Issue: 63
This prestigious competition throughout the Europe is organized by Euclide Network, Social Innovation Exchange, European Commission and Young Foundation to support social responsibility projects and to create a leading model in the World.
In 2010, a total of 150 social responsibility projects from 23 country applied to “This is European Social Innovation – a call for inspiring stories”. One of the criteria of the competition was to award projects which could be a model for innovative attempts to solve social issues.
Dreams Academy project team went to Bilbao, Spain to meet and collaborate with the winning team. During this four days long visit, Dreams Academy project team met the institutions governing the contest as well as the winning team. In addition, project team had found a chance to visit Social Innovation Park which is an important place in its field in Europe.
Dreams Academy had also visited Bilbao City Council in order to discuss potential fields to cooperate.
Volunteers
Dreams Academy, by hosting volunteers from Turkey and various countries of the world, enables different cultures and perspectives involve the project.
Volunteers from various parts of the world stay in “Volunteers Home”. International Volunteers are planning to open English language training courses and other workshops under the project. In the near future the project is planning to reach even more new international volunteers.
Best Buddies
Dreams Academy Project became one of the representatives of the “Best Buddies” system which operates in various parts of the world since 1989.
Best Buddies is a network system where volunteer young people become friends with people with special needs.
Alternative Life Association (AYDER) is collaborating with Best Buddies system by providing its tremendous experience.
Dreams Academy Project is being implemented in collaboration with UNDP, Vodafone Turkey Foundation, AYDER and State Planning Organisation since 2008.
There are workshops on vocal, rythm, dance, movie, photograph, DJ, instrument, drawing and design in Dreams Academy.
The film premiere and the first run of the documentary that started to be broadcast on İz TV as of February were made on 4 February 2011 in Adana.
The “Journey to the Seyhan Basin” documentary that depicts the outcomes of the grants programme in the Seyhan River Basin within the context of the UN Joint Programme recounts the story of adaptation to climate change from the perspective of local communities.
The joint programme will also contribute to the replication of pilot projects conducted in the context of climate change adaptation in other basins and to raising public awareness.
The film screening was attended by UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Shahid Najam, Adana Deputy Governor Fikret Deniz, Ministry of Environment and Forestry General Directorate of Environmental Management Head of Climate Change Department Fulya Somunkıranoğlu, documentary film maker Coşkun Aral and representatives of the UN Joint Programme as well as representatives of various public institutions, academics, coordinators of the grants programme and journalists.
During the event a plaque was also presented by UNDP Resident Representative Shahid Najam to Adana Deputy Governor Fikret Deniz for his contributions and support to the Climate Change Adaptation in the Seyhan River Basin Grants Programme.
A vulnerable area
The basin that is shaped by the Seyhan River that starts its 560 km journey from Kayseri and ends in Adana by joining the Mediterranean Sea is one of the regions that will be affected by climate change the most.
Climate change will not only affect ecosystems but will also directly affect livelihoods and the two million people living here.
For this reason, the climate change adaptation studies that have been implemented in the Seyhan River Basin carry key importance and in this sense, the documentary puts forth pilot projects on adaptation that touch people’s lives.
Will the Seyhan River Basin be able to adapt to climate change? The “Journey to the Seyhan Basin” documentary seeks the answer to this question.
The documentary can also be watched on İz TV in March. The broadcast times are as follows:
7 March Monday 00.45
8 March Tuesday 11:50
10 March Thursday 16:55
12 March Saturday 09:35
13 March Sunday 19:10
14 March Monday 11:20
16 March Wednesday 16:30
30 March Wednesday 00:40
31 March Thursday 11:15
Açık Radyo (Open Radio), an independent radio station based in Istanbul, started to broadcast New Horizons on Mondays at 09.30 am since February 21.
The first audio and video podcasts of New Horizons were published on January 24, on UNDP Turkey website as well as on iTunes and Youtube.
On each New Horizons, selected stories from UNDP that works for a greener, healtier and more aware future, are shared with audience.
How to follow?
Programs which are in Turkish and in podcast format are found on Youtube, Facebook and iTunes store besides UNDP Turkey website.
If you would like to listen to the programme on radio, you can access the broadcast on 94.9 FM in Istanbul or on website of Açık Radyo.
Açık Radyo also republishes New Horizons of the UNDP in podcast format for listeners. You can also reach our programme on podcast-page of Açık Radyo website.
Audio and video podcasts of the New Horizons are published on every Monday.
The recording of the programme prepared by the UNDP Turkey Communications Office is produced at Radyo İlef of Faculty of Communications of University of Ankara.
