Issue: 52
Milk will now be healthier in Niğde thanks to these special goats which are tough to breed but are not damaging to pastures and produce better quality milk, full of nutrients. The project will not only provide important economic opportunities for Niğde locals, but will also aim to reduce poverty and migration risk in the province.
The "Saanen Dairy Goats Breeding Project for Poor Farmers and Women Living in the Seyhan River Basin" is being carried out by Combating Drought and Ecological Life Association in Central Anatolia (ANADOĞA) and Young Nature Society. 16 chosen families were provided milking machines, roughage and concentrate feed to start with, in the scope of the project run in Central Niğde, Çamardı, Bor and Ulukışla provinces. During Saanen Dairy Goat Distribution Festival held on 23 February, 240 Saanen dairy goats brought from villages in Bursa, Karacabey, Balıkesir and Bandırma were distributed to their new owners.
The festival was attended by, the president of the project partner Young Nature Society Murat Türk, Niğde University faculty members, president of the Central Anatolia Nature Protection Federation (İÇDOĞA) Cengiz Kaya, Director of Bor Vocational High School Bilge Karatepe, Niğde University vice rector Mehmet Şener and deputy governor Polat Kara.
In order to support families through potential problems they may encounter while caring for their new goats, the ANADOĞA association added a zootechnician field trainer, a veterinarian, a marketing expert and two field workers to the project team.
President of ANADOĞA Association Mustafa Uludoğan explained “In addition to making economic contributions to Niğde and its locals, the project also aims to reduce poverty and the risk of migration specifically in Niğde, Bor, Ulukışla, Çamardı and the Seyhan River Basin. In order to ensure environmental sustainability, it is necessary to increase the adaptation capacity of poor families” he said.
Project activities are supported by Niğde University, and the Governorship of Niğde.
Launched in 2008, Enhancing the Capacity of Turkey to Adapt to Climate Change in Turkey UN Joint Programme was developed in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Forest with the foresight that the achievement of the MDGs will fall under risk caused by climate change. The Joint Programme run by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) consists of goals and activities to manage climatic risks, develop human resources, scientific research and a political framework to ensure that the poorest are least affected by climate change and a grant programme to demonstrate that precautions against climate change can be applied at the local level. In the scope of the grant programme, a total of 18 projects (12 in Adana, 4 in Kayseri and 2 in Niğde) covering the persisting effects of climate change on water resources, agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry, as well as on epidemics are being implemented.
With planned activities such as migration-mapping in Kocaeli, a cultural festival in Balıkesir and vocational trainings and yayla tours in Adana, it looks as though Swiss-UNDP (S-UN) Fund for Youth has saved the best for last. $187,995 worth of grants will be allocated to 14 projects and project owners - 50 of whom are young women and 36 young men - will receive capacity building support and technical consultancy. Along with young women and men who are affected by internal migration, the Swiss-UNDP Fund for Youth’s second term projects also include young people with physical and mental disabilities, young convicts and young women and men under state protection, both as project owners and beneficiaries.
The projects that are supported by the Swiss-UNDP Fund for Youth are focusing on social integration of young women and men from migrant populations, youth employment in culture and tourism sectors and effective utilization of information and communication technologies.
A total number of 101 grant applications were received in pilot provinces Adana, Balıkesir and Kocaeli during the Swiss-UNDP Fund for Youth’s second and last term.
Following the completion of awarded projects’ implementation in November 2010, youth policy recommendations will be developed with the participation of young women and men. The youth policy recommendations will be based on the experience and knowledge accumulated throughout implementation of 34 youth projects that are being supported in the Swiss-UNDP Fund’s first and second terms.
Swiss-UNDP Fund for Youth is a grant and technical assistance programme that has been implemented by the General Directorate of Youth and Sports, and UNDP. As a direct response to support Turkish Government’s efforts to support social integration of young people, the Fund was entrusted to UNDP by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency.
Turkey aims to strengthen its position in international development cooperation, through assessing the capacity of its national development agency TİKA. On her visit to Turkey in the scope of TİKA’s capacity assessment conducted within the framework of Bridging South-South Cooperation and Emerging Donor Roles project in January, Daša Šilovic, senior policy advisor of the Bureau for Development Policy’s Capacity Development Group and the chair of the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) on Aid Effectiveness said “The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) is making an effort, through its capacity development programme to strengthen its staff competencies to better position Turkey in the recipient country aid environment and to better align Turkish assistance with local, national and regional development priorities.”
In an interview with New Horizons Šilovic presented a general overview of aid effectiveness and highlighted the role of Turkey in aligning itself with international aid effectiveness principles.
Just as a general entry point, what is aid effectiveness and how is UNDP involved?
Let me start by stressing that aid is only one of the instruments for financing development. We are actually talking about development effectiveness and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through the delivery of international commitments on aid quantity (volumes) and aid quality (effectiveness).
There is nothing instant about development. Only development disruptions are instant. Development cooperation history and the UN’s own experience at country level demonstrate that the sustainability of the development process, irrespective of challenges and disruptions, relies heavily on strong and resilient country capacities developed over time, whether individual or those of institutions and organisations.
Despite the financial crisis, and as the global and regional aid environment expands with new actors, development cooperation is expected to retain its role as one of the important instruments for financing development. The development of efficient tools and institutional capacities to effectively plan and monitor internal and external investments to the development process are the basis for country ownership and accountability for results, as well as for the sustainability of the development effort.
