Issue: 56
Highlights of the visit included a visit the Developing Farmers’ Capacity to Adapt to Irrigation and Energy Restrictions project where the one-of-a-kind water-powered pump in Kayseri not only conserves energy but returns 5-10 thousand TL/year in profits for farmers, while another project which uses modern irrigation techniques is expected to conserve up to 50% of water annually. Schoolgirls in Niğde have already taken action to capture climate change in photos to raise awareness. In Adana, the first project ever to establish a connection between climate change and public health will aim to reduce transmitted diseases.
To adapt to changing climate conditions, Developing Farmers’ Capacity to Adapt to Irrigation and Energy Restrictions project that is being carried out in the Sarız District of Kayseri by the Sarız District Village Service Union aims to develop farmers’ awareness on alternative energy and modern agricultural techniques. To demonstrate how alternative energy sources can be used, a water-powered pump was set-up in the village of Yaylacı. With the force of water dropping from 6 meters, the pump can fill a 105 ton irrigation pool, 200 m away, 19 liters of irrigation water per second. Taking 6 hours to fill with an electric motor pump, the pool can be filled in 92 minutes using the water-powered pump. The energy conserved is reflected in the 5-10 thousand TL profits that fills the farmers’ pockets. The pump will initially irrigate 100 thousand m2 of land. Drip irrigation on a 20 thousand m2 apple orchard and sprinkler irrigation on a 20 thousand m² nearby clover field have already began in the scope of the project. An automatic climate station which evaluates agricultural risks based on climate data has also been established within the project framework. The project, owned by local administrations is a concrete example not only of climate change adaptation efforts at the local level but of the benefits provided in the region using locally developed technologies.
Another agricultural project implemented in Kayseri is the Savings by using Modern Technologies for Irrigation in Pınarbaşı aiming to conserve water by using modern irrigation technologies to cope with changing climate conditions. Realized in Kayseri’s Pınarbaşı district by the Karaboğaz, Kılıçmehmet, Büyükpotuklu Irrigation Union, a pool at a higher elevation has been built for training and application purposes. The water to be stored in the pool is transferred to a pipe system where it is distributed to 2000 decares of land either through drip irrigation or sprinkler irrigation depending on the product. The project is expected to conserve up to 50% more water. Using modern irrigation systems will also increase farmers’ income and contribute to the economic welfare of more than 1000 people. Results showing the difference between drip irrigation and flooding method on the same agricultural product will be shared with the public and the farmers of the region in the coming days.
The Young Nature Association’s Come on Girls, Let’s Take Pictures aims to increase the awareness among primary level school girls and their families on climate change adaptation and the environment for them to pass on their knowledge to forthcoming generations. Situated in Niğde’s Çamardı province, photography classes were provided to 25 successful young girls of low-income families in the region allowing them to recognize and document the rapidly changing face of the river basin. Perceiving themselves as part of nature, the girls can now observe climate change in Cimbar Valley, Maden Straight, Kazıklıali Valley, Emli Valley and Büyük Mangırcı Valley with the diligence of a visor. The student’s photographs will be exhibited starting in September.
In Adana, the Transmitted Diseases Observation and Control System project, the first ever to link climate change and public health, is being implemented by Çukurova University Tropical Diseases Research and Application Center (THAUM). The project aims to reach 3600 of the 12000 people who have migrated from east and southeast Anatolia as seasonal agricultural workers and settled in tents and sheds in the towns of Tuzla and Yunusoğlu in the district of Karataş, and around canals and canalettes near the Seyhan river in town of Yumurtalık, to diagnose and treat transmitted diseases and determine the vectors (such as insects and animals). Due to climate change, vector-human borne diseases such as Leishmania, malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and West Nile Fever as well as diseases transmitted from humans such as tuberculosis and trachoma are expected to increase. Among the inhabitants in the tents and sheds, women and children face the biggest challenges.