The introductory meeting was held in conference hall of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Kocaeli University (KOU) on February 23.
Najam, as he touched upon global results of the reports and then Turkey’s position in the report, stated the following;
“Turkey is in a position of model, compared to other countries within its region; and is regarded as a model. In the last 15 years, there has been several progresses in Turkey in terms of both politics and private sector. Currently, Turkey is the 16th largest economy, and aims to take part within the first 10 largest economies in 2023.”
Shahid Najam denoted Turkey ranks the 83rd among 169 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI).
Najam added that considering the last 30 years, there have been several achievements of Turkey in addition to significant rise of GDP per capita, estimated life expectancy at birth and mean years of education.
After speeches, Prof. Sezer Şener Komsuoğlu, Rector of KOU, presented a plaquet to Mr. Najam.
How the introduction tour started?
The 2010 Human Development Report, entitled “The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development” was introduced, simultaneously with the world, on 4 November 2010 at Middle East Technical University (METU) within the framework of Human Development Dialogue which is a common initiative of the United Nations, World Bank and METU Social Politics Program.
UNDP Resident Representative, presented the report at Harran University in Şanlıurfa on 26 November 2010 and at Akdeniz University in Antalya on 8 December 2010.
Introductory tour of the report then continued with Adana and Kars.
The activity at conference hall of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of Adana Çukurova University was held on 13 January 2011.
The Human Development Report was introduced at Kafkas University in Kars, on 17 January 2011.
The event placed climate change that is portrayed as the leading threat of the century, once again into the agenda of Izmir.
The Climate Arena carries importance in the sense that it is an interactive platform where issues such as what climate change is, how it affects Turkey, and things that can be realized in order to adapt are discussed by experts that come together from across Turkey.
So far the Climate Arenas have been organized in 10 provinces in Ankara, Istanbul, Van, Trabzon, Konya, Gaziantep, Mersin, Şanlıurfa, Adana and Denizli.
800 people composed of different backgrounds such as academics, students, public institutions, village headmen, non-governmental organizations, representatives from chambers of industry and trade, representatives of the business world and media representatives have been reached through the Climate Arena.
In the Climate Arena that placed climate change into the agenda of the provinces where it was organized, issues such as the observed impacts of climate change in that specific province and on agricultural production, water resources, public health, animal husbandry, fisheries and ecosystems were discussed.
During these events, also, the need of integrating climate change into provincial action plans, increasing floods in the Black Sea, extreme weather events, the links between climate change and hydroelectric power plants, energy savings and energy efficiency, the role and responsibility of the media in raising public awareness and providing correct information on climate change and individual efforts in combating climate change were discussed.
The Climate Arena that has been organised in Izmir on 3 March 2011 for the last time contributed the UN Joint Programme in building capacity and raising awareness on climate change.
Background of the activity
The UN Joint Programme on “Enhancing the Capacity of Turkey to Adapt to Climate Change” is being supported by the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund that has been transferred to the UN system by the Government of Spain.
The main beneficiary of the programme that is made up of four partners namely UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
The UN Joint Programme aims to develop national strategies to combat and manage the impacts of climate change and develop capacity for managing climate change risks to rural and coastal development of Turkey.
[BAGLANTILAR]
UN Resident Coordinator in Turkey and UNDP Resident Representative Najam, visited Mayor of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality İbrahim Karaosmanoğlu on 23th of February .
Najam, who told he was very much impressed by Kocaeli where he had been for the second time, stated that this city had significant achievements in industrial and commercial fields, in addition to information technology.
Shahid Najam said the improvement in sustainable development in Kocaeli were pleasing:
“I have seen that Kocaeli is the first and only city making analysis on sustainable development in Turkey and in the world. We would like to support works for development targets and exemplify these. We would like to introduce Kocaeli to the world and show that these targets can locally be achieved. We, as UN, are ready to support works done in the field of development.”
Following the speeches, presentations regarding projects run by the Metropolitan Municipality and related to Millennium Development Goals were made.
Gas producer Honeywell announced that its new low-global-warming-potential product (HFO-1234ze) has been accepted for use in foam and aerosol applications by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The new product, hydrofluoroolefin (HFO-1234ze), is non-flammable, non-ozone depleting and has a global warming potential (GWP) of 6.
HFO-1234ze can replace HFC-134a (with a GWP of 1,430) and HFC-152a (with a GWP of 142) in aerosol applications, extruded polystyrene board (XPS), rigid polyurethane foam, and one-and two- component insulating and sealant foam.
"End consumers and the environment all benefit from the EPA's acceptance of this low-global-warming-potential fluorocarbon," said Terrence Hahn, Vice President responsible from fluorine products business of Honeywell.
