilot sites of Integrated Forest Management Project. The project is being implemented by General Directorate of Forestry with financial support of GEF (Global Environment Facility) and in cooperation with UNDP.
Data regarding to plants, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, butterflies, ecological processes were collected in field researches done by Doğa Koruma Merkezi in the context of the project. The data were processed and analysed to classify the species with high conservation priorities, as well as to identify the distribution of the species through GIS and special modeling programs. As a result of these analysis, core zones and buffer zones, which were agreed on with forest management committee and chiefs of forestry directorates, were designated. Furthermore, special implementation recommendations for all species and habitats were integrated into the forest management plans to finalize the process.
During the field researches various endemic plants were recorded. A new plant specie (Micromeria aybalae) discovered in Köyceğiz was promoted to science community. One of the endangered butterfly specie, Ottoman fire (Lycaena otomana) was recorded first time in Gazipaşa. Two new breeding colony of griffon vulture was found in Pos. Photo of endemic plant species, Murat astragalus (Astragalus huber-morathii), which has only recording from Gülnar has taken for the first time in nature. Through photo traps, 6,379 images were recorded so that big mammals such as lynx, caracal, wolf, jackal, fox, wild goat, wild cat, and red deer were monitored. One of the most important images among these photos is the first lynx image taken in Gülnar.
Biodiversity data were taken into consideration while preparing and renewing the forest management plans of Gülnar Forestry Directorate in 2015 and Gazipaşa Forestry Directorate in 2016 in the context of the project. Biodiversity assessment for 3 pilot sites were finalized and in order to integrate biodiversity data to forest management plans, renewal process was initiated in these sites.
A socio-economic survey is started to identify the socio-demographic profiles of forest villagers who live within the borders of forestry directorates of the pilot sites of Integrated Forest Management Project, as well as to conduct clustering analyses for these villages and finally contribute to forestry policies regarding to region.
The survey that has started in 2016 autumn, is being conducted in villages of Köyceğiz, Gazipaşa, Gülnar, Pos, and Andırın forestry directorates. In the first field survey interviews with officials from regional directorate of forestry and forestry directorates of pilot project sites, mukhtars of the selected forest villages, particularly women and young villagers were made. The works are planned to be finalized in autumn 2017 through the field survey with completion of questionnaires.
Socio-economic assessment is done by the experts of Yaşama Dair Vakıf in the context of Integrated Forest Management Project which is being implemented by General Directorate of Forestry with financial support of GEF (Global Environment Facility) and in cooperation with UNDP.
An on-line education system for students is created in the context of Integrated Forest Management Project which is being implemented by General Directorate of Forestry with financial support of GEF (Global Environment Facility) and in cooperation with UNDP. On-line educations system consists of education cards and web site and supports primary education students from 1st class to 8th class.
This system, which is internet-based, computer-aided educational software, is compatible with the curriculum of Ministry of National Education and helps students to assess themselves through 52 thousand test questions. Moreover, it is aimed to promote love of nature and increase consciousness on environmental issues among students through story books on forests, audiobooks, posters, slogans, videos, animations and magazines.
In addition to these, activation code to reach to system is provided to students through education cards. Up to today 110 thousand education cards distributed to students.
For further information on education system please visit www.ogmegitim.org
Financed by the EU, implemented by the UNDP and with the Ministry of Development as the final beneficiary “Support to Development of a Policy Framework for Total Factor Productivity in Turkey Project” is coming to an end regarding the company visits and surveys.
Company visits and surveys are about to be completed in “Support to Development of a Policy Framework for Total Factor Productivity in Turkey Project”, in which the obstacles leading to productivity problems in the manufacturing industry are spotted and a policy framework is being developed to resolve these problems.
96 out of 100 large-scaled manufacturer companies were reached for conducting surveys while 304 out of 400 medium-scaled manufacturer companies were contacted up to now. 2,245 companies were applied surveys within the context of the field work regarding the 2,500 small-scaled last-chain suppliers.
Company visits and surveys are aimed to be concluded until the end of March.
In Turkey 30-35% of total electricity consumption is represented by industry. It is estimated that 70% of energy consumption in industry is by electric motor-driven systems. Large amount of electric motors used in Turkish industry is energy inefficient and there are 15 million working electric motors in the market, right now.
In order to address this important and key issue in energy efficiency, a project on Promoting Energy-Efficient Motors in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises was developed, which is convenient with the transformational programme of Turkey’s 10th National Development Plan, Energy Efficiency Strategy and Industry Strategy. Promoting Energy-Efficient Motors in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Project is being implemented by General Directorate of Productivity (DGP) under the Ministry of Science Industry and Technology (MoSIT) with financial support of Global Environment Facility (GEF) and in cooperation with UNDP.