Aside from transmitted diseases, access to clean water and education are also critical problems in the area. Within the scope of the project, THAUM made 29 visits to 927 tents in the towns of Sarıhamzalı, Karataş and Ali Hocalı and took throat, nasal, saliva, blood and gaita samples. 4031 vectors were collected and bacterial infections were evaluated, Hepatitis B and C viruses were scanned and tuberculosis, malaria, brucella and Leishmania samples were examined. Within the project scope, hygene products, toothbrushes, toothpastes, shoes, t-shirts and blankets were distributed. Trainings on sanitation and hygene were given.
Six of the eight projects that were visited in the basin are supported by the UN Joint Programme while two are funded by the Global Environment Fund Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP). A total of 18 projects on agriculture and food safety, water resources and quality, public health, disaster risk management, basin and coastal areas management, natural resource management and infrastructure are currently being supported with the grants programme launched in the Seyhan River Basin in October 2009 in the context of the UN Joint Programme. While the projects aim to develop capacities and raise awareness on climate change adaptation in the long run, they will also contribute to developing good agricultural techniques, ensuring food security, determining flood risks, encouraging the use of alternative irrigation methods, and preventing rising sea levels. Combating climate change, which seriously impedes human development and the achievment of the Millennium Development Goals, is crucial for the two million inhabitants in the basin to sustain their livelihood.
Enhancing the Capacity of Turkey to Adapt to Climate Change UN Joint programme was launched under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and UNDP in 2008 to facilitate Turkey’s adaptation to the effects of climate change, combat these effects, mitigate uncertainties and vulnerabilities and establish necessary strategies. Funded by the Government of Spain’s Millennium Development Goals Achievement Fund, the Joint Programme comprises of objectives and activities in the Seyhan River Basin to support climate change adaptation efforts at the local level. Other UN Agencies in the programme are UNIDO, FAO and UNEP.
Living in the southeastern city of Şırnak where terror, inequality and poverty is abound, 22 year old Sibel has given computer classes to over 50 people, most of whom are women during the past 3 years. As if being a woman in the southeast isn’t hard enough Sibel says, her biggest challenge as a volunteer computer instructor at the Şırnak General Directorate of Culture and Tourism is the lack of support from local authorities.
Following a 29 hour trip, Sibel said she was lucky enough that her parents gave her permission to attend the Instructor Coordination Meeting in Ankara on 14-16 July 2010 held within the scope of 'the Empowerment of Youth for the E-Transformation of Turkey' Project. At the three-day meeting, Sibel not only soaked up the new developments in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) but also got the chance to share her experiences with 160 instructors who also attended the meeting from 63 cities across Turkey.
Volunteering to provide computer education to over 100 thousand people in 71 cities in Turkey, hundreds of young women and men like Sibel are taking a leading role in the transformation of Turkey into an information society. The Information Society Department under the State Planning Organization is coordinating this project and is a partner in the project. Department Head Emin Sadık Aydın stressed that information technologies, which make life easier in many ways, must not only become a key factor in the country’s economic and social development but also that finding ways to make ICT an efficient tool in the delivery of services in both the public and private sectors are crucial for Turkey’s e-transformation. Aydın also mentioned that the SPO will adopt an innovative approach in developing the new Information Society Strategy.
Cemal Akyel, the Vice President of Microsoft Turkey, said that “transformation” must take precedence over the “e” with regards to the many dimension of the concept of e-transformation. With information technologies, institutions and companies can increase their efficiency and transparency as well as personal awareness to contribute to e-transformation. Akyel also expressed a need for current legislations and regulations to adapt to the e-transformation process and contribute to participatory governance.