The role of the United Nations development system, and indeed UNDP, at country level is neither that of a major financier nor that of traditional donor. The goal of UNDP is to advance human development by expanding opportunities and deepening people’s ability to reach their development potential. To make that happen, the core contribution of UNDP is strengthening national capacities in a way that supports human development. UNDP support, whether financed through nationally-executed and implemented programmes and projects or through sector budget support funds and pooled funds, remains the same: (a) within its given mandate areas, (b) in sectors where it is already participating; and (c) in connection with its capacity development role and support at the country level.
The United Nations development system facilitates the access of countries to sources of development finance; provides policy and technical services, as needed; and strengthens national capacities to respond to continuing and emerging challenges. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) provides the basis for United Nations development system financing for policy and programme support. This instrument outlines the overall United Nations support to the development priorities of each country.
The resident coordinator system and United Nations country teams are tasked with intensifying capacity development interventions in support of country-owned aid policy, national aid coordination mechansims and aid management (including aid management systems). Policy and technical services provided to support transparent financial management, the promotion of peer learning, and capacity development through cross-country exchanges in areas such as leadership skills, diagnostic and implementation capacities, knowledge services and training, as well as institutional reform, are capacity-enhancing efforts funded through individual projects as well as through sector programmes financed using the mechanism of pooled funds.
The above-mentioned services are offered with a common recognition of the comparative advantage of the United Nations development system, with its neutrality and universality, in a changing aid environment and in line with the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review, 2007. This makes possible critical inter-governmental actions in which the characteristics of multilateralism are most in demand – to service global norms and standards; to support global public goods and services; and to help address development challenges, such as post-conflict situations, as well as emerging challenges, such as climate change and food crises. The UNDG approach and response to the changing aid environment recognizes country specificity and the need to adapt of approaches and instruments to the local aid and development finance context.
Finally, the UNDP’s Global Programme on Capacity Development for Aid Effectiveness – managed by the Bureau for Development Policy’s Capacity Development Group (BDP/CDG) at headquarters in cooperation with UNDP regional centres as well as with country advisers through a community of practice (CoP) – provides, upon demand, support for capacity development (CD) on aid management and coordination to over ninety programme countries worldwide.
Is there a system to monitor aid effectiveness?
The United Nations, within its Financing for Development process, monitors the implementation of the six thematic chapter headings of the Monterrey Consensus (2002) document: mobilizing domestic financial resources for development; mobilizing international resources for development: foreign direct investment and other private flows; international trade as an engine for development; increasing international financial and technical cooperation for development; external debt; and addressing systemic issues: enhancing the coherence and consistency of the international monetary, financial and trading systems in support of development. The UN Secretary General reports on progress to the General Assembly on a regular basis. These can be found at www.un.org/esa/ffd/.
Equally the UN ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum is tasked with monitoring aid quality and mutual accountability around aid delivery and its effectiveness.
The Paris Declaration commits donors and partner countries to increase efforts in the harmonization, alignment and management of aid for results, with a set of monitorable actions and indicators. Through the Paris Declaration, donors and partner countries committed to monitoring their progress in improving aid effectiveness. They agreed on 56 specific actions and 12 indicators against which they would measure this progress, setting targets for 2010. Monitoring is a distinctive feature of the Paris Declaration, providing a means of making sure that donors and partner countries act upon the commitments they have made.
The Accra Agenda for Action builds on these commitments. The 2011 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration will follow previous surveys conducted in 2006 and 2008, and will be critical in determining whether the targets set in the Paris Declaration for 2010 have been met. These results will form a key contribution to discussions at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Seoul, 2011).
Finally, the UNDP’s Global Programme on Capacity Development for Aid Effectiveness – managed by the Bureau for Development Policy’s Capacity Development Group (BDP/CDG) at headquarters in cooperation with UNDP regional centres as well as with country advisers through a community of practice (CoP) – provides, upon demand, support for capacity development (CD) on aid management and coordination to over ninety programme countries worldwide.
Finally, there is a broad agreement that aid transparency is a necessary pre-condition for genuine national ownership and leadership of the development process and underpins the other principles of the PD and more broadly the Millennium Declaration and the IADG. It also facilitates mutual and domestic accountability. Aid transparency has a distinct added value during the financial crisis when aid budgets are cut, the MDGs are strained and the predictability of aid flows is jeopardized. Aid transparency empowers partner countries and citizens in donor and recipient countries to know for whom, when, for what purpose and how aid money is being spent. The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), of which UNDP is a member, is welcomed as a concrete mechanism to bridge the gap between commitments and their realization.
Can you please provide a general overview about the current developments in Aid Effectiveness?
The current aid environment offers new opportunities for efficient development financing through a series of international commitments on aid quality and a diversity of aid modalities and development assistance actors. However, the persisting challenges remain, which are to ensure more coherence and harmonization among multiple development partners, strong country leadership, alignment of aid with the country-defined development plans and priorities, as well as the use of national systems for delivery of aid. Please click here for more information.
What are your perceptions on Turkish cooperation and the role of Turkey in Official Development Assistance (ODA)?
The Government of Turkey is highly committed to further position Turkey as a prominent player in the international development cooperation arena and to honour its UN and other international commitments by contributing to development effectiveness and achievement of the MDGs.
The main thrust of TIKA development assistance is in sectors such as education, health, agriculture and infrastructural projects. Cultural ties and cooperation with Turkish populations is also under TIKA implementation, to help them maintain their identity but also integrate into the local communities and support the development of the country.