The project aims to promote significant additional investment in industrial energy efficiency in Turkey by transforming the market for energy efficient motors used in small and medium sized enterprises. Project has five components:
1- Strengthening the legislative and regulatory framework related to both new and existing energy efficient motors in Turkey
2- Capacity building for relevant stakeholders to promote the benefits of energy efficient motors
3- Strengthening monitoring, verification and enforcement capacity for market transformation of motors
4- Launching of one-stop-shop for financial support mechanism
5- Developing and implementing an awareness raising programme for stakeholders.
The project will play an important role for Turkey reaching its targets set by the Energy Efficiency Law and Energy Strategy Plan and the 10th National Development Plan which are a 20% reduction in primary energy intensity by 2023 (compared to 2008 levels) and increasing energy efficiency in industry respectively.
Harran University Computer Engineering students participated to the Innocampus Hackaton, a collaborative project providing and innovation and entrepreneurship experience, with the support of the “Strenghtening Social Stability in Southeastern Anatolia Project”, run by the cooperation of UNDP Turkey and GAP Regional Development Administration.Harran University students, have joined to the Hackathon with a promising project called “E-Refugee”, a multilingual and video-rich website developed for facilitating the access to the healthcare and education for refugees.
From 3-5 February, 36 refugee and Turkish computer programmers and graphic designers participated in Turkey’s first ever coding marathon (Hackathon) held in İstanbul Işık University’s campus in Şile, to focus on easing the challenges faced by Syrian refugees in the country.
Strengthening Social Stability in Southeast Anatolia Project’s one of two basic components aims to contribute to the employability of different segments of Syrian population and host communities through provision of vocational training and competency development programmes that includes entrepreneurial activities, as well as improving local value chains and local production ecosystems and infrastructures for diversified and enhanced livelihood opportunities. After assessments made by Harran University Computer Engineering department academics and UNDP, a team of 6 voluntary students were supported to participate to the event. Students have been successfully completed the 36 hours-marathon of Hackathon and developed innovative ideas with the culture of team work, harmony and cooperation.
Entrepreneurship trainings will continue in Gaziantep
The event was organized by IOM and InnoCampus, a non-profit project providing innovation and entrepreneurship experiences. IOM mentors provided guidance to Turkish and Syrian participants about refugee-related problems in Turkey.
The teams participating in the Hackathon identified four areas for potential innovation: a social media app to help doctors and patients overcome language barriers; a touch-screen, self-service kiosk providing information about basic services available for Syrians living in Turkey; a social media app for refugees to self-identify their needs and find possible solutions to their problems; and a scanner that provides oral instructions to assist people in accurately and quickly sending documents required for obtaining humanitarian assistance.
These ideas will be further developed at the Entrepreneurship Accelerator Training Program, which will take place from 17 February – 10 May 2017 at the InnoCampus in Gaziantep. InnoCampus is a mobile accelerator/FabLab program which travels from city to city helping budding entrepreneurs bring their business ideas to life. The prefabricated portable platform consists of 3 containers (total 90 m2) which can be set up and disassembled in just a day and travels from city to city on 3 trucks. InnoCampus Gaziantep program targets both Gaziantep locals and individuals from the refugee community in Turkey. The objective of the program is to use the InnoCampus entrepreneurship training to help the selected individuals and teams start new businesses and startups.
For more info please visit: http://innocampus.org/gaziantep-universitesi-programi/
Consultant: Promoting Sustainable and Equitable HIV- related Human Rights and legal Services (Deadline - 2-March-2017)
Communications Analyst (Deadline - 3-March-2017)
Project Assistant (Deadline - 3-March-2017)
Policy Specialist, Energy and Climate Change (Deadline - 3-March-2017)
Programme and Administrative A (Deadline - 6-March-2017)
Data Journalism Consultant (Deadline - 7-March-2017)
IICPSD Intern (Deadline - 10-March-2017)
Chief Technical Expert on Healthcare Waste Management (Deadline - 10-March-2017)
RBM and UN Coordination Intern (Deadline - 10-March-2017)
Junior Consultant on Employment (Deadline - 11-March-2017)
Partnerships Research and Communication Intern (Deadline - 15-March-2017)
United Nations HHD Planetary Health Intern (Deadline - 15-March-2017)
Internship – Open Government and Accountable Institutions, Governance and Peace-building (Deadline - 15-March-2017)
Radio operations Assistant (Gaziantep) (Deadline - 15-March-2017)
Regional Technical Specialist for Climate Change Mitigation and Energy (Deadline - 17-March-2017)
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Intern (Deadline - 16-April-2017)