During the meeting, a protocol was signed with the Ankara Chamber of Internet Cafés to ensure that computer literacy classes can reach more young people. The protocol supported by the SPO, Microsoft, and UNDP and run by the Habitat for Youth Association, will expand the scope of Empowerment for Youth for the E-transformation project will be implemented in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Sivas. Indicating that the newly signed protocol is the beginning of an important opening, the President of the Ankara Chamber of Internet Cafés Önder Kaplan said “Internet cafés, which provide the benefits of the Internet to consumers through desirable conditions, are among important venues where people and especially the youth find the opportunity to socialize. Though over 15 thousand Internet Cafés across Turkey have a significant potential in shaping the society’s future, as the Turkish community, we do not know how to use the internet or computer applications appropriately. The main reason I see behind this is the lack of education”. With the Empowerment of Youth for the E-transformation project, internet cafés will become classes for technology and provide people - even in the most remote areas of Turkey - with access to the Internet and technology by creating an enabling environment for everyone to come together, socialize and learn.
With 813 volunteers, the Empowerment of Youth for the E-Transformation of Turkey project has contributed to making over 87 thousand young women and men computer literate and has partnered with local administrations in establishing Habitat IT Academies in 12 cities. The project which aims to make young women and men more active in e-governance in Turkey is run jointly by UNDP, the State Planning Organization, Youth for Habitat Association and Microsoft. Other ICT cooperation projects in Turkey include the Youth Movement in Informatics project run by UNDP, Youth for Habitat Association, CISCO, Istanbul Technical University and Turkey Informatics Foundation (TBV) and Bridging the Digital Divide project, again run by UNDP, Youth for Habitat Association and Vodafone Turkey foundation which aims to teach computers to 1 million people.
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Completed within the framework of Enhancing Forest Protected Areas System in Turkey project, which is supported by the Global Environment Fund (GEF), the visitor and information centers, entrance gate and walking paths were opened to the public on 2 July 2010. With these facilities, visitors and tourists will be able to experience Küre Mountains at first hand.
Kastamonu Azdavay Çatak canyon walking path, entrance gate and Pınarbaşı visitor and information centers were opened with ceremonies attended by the Deputy Undersecratery for Ministry of Environment and Forestry Mustafa Eldemir, Director General for General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks Yaşar Dostbil, Project Steering Committee members, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks staff, Kastamonu Regional Directorate of Forestry staff, local decision-makers and citizens from the communities.
Explaining that scarce resources in rural areas lead to migration Deputy Undersecretary Eldemir emphasized that sustainable development in rural areas can only be achieved through their own internal dinamics and international funded projects like this GEF funded Enhancing Forest Protected Areas System in Turkey project. Eldemir said the project will increase the added value of the region by creating alternative income sources, and as a result of the sustainable management system, the region will become more attractive for both the national and the global tourism sector.
Attaining National Park status in 2000 and standing on a surface area of 37.000 the Küre Mountains are home to rich biodiversity systems, wildlife, natural forests, unique geological and geomorphological structures, as well as cultural and architectural assets. Küre Mountains were also identified as one of Europe’s 100 forest hotspots in need of urgent conservation actions.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded project Enhancing Forest Protected Areas System in Turkey is implemented by UNDP Turkey; and executed by Ministry of Environment and Forestry, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, and General Directorate of Forestry under the partnership of General Directorate of Forest-Village Relations, General Directorate of Afforestation and Erosion Control, in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Turkey. The project aims to create a model to enhance nature conservation and sustainable resource management in Küre Mountains National Park and its buffer zone, and disseminate this model to other 8 forest hotspots in Turkey.
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UNDP’s most recent Annual Report UNDP in Action 2009/2010: Delivering on Commitments showcases results. In 2009, in many of the countries where it operates, UNDP continued to experience a high demand for development advice in high impact areas covering: HIV and AIDS; energy, environment and climate change; crisis prevention and recovery; and achievement of the MDGs.
Speaking about the Annual Report, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said: “This is no time for business as usual approaches to development. On the contrary, this is a time for translating words and promises into action on the ground. This publication, UNDP in Action, has been produced to help illustrate how UNDP can contribute to that.”