Speaking at the Coordination Committee Meeting in January 2010, State Minister Faruk Celik said the agency was working to raise its project coordination offices in 23 countries to 30. The coordination offices will be opened in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan and 2 African countries. With a budget exceeding 100 million, a review of TİKA's law is also high on the agenda. With the envisaged expansion both geographically and in terms of budget, there is a need to establish stronger capacities in several areas of TIKA to provide the institutional basis needed to support this expansion.
What must be done to align Turkish cooperation with the Paris Declaration Principles?
In setting up development cooperation, including constitutional and legal provisions, there is no set of global rules, but rather different practices across countries that provide development assistance. It is an internal decision on how a government will rule and manage its development assistance. In this sense, learning from others is always an important opportunity to assess how a country will position itself in the international aid environment and govern its development assistance provision. Having said this, international commitments on the quantity and quality of aid, including the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, provide a framework for countries to scale up and improve the quality and effectiveness of their development assistance.
The Turkish development agency is making an effort, through its capacity development programme to strengthen its staff competencies to better position Turkey in the recipient country aid environment, better align Turkish assistance with country, regional and local development priorities and expand the scope of Turkish donorship. In this, Turkey is following the commitments made in the Paris declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action. Turkey is also engaging increasingly in the international dialogue on development assistance. UNDP looks forward to expanding cooperation with Turkey and specifically TIKA on these issues and in supporting its capacities.
Learning, knowledge sharing and dialogue on lessons learnt is an important component of the growing relationship and cooperation between UNDP and TIKA on issues related to aid effectiveness. UNDP also looks forward to expanding cooperation with TIKA within the multilateral development assistance framework and in countries where Turkish development assistance is delivered through triangular or other arrangements.
According to the voluntary trainer candidate profile survey completed during the training of trainers in the scope of the I Can Manage My Money” project, 98% of the participants said that individual financial capacities are necessary. 58 young volunteer trainers who received their certificates from the project on 24 February will start the trainings in 17 cities throughout Turkey.
Receiving training on financial topics such as budget, spending, income, payment plans, savings, debt, saving-credits financial system, the trainers developed an awareness of “my debts-my rights-my responsibilities.”
Until November 2010, pilot studies will be implemented in cities located in all of Turkey’s 7 geographical regions including İstanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Denizli, İzmir, Ankara, Eskişehir, Antalya, Samsun, Adana, Malatya, Gaziantep, Trabzon, Erzurum, Diyarbakır, Van and Rize. The primary direct beneficiaries of the project will be high school and university students, youth NGOs, young representatives of public institutions, and anyone aged 15- 30. Using a peer education model and e-learning tools, six thousand young people are to be trained in the first phase of the project. By the end of the year, the project aims to reach the 60 thousand mark.
The first project in Turkey realized with the cooperation of public and private sector and nongovernmental organizations in this area; “I Can Manage My Money” is developed with the cooperation of Visa Europe, Prime Ministry State Planning Organization (SPO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Youth for Habitat Association. Given that the youth make up more than half of the country’s population, the project will contribute to a sustainable economy and to raise financial awareness among youth in Turkey.
During negotiations througout 2009, Turkey had announced that it would implement nationally appropriate mitigation actions in the post-2012 period. Also known as NAMAs these actions which can also contribute to sustainable development in developing countries were addressed at a workshop organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and UNDP in the scope of Developing Turkey’s National Climate Change Action Plan project. The workshop where Turkey’s mitigation options in the post-20I2 period were discussed, laid the foundations for a high level policy dialogue on NAMA’s and other mitigation options which Turkey intends to implement decisively in the new period.
Taking place among the developed countries and economies in transition which make up Annex-I of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) but still very much a developing country, the workshop highlighted Turkey’s special position in climate negotiations and stressed the need for Turkey to clarify its position in the post-2012 regime. Though not legally binding, considered an important roadmap for the post 2012 period, the 2009 Copenhagen Accord’s implications for Turkey were also assessed at the workshop.
Explaining that a consensus on the indispensability of a low-emmission development strategy for sustainable development was reached at the Accord, Head Researcher of the OECD Climate Change Group Jane Ellis, pointed to the fact that all Annex-I countries have set mitigation targets for the post-2012 period and proposed mitigation actions to support them except for Turkey and that all OECD countries apart from Turkey have also presented national emmission targets for 2020. If Turkey wants to have a say in climate negotiations in the post-2012 period, Turkey also has to specify its mitigation options in accordance with its national circumstances and its position in the international climate regime.
Head of the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s General Directorate of Environmental Management Fulya Somunkıranoğlu said that in order for Turkey to formulate NAMAs, the country has to determine its greenhouse gas emmision mitigation actions and complete effectiveness analyses for these actions, calculate the long, medium and short term mitigation amounts of actions, integrate the climate change action plan and strategy into development plans, improve the scope and methods of an emmisions inventory system, and come up with legal regulations and financial mechanisms to encourage the private sector to use climate-friendly technologies.
UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commenwealth of Independent States Climate Change Policy Advisor Daniela Stoycheva asserted that Turkey has to be more determined in formulating a NAMA and announce its willingness to include low-emmission development strategies into its national action plans to the the international community. Stoycheva suggested that Promoting Energy Efficiency in Turkey a project run by UNDP and other national institutions, namely the General Directorate of Electrical Power Resources Survey and Development Administration (EİE), to analyze the gaps and barriers of building energy efficiency legislation and regulations, assess capacities and implementation strategies for an integrated building design approach and develop a training programme on energy efficiency for building energy managers can constitute an example of a NAMA for Turkey.