Earlier in 2010, Honeywell launched another low-GWP product, HFO-1234yf, for use in automobile air conditioners.
Fluorocarbon technology benefits society through superior energy efficiency performance in cooling and insulating applications.
Same performance, lower emission
By reducing fuel consumption, fluorocarbons directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling and electrical power generation, and are cost-effective for the end user compared with fluorocarbon alternatives.
In addition, fluorocarbons are mostly non-flammable and have a low order of toxicity, which makes them significantly safer in use than alternatives such as hydrocarbons and ammonia that are either extremely flammable or highly toxic.
Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) are a family of unique products that offer similar performance properties to today's most widely used refrigerants, blowing agents and aerosol propellants, but with the added benefit of having very low global warming potentials.
HFO-1234ze is currently used in Europe and Japan in a variety of foam and aerosol applications.
UNDP Turkey’s project to use the gas in XPS sector
UNDP, Republic of Turkey Ministry of Environment and Forestry and private sector firm B-Plas AŞ were launched a project to use this new gas in XPS sector in 2010.
The affectivities of this gas on XPS product will be determined according to TS EN 13164 standard with the same production processes.
The completion of the project has been planned for the end of July 2011.
Project partners are UNDP, Ministry of Environment and Forestry and B-Plas AŞ.
More than sixty people attended the training organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which are two of the partner agencies of the UN Joint Programme.
During the event, Associate Professor Mr. Yusuf Serengil from Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry provided examples from the last report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and stated that according to optimistic projections, in the case of temperatures increasing 1.5-2° C, it is expected that 20 to 30 percent of living beings will become extinct.
Prof. Nüzhet Dalfes from Istanbul Technical University Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences explained the projections and processes of Turkey in the face of climate change.
During the trainings that continued for five days, technical issues such as the specie spread modelling, recommendations for forestry practices adapted to climate change, Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), carbon calculation in agricultural lands, meadows and pasturelands and national emissions inventory reporting have been discussed.
Issues such as legal and institutional frameworks in combating climate change and the Kyoto Protocol were also elaborated.
Moreover two experts participating from the FAO headquarters in Italy provided information on the projects that can be prepared on REDD-related issues and LULUCF activities.
Documentary screening
At the end of the trainings, the “Journey to the Seyhan River Basin” documentary film that was shot in the context of the UN Joint Programme and that recounts the community-based adaptation to climate change grants programme that was realized in the Seyhan River Basin was screened and participation certificates were given to participants.
The “Climate Change Adaptation and Forestry” training was realized in the context of a series of trainings that are being organized within the institutional capacity building component of the UN Joint Programme.
Other trainings that will be organized within the same component will be on the issues of agricultural insurances, drought monitoring tools and applications, climate data analyses, carbon management in agriculture, early warning and monitoring systems in flood management, soil moisture measurements, the impacts of climate change on hydrological cycles and irrigation management with a climate change adaptation perspective.
Among the partakers of Antalya training were institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry such as the General Directorate of Forestry, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, General Directorate of Afforestation and Erosion Control, General Directorate of Forest-Village Relations, Directorate of Research and Development, General Directorate of Environmental Management and General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works as well as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Prime Ministry Turkish Statistical Institute and universities such as Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry, Istanbul Technical University and Middle East Technical University.
Who supports?
The UN Joint Programme on “Enhancing the Capacity of Turkey to Adapt to Climate Change” is being supported by the MDG Achievement Fund transferred from the Government of Spain to the United Nations system.
The main beneficiary of the UN Joint Programme, that is made up of four UN agencies namely the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), is the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
The UN Joint Programme aims to develop national strategies to combat and manage the impacts of climate change and develop capacity for managing climate change risks to rural and coastal development of Turkey.
Opening Ceremony took place with an extensive attendance just before the Project Steering Committee’s third meeting in Bartın.
New information center, which was an old village school and reconstructed as a part of National Park visitor management system, aims to serve better to the visitors and to provide detailed information.
Governor of Bartın İsa Küçük , Bartın MP Yılmaz Tunç, Director General of Nature Conservation and National Parks Yaşar Dostbil, UNDP Turkey Programme Manager Dr. Katalin Zaim, WWF-Turkey Conservation Manager Dr. Sedat Kalem, officials from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, governors of districts, mayors, representatives of universities and locals were present at the opening ceremony of the information center.
The delegation also visited surrounding villages and held openings of the National Park’s Bartın section entrance gate system (Arıt-Ridgeway-Aşağıçerçi and Ulukaya-Drahna-Göksu- Ridgeway entrance gates).