UNDP plays an important role in the global push to achieve the MDGs. First, UNDP’s programmatic work supports governments as they work to achieve the MDGs, through policy and technical advice as well as financial support. In fact, a 2009 survey of countries where UNDP provides significant support to national MDG efforts showed that 90 percent had integrated at least one of the MDGs into their national plans. Today, over 60 countries have adopted MDG-based national development strategies with UNDP’s support.
UNDP has also produced an MDG Breakthrough Strategy. The Strategy provides an acceleration framework, which will help countries identify what is holding back MDG progress. It embodies proven interventions and lessons learned in order to address those constraints. It also forms the basis for UNDP support to countries to build a foundation for sustaining the progress achieved, mitigate the risk of reversal and strengthen the partnerships that will be needed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
UNDP supported elections in 35 countries through technical, advisory and financial assistance in 2009. Since most donor funds target electoral events, the organization launched a three-year, $50 million fund to help countries improve their electoral laws, processes and institutions and to enhance the participation of women in electoral processes.
In 2009 alone, 59 UNDP projects, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), enabled 44 countries to avoid emitting approximately 26 million tonnes of co2. Together with UNDP’s Montreal Protocol programme, the UN’s MDG carbon facility played a lead role in developing innovative carbon finance solutions in Latin America and Africa related to the Montreal Protocol. The carbon facility has also put in place a diverse project portfolio, including six projects forecasted to generate 9.4 million carbon credits for the participating countries, representing some $140 million in foreign direct investment.
With the 2010 global review of MDG progress approaching, 2009 was a year for UNDP to both take stock of progress made as well as to accelerate the work needed during the remaining five years. At the same time the global economic crisis required an urgent response from UNDP, especially in terms of helping countries to identify and protect the most vulnerable.
“Where women are educated and empowered, economies are more productive and strong. Where women are fully represented, societies are more peaceful and stable” said Secretary-General in his statement on July 2nd welcoming UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. This new entity will be the lead driver and lead voice advocating for gender equality and women’s empowerment globally, supporting Member States to advance gender equality in line with national priorities and international norms and policies.
Gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society. Women lack access to decent work and face occupational segregation and gender wage gaps. They are too often denied access to basic education and health care. Women in all parts of the world suffer violence and discrimination. They are under-represented in political and economic decision-making processes.
As part of the UN reform agenda, UN member states took a historic step in accelerating the Organization’s goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women at the 64th General Assembly where it was agreed to merge and build on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system. The Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which focus exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment will work towards the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, empowerment of women achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, and humanitarian action.
Building effective partnerships with civil society and mobilizing political and financial support, UN Women will support the achievement of international goals for women. It will provide substantive support to UN bodies on all aspects of gender equality issues and work with UN partners at the regional and country levels to ensure that demand for technical expertise from national partners and regional organizations are met.
At the country level UN Women will provide technical and financial support to national partners, helping them develop the ability to address their priority challenges. UN Women will also support UN Country Teams to strengthen and coordinate action on gender equality. The creation of UN Women will contribute to an enhanced and coordinated UN response to country-defined needs and priorities, to enable the UN system to work in a more effective, collaborative and coherent way.
The year 2010 represents an important moment to reflect on progress, as it marks the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), and the 10th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security. Ten years have also passed since the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were launched. While MDG 3 focuses on promoting gender equality and empowering women, there is now broad recognition that gender equality is both a goal in itself, as well as a means towards the achievement of all the MDGs.
The work of UN Women will be framed by the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which marked its 30th anniversary in 2009. The Convention provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men, and an agenda for action by States parties to guarantee the enjoyment of those rights. As of June 2010, 186 countries are party to the Convention.
UN Women will be funded largely by both voluntary contributions and the regular UN budget. At least US$500 million — double the current combined budget of DAW, INSTRAW, OSAGI, and UNIFEM — has been recognized by Member States as the minimum investment needed for UN Women. The new entity will be operational by January 2011.