Clarifying that NAMA’s or Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions were first mentioned in the 2007 Bali Action Plan, one of the lead authors of the Fourth Evaluation Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Niklas Hoehne said that the scope of the concept is still open to interpretation, and that countries can support this mechanism unilaterally, directly or with crediting. Being the most attractive action for most developing countries, directly supported NAMAs are known as mitigation actions in developing countries, financed by climate finance from Annex-I countries. They encompass a wide range of actions from small-scale highway projects to energy efficiency policies or national mitigation targets.
Niklas Hoehne, outlined two paths that Turkey can take in positioning itself in climate change negotiations for the post-2012 period.The country can either persuade the international community that it is in fact a developing country and develop NAMAs to benefit from this mechanism in its national mitigation actions or stay an Annex-I country and continue to benefit from funds outside the UNFCCC such as funds from the World Bank or bilateral funds from the private sector.
The second day of the workshop hosted group discussions on: energy supply, industry, transportation, buildings, waste, agriculture and forestry. Besides available and potential new actions and priorities, participants outlined options for financing mitigation actions by sectors during group discussions. In evaluating the work presented, international experts said that the results of the workshop can already be considered as NAMA examples and that the mitigation actions developed jointly by all stakeholders including the public and private sectors, academia and civil society representatives are an important starting point for Turkey.
According to the Copenhagen Accord, while Annex-I countries individually or jointly commit to implement, monitored, reported and validated quantified emmission targets for 2020, non-Annex I countries will implement mitigation actions subject to their domestic monitoring, reporting and validation. Included in the Annex-I countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) consisting of developed countries and economies in transition, Turkey’s special conditions have been recognized with the 26/CP.7 article at the 7th Conference of Parties in Marakech. Turkey will only be able to benefit from NAMAs or similiar mitigation mechanisms if it is able to convince the international parties of the UNFCCC of its special conditions and become recognized as a developing country in the post-2012 climate regime. The results of the workshop are expected to contribute to the national climate change action plan which will be actualized in the scope of Developing Turkey’s National Action Plan project supported by the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office Strategic Programme Fund, where the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is the executing agency and UNDP is the implementing partner.
The results of the workshop are expected to contribute to the national climate change action plan which will be actualized in the scope of Developing Turkey’s National Action Plan project supported by the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office Strategic Programme Fund, where the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is the executing agency and UNDP is the implementing partner.
[BAGLANTILAR]
Ayşenur Bardak from Manisa and Ragıp Çelik from Çankırı, are only two of the hundreds of volunteers working to give information and communication technology (ICT) trainings to increase computer literacy among people from all walks of life ranging from children to business owners across Turkey. Although the two youngsters who are barely into their twenties, generally follow recent developments in ICT and share their experience as instructors via an e-mail group, both Ayşenur and Ragıp were happy to attend the National E-Capacity Summit in Ankara in March to meet their fellow instructors in person and take part in sharing common challenges and success stories face-to-face.
At the National E-Capacity Summit held on 9-10 March, the demands of youth councils in 81 cities were conveyed to the relevant organizations and institutions. Summit participants included the Minister of Transportation Binali Yıldırım who explained that ICT is taking its place among Turkey’s top priorities. In his speech, Minister Yıldırım addressed youth as the most important resource in transforming the country into an information society, he said that the Turkey is “very lucky” to have a young population of 32 million and that the youth are responsible for achieving the e-transformation of Turkey.
During the first week of March, E-Capacity week aiming to increase awareness on the contribution of information and communication technologies to development was initiated by the European Commission across Europe. In Turkey, the week was organized by the Youth for Habitat Association, UNDP, the State Planning Organization and Microsoft, who also jointly run the Empowerment of Youth for the E-Transformation of Turkey project. Workshops, technology caravans, ICT camps, school, campus and company visits, e-capacity conferences, career fairs, performances on technology, panels, press conferences, and radio programmes on the impact of ICT on growth and employment and in providing better career opportunities by increasing individual performance were among the various activities which took place in 81 provinces.
At the National E-Capacity Summit, instructors and representatives from youth councils in 81 provinces were able to convey their demands for ensuring Internet access for everyone, gaining expression rights and rights to form online organizations, for the elimination of geographical distances in access to information, for equal access to information for women and men, and for turning disadvantages into opportunities to institutions including the Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Ministry of Interior, National Employment Organization, and Turksat among others. 30 year old Dinçer Yılmaz who is a voluntary instructor at Empowerment of Youth for the E-Transformation of Turkey and Youth Movement in Informatics projects said that the youth councils requested for people in Turkey who are hungry for information technologies to be granted a more active education, unhindered by bureaucracy and that the youth in rural areas be supported to become more active in information technologies. Yılmaz said the E-Capacity Summit was very beneficial in this respect. Dinçer Yılmaz, has not only provided IT instruction to over 200 people in İstanbul, but he also established his own company with his newfound experience.
The workshops held on the second day of the summit featured interesting activities. At the workshops, the young volunteers were asked several questions and asked to move around the room based on whether they would respond positively or negatively. Responses to a question on whether women should be encouraged to participate in ICT trainings, once again revealed the regional disparities in Turkey. A young woman participating from the Aegean coastal town of Kuşadası reminded her peers that the project aims to provide disadvantaged youth and especially women with ICT training, however, a young man from the southeastern province of Batman said that his attempts at encouraging women are often misunderstood.
The activities at the National E-Capacity Summit were taken back to cities through Local E-Capacity weeks. With the help of local administrators, companies, public organizations and civil society organizations, the importance of capacity in access to information was highlighted in cities across Turkey.
Computer and internet usage is in Turkey is highest among the 16-24 age group with 95%*. Because of the undeniable role of information and communication technologies in realizing Turkey’s important development goals, the UNDP Turkey Office’s 2004 National Human Development report centered around ICT. Developing information and communication technologies has also been one of the country’s top development priorities since 2005.