In his opening speech, Director General of Nature Conservation and National Parks Yaşar Dostbil said, “Kastamonu-Bartın Kure Mountains National Park and buffer zone activities of the project are successfully carried out since May 2008 and continued with an approach based on nature protection and sustainable resource management.”
“Local ownership”
Dreams In his speech Bartın MP Yılmaz Tunç stated that in recent years studies on Kure Mountains National Park have been gradually increased and successful works have been done to promote the region to the world. “Efforts are important, but local ownership of these is more important” he said.
Governor of Bartın, İsa Küçük drew attention to the fact that information center is a significant progress towards implementation of protection and utilization balance, by enhancing communication and interaction between local people and national park.
Abandoned village schools are reconstructed as the national park visitor and information centers in Bartın province.
These centers are an important part of Kure Mountains National Park Visitor Management System, and aim to raise awareness of local people, inform visitors, exhibit local handicraft products, and are venues for meetings and trainings.
The aim of the meeting was to help increase the effectiveness and broaden the scope of the twinning arrangements both between the local authorities of Turkey and Europe as well as among Turkish local authorities.
The meeting hosted a total of 48 government officials, two from each of 10 Turkish and 13 other European local authorities of twin cities, met to improve co-operation in the management of local public and municipal services.
The meeting within the scope of the Support to Further Implementation of Local Administration Reform in Turkey Project was inaugurated with the remarks of the representatives from EU Delegation to Turkey, UNDP Turkey, UMT (Union of Municipalities of Turkey) and Ministry of Interior.
The program which started with a presentation by UMT on the explanation of the twinning methodology, the programme of events and answers to the questions regarding the procedures; was followed by the presentations of the works of local authorities in alphabetical and alternating order between EU and Turkish municipalities.
Finally, the facilitated workshops between EU and Turkish municipalities were held on on four themes, namely, environmental protection and energy efficiency; tourism and culture; municipal services (ie. social services including gender, elderly care and children, urban transportation, urban planning, emergency management, fire brigade systems, immigrants etc.); and local economic development with citizen participation.
EU and Turkish local authorities were able to plan for mutual visits with their twinning partners to broaden the scope of twinning agreements and collaboration, that were chosen freely during the meetings.
Support to Further Implementation of Local Administration Reform in Turkey Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Interior with the technical assistance of the United Nations Development Programme and funded by the European Union in the scope of the EU-Turkey Pre-Accession Financial Co-Operation Programme.
The specific objective of the project is to develop and strengthen the administrative capacity and co-operation of the Ministry of Interior (particularly General Directorate of Local Authorities, governorates and district governorates), unions of local authorities and local authorities themselves in the task of ensuring effective implementation of new policy and legislation on local administration.
Participant Municipalities
Turkish:
K. Ereğli (Zonguldak)
Uşak
Kırşehir
Kahta (Adıyaman)
Düzce
Nevşehir
Zonguldak
Gölbaşı (Ankara)
Patnos (Ağrı)
Mustafakemalpaşa (Bursa)
EU:
Birzai, Lithuania
East Riding of Yorkshire Council, England
Harryda, Sweden
Mykonos, Greece
Ptolemaida/Eordea, Greece
Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria
Rezekne, Latvia
Charleroi, Belgium
Balatonfüred, Hungary
Manfalcone, Italy
Brindisi, Italy
Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy
Sciacca, Italy
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The partnership involves research and documentation of good implementations in the field of business administration, detection and analysis of sectoral shareholders, research for localisation of works done in the region within the framework of Growing Inclusive Markets initiative.
Istanbul Bilgi University Institute of Social Sciences will contribute to reduction of research gap in this field in accordance with the signed memorandum of understanding.
Bilgi University also aims to organise the first conference on “Inclusive Markets and Social Enterprise” in Turkey.
The conference targets both to gather professionals working in this area and to arouse interest on this subject.
In the framework of the agreements for cooperation signed with the UNDP, case studies led by Bilgi MBA will be presented at Istanbul Bilgi University Santral Campus.
Case studies prepared for six examples of social enterprise will be compiled by participation of academics and social entrepreneurs who make field research.
Signatory of global compact
It is aimed to initiate works regarding Social Enterprise and Growing Inclusive Markets, which harmonize both academic knowledge and field experience, to understand examples fully and transfer these examples from Turkey to the world.
Thus contributing to capacity building of institutions which are willing to work in the field of social innovation; yet are deficient of knowledge and field expertise is set as target.
Istanbul Bilgi University, which is involved in several social responsibility projects such as social problems, migration, gender inequality, children studies, is a signatory of both UNGC and PRME.