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 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 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, once again run by UNDP, Youth for Habitat Association and Vodafone Turkey foundation aiming to teach computers to 1 million people.
[BAGLANTILAR]
With up to 0.6% of species becoming extinct each year, biodiversity is being lost at an unparalleled pace. Human activity has accelerated climate change, agitated the food chain, and disrupted the carbon, nitrogen and water cycles. Throughout the year, UNDP will raise awareness amongst policy makers, the general public, and the private sector of the importance of biodiversity to development so as to prevent the constant loss of biological diversity worldwide.
The International Year of Biodiversity will be marked by activities led by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at both national and international levels. World Biodiversity Day, on May 22, 2010 will have the theme “Biodiversity and Development"—allowing a special focus to be placed on these issues. High level events will include the opening of the General Assembly by Heads of State in September 2010, which will have a component on biodiversity and development. Additionally, the Convention on Biological Diversity COP10 in Japan in October 2010 will also include a high level event where biodiversity targets for the period post 2010 will be agreed. It will also be decided in the course of the year whether an Intergovernmental Science- Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (similar to IPCC) will be established to provide a better scientific underpinning for actions to curb biodiversity loss, and to increase investment in addressing this problem. UNDP will publish and disseminate knowledge products that showcase how biodiversity management can be better mainstreamed into national development policies.
Another important purpose of IYB is to open policy dialogues and debates with various actors to discuss the extent to which countries have met the 2010 biodiversity target of “reducing biodiversity loss” and addressed biodiversity management as part of their development strategies. The policy dialogues will focus on developing post 2010 Biodiversity targets, and an accompanying Plan of Action to give direction to future biodiversity management interventions. UNDP will host policy roundtables throughout 2010 where successes and challenges in this regard will be discussed by key policy makers.
Of critical importance to UNDP during IYB is to emphasize the links between biodiversity loss, development and poverty. UNDP will particularly highlight changes in the availability and quality of biodiversity and ecosystem services in minimizing resources for the poor and vulnerable.
UNDP addresses biodiversity loss because it threatens to increase poverty and undermine development, but also because the causes of biodiversity loss stem from under-development through weak governance systems (policies, institutions and accountability) and market failures. Furthermore, the sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystem services are also key to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Reversing the loss of biodiversity has been an explicit part of the MDG agenda since 2006. With vast experience in the field of biodiversity management, UNDP can help government authorities address the governance and market failures that drive biodiversity loss.
The objective of UNDP’s biodiversity work is therefore maintaining and enhancing the beneficial services provided by natural ecosystems in order to secure livelihoods, food, water and health security, reduce vulnerability to climate change, store carbon and avoid emissions from land use, land use change, and forestry. UNDP is addressing biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation through mainstreaming biodiversity management objectives into economic sector activities and unleashing the economic potential of Protected Areas so that they are able to fulfill their management functions, are sustainably financed and contribute towards sustainable development.
To achieve these objectives, UNDP is assisting programme countries to: develop accountable decision-making frameworks and capacitated institutions to govern ecosystem and natural resource use; develop sound development policies that address biodiversity loss; and build leadership and skills within institutions responsible for biodiversity management including in economic sector institutions that influence how biodiversity is used. UNDP is also working with programme countries to address market failures that distort prices and lead to over-exploitation of ecosystems and natural resources; and combine and sequence different sources of funds so as to address biodiversity loss and develop rights based approaches to development that give local communities and other key stakeholders an incentive to improve local environmental management.
Biodiversity in Turkey
Biodiversity supports human societies ecologically, economically and culturally. Despite their importance ecosystems are being degraded and species and genetic diversity reduced at a devastating rate due to the impact of the growing human population. The global decline of biodiversity is recognized as one of the most serious issues facing humanity. Recognition of the worldwide impact of biodiversity loss inspired the global community to negotiate the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The convention sets the stage for each nation to assess the adequacy of current efforts to conserve biodiversity, achieve sustainable use of biological resources and to determine how gaps will be filled and opportunities will be seized.
Turkey signed the convention at the Earth Summit in 1992 and ratified it in 1996. Ratification of the biodiversity convention provided a new starting point for recognizing the importance of biodiversity issues in Turkey.
Along with government counterparts and the World Wide Fund For Nature - Turkey, UNDP Turkey is providing technical assistance for better management to preserve Turkey’s forests and marine and coastal protected areas. By designing, piloting and adopting the cost-effective conservation management approaches, the first of these projects aim to enhance management effectiveness and sustainability in 117,000 hectares of land in Küre Mountains National Park and its buffer. This experience will be replicated in other 8 forest hotspots of Turkey for an effective forest protected areas system.
By designing, piloting and adopting the cost-effective conservation management approaches, the first of these projects aim to enhance management effectiveness and sustainability in 117,000 hectares of land in Küre Mountains National Park and its buffer. This experience will be replicated in other 8 forest hotspots of Turkey for an effective forest protected areas system.
The second project will expand Turkey’s marine and coastal protected areas by 44%, through improving management effectiveness. This expansion will include the first significant initiative to create restricted areas for fisheries, a potentially critical tool in Turkey’s efforts to conserve marine biodiversity.
[BAGLANTILAR]
In his assessment of Turkey’s young population, Seyman argued that “if this population does not have the means to become properly qualified, it may well turn into a burden.”
What is your opinion on Antalya being chosen as the pilot region of UN Joint Programme? Also what are the differences between Antalya and other cities in creating employment opportunities for the young population?
According to National Employment Organization (İŞKUR) December 2009 data, the number of registered unemployed people aged 25-29 in Antalya is 8807, the largest amount among different age groups. Therefore, unemployment among young people is a serious problem for Antalya as much as it is for the rest of Turkey.
On the other hand, Antalya’s dynamic tourism and agriculture sectors can create new employment opportunities for young people. Because of such potential opportunities, Antalya is one of the three provinces in Turkey that receives heavy migration unfortunately causing employment problems. Therefore, we have a responsibility to find employment opportunities for workers. This is the reason of the selection of Antalya as the UN Joint Programme’s pilot region. The UN Joint Programme will create awareness among young unemployed people and it will decrease the discrepancies between supply and demand for labour. In addition, thanks to UN Joint Programme, both private and public sectors will re-evaluate their needs, responsibilities and expectations.
I highly value the UN Joint Programme’s target of increasing participation rate among young and unemployed women in the work force.
What is the role of Antalya Governorate in the UN Joint Programme?
We have been trying to support the UN Joint Programme since its initiation. We expect the concrete program activities to start in the near future. When the implementation phase begins we are determined to provide further support, because we believe accurate, efficient and effective coordination is crucially important.
As a public sector administrator, what are the most important points and biggest changes about employment that you have observed during your career?
My biggest observation is that young people are affected by the unemployment more harshly. An increasing number of young people who are college or university graduates are attending “public days” organized by the Governorate to ask for jobs each week. This is something we didn’t experience until a few years ago. I also have to say the number of women among these unemployed people is also increasing dramatically.
Do you think having a young population is an advantage for Turkey?
Having a young and dynamic population is an advantage and affluence for every country. However, if this population does not have the means to become properly qualified, it may well turn into a burden. If you don’t have the appropriate sources and policies to would train these young people in order for them to specialize and include them into development process, the potential may inadvertently become a serious and dangerous problem.
What are the most important steps that need to be taken in order to turn young population into labour force?
The most important step should be guiding young people in the right direction starting as early as the secondary school stage. As much as we try to offer the best possible education for young people in Turkey, not every secondary school student ends up in university. There is a very strong need for technical, medium level workers at small and medium size enterprises. A policy that would take the sectors’ needs as well as young people’s capacities, needs and expectations into consideration must be implemented. Currently, it is difficult to say that vocational training and guidance policies in Turkey are being properly implemented. Personally, I think the vocational training period is a bit too long. Once a working system is in place where vocational training is controlled by the public, I believe a very important step in solving youth unemployment problem will be taken.
How do you interpret the fact that only unemployed young men and women registered with İŞKUR will benefit from the Joint Programme?
It is vital to plan and to build programmes based on accuracy while using the sources available. This can only be done through an authorised institution. İŞKUR has a very important coordination function as the institution bringing together recruiters and employees. Therefore we value İŞKUR’s involvement in the Joint Programme process. We are direct young people who come to us for jobs to İŞKUR. We have a special committee of 8 people in each week’s “public day” where an İŞKUR representative is also present. While the job replacement percentage of İŞKUR was 23.9% in 2008, it increased over twofold in 2009 to 49.8%. These numbers indicate the efficiency and importance of İŞKUR in providing employment. As İŞKUR continues to improve its services, it will contribute more significantly to the programme.
What are your observations regarding young women who come from of internally migrated families? How do the families react?
Contrary to commonly held assumptions there isn’t a serious discrimination between men and women in migrant families when it comes to work. They just want a job for every possible member of the family.
Naturally, every woman’s condition is different. There are young women who need jobs to support their families and there are women who attended school until secondary level and have bigger expectations. The first group of women are ready to settle for any job that would support their families, whereas the second group requires an office. It is crucial to modify these expectations to a realistic level according to Turkey’s and Antalya’s conditions.
In 2009, the Antalya Governorate organized trainings in more than 60 different branches for 4858 people in the entire province.
We are trying to use our social sources wisely and fairly. We are also encouraging both private and public sector to improve their capacity and use it efficiently and effectively in order to reduce unemployment rates in Antalya.
Furthermore, we place strong emphasis on increased coordination with representatives from all sectors to use sources as effectively as possible.
Through the Provincial Vocational and Employment Board, we are encouraging vocational training and assessing its compatibility with the needs of the sector. In addition we carefully monitor follow up for trainings and the period thereafter to find out how many young people were given employment opportunities and their term of employment. This way, the control and follow up processes start as early as the planning phase.
“In the fifteen years since 1995, despite genuine progress on many fronts, overall advancement toward gender equality and women's empowerment has been uneven and slow. Women’s political participation is rising too slowly, women remain more vulnerable on the job front, and maternal mortality rates remain unacceptably high in many regions.” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark in her statement for International Women’s Day on 8 March 2010 calling for equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all.
Violence against women and girls is a global pandemic, while little way has been made in reducing maternal mortality rates. Out-of-school girls accounted for 55 per cent of the 75 million primary-age children not in school in 2006. Illiteracy remains a serious constraint for women, who continue to account for nearly two-thirds of the 776 million illiterate adults in the world.
Despite substantial improvement in the status of women over the past decade in the Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (ECIS) region, encompassing Turkey as well as 27 countries in central and eastern Europe and central Asia, no country has achieved gender balance in high level decision-making bodies.
Turkey in the Regional Report
Although an emerging economic leader with a progressive women’s movement, Turkey’s situation is particularly alarming, suggests UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS Region’s (RBEC) report titled “Enhancing Women’s Political Participation” launched on 8 March 2010. The country’s traditional social and economic structures continue to restrict women’s active participation in politics as well as hinder the growth of women in both local and national assemblies. In Turkey, women face serious difficulties entering and remaining in the labour market due to the prevalence of negative gender stereotypes that create social and economic barriers for women. This is clearly seen in the 20.8% rate of non-agricultural unemployment rate for December 2009. Women are also more likely than men to have low-paid, unsecured, low-status and vulnerable jobs. Today, 70 percent of women living in rural areas throughout Turkey remain unpaid family workers. In 2009, 59 percent of working women across the country had no social protection.
Men earn three times as much as women
According to the report, Turkey continually ranks lowest in the region in economic indicators such as the gender income gap* with where women earn only 28% compared to men. The fact that men earn three times as much as women in Turkey is cause for concern especially when neighbouring countries such as Georgia and Armenia, as well as countries with similar economies like Macedonia and Albania all have smaller gender income gaps. In Armenia, for instance, the ratio of estimated female to male income is almost twice that of Turkey at 55%, while the Russian Federation’s ratio stands at 63% and Azerbaijan at 66%. The situation in EU’s most recent member states, Bulgaria and Romania is also far better than in Turkey. Women in Bulgaria earn 66% of what men earn. Romania fares even better with the second highest ranking country in the region with a ratio of 70%.Lithuania is the highest ranking country, with a 72% income gap ratio that is nearly three times the figure in Turkey.
Highlighting that equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes is a democratic and economic necessity “Enhancing Women’s Political Participation” presents a set of pragmatic recommendations that will enable policy makers to promote greater participation of women in governance. Although the policy report underlines Turkey’s recent achievements in the field of gender equality during the past decade, it also paints a bleak picture of the long road ahead to adopt more comprehensive and effective measures to increase women’s participation in politics.
Based on the evidence and regional data collected and analysed through the six national roundtables in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Turkey, and Ukraine and the subsequent culminating regional conference in İstanbul in 2008, the policy note sets forth policy and action options in three areas: legal and institutional frameworks to promote women’s political participation; mechanisms and strategies to enhance participation, and partnerships with civil society organizations and the media to support women’s participation in politics. With these recommendations, the policy note proposes to remove barriers in increasing women’s participation and representation in formal politics, assist women in becoming effective political actors, ensure that governments are accountable to women and mainstream gender equality and social inclusion in all policies.
With regards to strengthening legal and institutional frameworks to promote women’s political participation the policy note proposes harmonizing national laws with Gender Equality Laws, international standards promoting and advancing gender equality, as well as implementing the recommendations from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against women (CEDAW). The policy note further argues that a strong and active public and civil society remains a precondition for holding governments accountable to national gender equality legislation. On 22 November 2001, the Turkish Parliament ratified a new Civil Code replacing the 1926 Civil Code which subordinated women to the family and fuelled a movement to change discriminatory provisions. This new Civil Code introduced many changes regarding the status of women in the family. In May 2004, Turkey passed amendments to the Constitution which provide for equality of women and men (Act No.5170). Guarantees against discrimination are also codified in other laws. Provisions on gender equality related to family law, maternal health, child care, discrimination, labour laws, minimum wages, honour killings and gender-based violence were passed. According to the policy note, physical and psychological violence ranging from hindering women’s efforts to carry out their official duties, or silencing women to harassment by the media and sexual assault can undermine women’s ability to enter or stay in politics. The Family Research Institute in Turkey has stated that domestic abuse is one of the most common forms of violence against women in the country. The new Turkish Criminal Code has incorporated modern provisions for gender equality and violence against women. As a result, a parliamentary commission in 2005 was formed to investigate the causes of honour killings and of violence against women and children, and to identify what responses were required. Despite such developments, Turkey is still hesitant in taking affirmative action to ensure gender equality such as the introduction of a gender quota system as a temporary measure to increase the number of women in the parliament, in municipal bodies and at higher levels in the Foreign Service.
Turkey has done well in the area of forming alliances of women across country lines, which the policy note presents as strategy in some countries of the region to increase women’s political participation- often with support and input from civil society organizations. In Turkey, the women’s movement has worked to establish a network of women across party lines. This has led to the creation of the Equal Opportunities Commission in parliament in 2009. In a similar context, an important force for change, particularly in the beginning, the Parliamentary Group of Women in Poland formed in 1991, has become less visible, gradually distancing itself from civil society organizations and lost its reputation as being above the political fray, according to some experts.
Though advances towards enhancing women’s participation have been made in all countries within the ECIS region, greater participation of women in parliament and other decision-making bodies, together with their strong representation in civil society organizations, are needed to ensure government accountability to gender equality legislation.
“Enhancing Women’s Political Participation” lists quotas, proportional representation, the formation of women’s political parties, the creation of women’s party sections, and the fostering of alliances across parties as important mechanisms and strategies in promoting women’s political participation. Among the examples provided from Poland, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ukraine, Turkey is the only country in the without a quota system in place. In comparison, a quota system was established in Bosnia and Herzegovina over 10 years ago. Drawing attention to the fact that there are many women party members, but few are able to move into positions of power, the policy note ties this to the argument that in many cases, parties recruit women especially during elections campaigns, and limit them to organizational work. This, in turn, creates the impression that women have little political knowledge, experience or skills and generates an unfavourable environment for women’s political participation and gender equality. A public perception survey conducted in Turkey among members of political parties and parliaments within the context of a project on Enhancing Women’s Participation in Local Politics and Decision Making conducted with citizens before the 2007 general elections underlined the difficulty of promoting women to positions of responsibility due to the existing stereotypical gender roles. Instead, the survey showed the roles given to women politicians replicated those they held at home and in their communities. 82 percent of respondents said they would like the number of women politicians to rise, while 77 percent said the most important reason why women are represented at a low level in politics is that ‘women are not given a chance’. The policy note advises that to ensure better representation of women’s in parties, the male-dominated political culture needs to change by introducing appropriate measures and policies such as political party quotas, funding and capacity building for women candidates and women political party members.
Finally the report underlines the role of civil society organizations throughout the region in supporting women’s political agendas and women’s campaigns and in producing strong women candidates, in providing opportunities for networking, support and financial assistance and in developing women’s capacities to support gender-sensitive policies. According to policy note, the diverse profile of civil society organizations in Turkey reflects the country’s complex makeup, which includes both women’s groups dealing with sexuality to conservative groups, promoting traditional gender roles. The report points to the importance of civil society organizations in the country during the last general elections in 2007, where the solidarity among women working for NGOs and women’s movement organizations in reaching out to women in political parties helped to increase women’s political representation at the national level. Highlighting The Women’s Coalition - a network of women activists, consisting of independent civil society organizations and women’s rights experts, – as key to these efforts, the policy note points out that political parties and civil society organizations worked together to double women’s parliamentary presence to 9.1 percent in the 2007 elections. The election campaign led by KADER, a civil society organization drawing on other civil society groups and the international community and media, was able to raise crucial support for women candidates. Civil society organizations operating in different areas before the elections made women’s political representation a common focus. They formed the Women’s Coalition, which monitored political parties’ behaviour towards women candidates and produced a report entitled Card of Political Parties. Women’s groups also campaigned at the local level with other civil society groups. For example, the Local Agenda 21 Women’s Assemblies conducted a quota campaign. All these activities put pressure on political parties to include more women in their lists of candidates and eventually more women in politics.
Similarly the ‘moustache campaign’ led by KADER, very successfully used the media to ask the public: ‘Does one need to be a man to be elected to parliament?’ For the first time, due to the media’s focus on the moustache campaign, all levels of society debated the question of women’s political participation is presented as a good example to the critical role of the media in influencing public opinion to achieve better coverage of women’s politics in improving women’s election chances.
In order to overcome certain barriers presented in each of the three fields, the policy note details policy recommendations to increase women’s participation and representation in politics, help women become effective political actors, maximize governmental accountability to women and mainstream governance, gender and social inclusion into all governmental policies. “Enhancing Women’s Political Participation” also provides a list of on-line resources with links to UNDP publications and other UN and institutional publications and websites working on expanding women’s political participation, both regionally and globally.
Providing a comparative analysis of results gathered from different regions, the report not only presents policy guidelines for policy makers in Turkey but may also be beneficial in understanding the reasons behind Turkey’s comparatively low standing in gender related human development indices.
Table 2: Economic Status of Women According to OECD Gender, Institutions and Development
Database 2009(GID-DB) (from the greatest gender income gap to the smallest
[*] Economic Status of Women According to OECD Gender, Institutions and Development Database 2009
The province of Kars was introduced of the International Moscow Tourism Fair (MITT) in 17–21 March 2010 in order to promote province’s tourism potential to a wider audience. The United Nations Joint Programme “Alliances for Culture Tourism in Eastern Anatolia” team and a representative from Kars tourism sector attended the fair to inform the visitors about the plethora of cultural and natural assets in Kars. UN Joint Programme aims to develop and enhance cultural tourism in Kars.
The fair which took place in Moscow’s huge ‘expocentre’, hosted nearly 160 different destinations from all over the world. Around 3000 participants promoted their own destinations and had the opportunity to get to know other destinations. Although Turkey’s sunny Mediterranean coast is a Russian favorite, like many other travelers around the world, the Russians too have a growing appetite for cultural tourism. With its impressive natural and cultural assets, Kars received a warm welcome from visitors.
Professionals who have extensive knowledge and experience in the Russian tourism market also agree that culture tourism is about to be an important alternative and a strong travel trend in among Russian tourists who plan on coming to Turkey in the near future. Furthermore, perception about Turkey and what it has to offer in terms of tourism is also rapidly changing. Kars’s participation at the fair to promote its genuine assets was of great importance in positioning Kars as an alternative cultural tourism destination.
Throughout the fair, participants who visited the Kars stand had the opportunity to find out about the province’s cultural and natural beauties. Information about the UN Joint Programme and its objectives were also shared along with the information about accommodation facilities in the city, its local cuisine and winter sports capacity.
Culture, winter and nature/eco tourism are three areas falling under the special interest tourism category Kars has much to offer. One of the 15 “brand cities” in Turkey, a visit to Kars with the welcoming songs of the Minstrels against a background of thousands of years of tradition presents an unforgettable experience. The historical city of Ani, the Kars Citadel, examples of elegant Russian architecture in the city centre and 5 historical churches in the town of Digor are also must-sees. Furthermore, the town of Sarıkamış, with unmatched snow quality and exquisite beauty is a magnet for winter sports enthusiasts. Out of 400 bird species in Turkey, 250 live around lakes Kuyucuk and Çıldır in Kars.
United Nations Joint Program “Alliances for Culture Tourism in Eastern Anatolia” (UNJP) aims at developing and enhancing cultural tourism in Kars, contributing to social cohesion and reducing income disparities between the people of Kars and the rest of Turkey. The UNJP is funded by the MDG Achievement Fund entrusted to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) by the Government of Spain, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and United Nations Organisations UNDP, UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization).