Issue: 88
The report, titled "The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World", was presented by President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico and UNDP Administrator Helen Clark.
The 2013 Human Development Report identifies more than 40 developing countries, including Turkey, with human development gains that significantly outpaced global norms in recent decades.
The Rise of the South and Human Development
“Never in the history have the living conditions and prospects of so many people changed so dramatically and so fast” The 2013 Report says. “The South as a whole is driving global economic growth and societal change for the first time in centuries.”
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark states in the foreword of the Report that “The 2013 Report makes a significant contribution to development thinking by describing specific drivers of development transformation and by suggesting future policy priorities that could help sustain such momentum.”
Norway at top, Niger last
Norway, Australia and the United States lead the rankings of 187 countries and territories in the latest Human Development Index (HDI), while conflict-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo and drought-stricken Niger have the lowest scores in the HDI’s measurement of national achievement in health, education and income.
Turkey in 2013 Human Development Report
Turkish Minister of Development Cevdet Yılmaz writes in the report how Turkey strengthened health, education and social support programs as a strategy to reduce poverty.
Turkey’s HDI value for 2012 was calculated as 0.722 in the report —in the high human development category—positioning the country at 90 out of 187 countries and territories.
With its latest runway show being organized at the end of March in Istanbul Antrepo, Argande has been featured for the fourth time during Istanbul Fashion Week.
Since its establishment, Argande has put up 8 collections to sale via Mudo Stores and online sales channel Markafoni.
Under the coordination of Hatice Gökçe, Argande's latest collection was designed by Özgür Masur, Gamze Saraçoğlu, Mehtap Elaidi, Gül Ağış and Nihan Peker.
Highligted in blue, red and black, Argande designs predominantly use Southeast Anatolia's local fabrics such as kutnu and shalshepik.
Twenty-one models, including Sema Şimşek, Didem Soydan and Beril Kayar, presented Argande's latest collection on Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Istanbul runway. Meanwhile, an online sales campaign was organized by Markafoni.com during 8 March International Women's Day.
Argande brand was established in 2009 under the scope of “Innovations for Women's Empowerment in Southeast Anatolia” project, which is financed by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and is implemented by UNDP and GAP Regional Administration.
While supporting sustainable women's employment in the region, Argande also aims at promoting Southeast Anatolia's rich cultural heritage to the customers living in Turkey's big cities.
Shahid Najam, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative and Kadir Topbaş, a member of High Level Panel and the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality made the opening remarks in the meeting, convened in early March.
Representatives from UN Agencies, NGOs and academicians also participated to the conference.
In the meeting, where there was a high level of participation, featured recommendations and first findings constituted during the national consultations were presented and what kind of a development agenda should we have after 2015 was discussed.
Beyond Millennium Development Goals
The world leaders came together at United Nations General Assembly in 2000 and determined eight Millenium Development Goals such as reversing the grinding poverty, hunger and disease to be achieved until 2015.
As Millenium Development Goals will expire in 2015, United Nations initiated a global process towards advancing the development agenda beyond 2015.
At this point, how and by whom the priorities of post 2015 period will be determined is a very important issue.
Therefore, all around the world, an intense consultation process has been started with governments, non-governmental organizations, universities and research institutions. Turkey is one of these countries where national consultations are being held.
The snapshot report of initial findings entitled “The Global Conversation Begins” was delivered to representatives of Member States who will negotiate the future development agenda that is likely to build on the MDGs and sustainable development agenda from Rio+20.
“We are reinventing the way decisions will be made at the global level,” said Olav Kjorven, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of Bureau for Development Policy at UN Development Programme.
“People want to have a say in determining what kind of world they are going to live in and we are providing that opportunity by using digital media as well as door-to-door interviewers”, Kjorven added.
200,000 people from 189 countries engaged
The United Nations engaged so far more than 200,000 people from 189 countries through a mix of digital media, mobile phone applications, conferences, and paper ballot surveys in this initiative officially launched last week in New York.
The United Nations teams in Member States are making sure that groups usually absent from participation in global processes – for example, women, indigenous communities, the youth, people with disabilities – are consulted on what they see as priorities for development of their communities.
Global Conversation Begins was presented to the High Level Panel
The “Global Conversation Begins” report was presented to the High-level Panel on the Post-2015 development agenda - chaired by Prime Minister of UK David Cameron and Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and Susilo Yudhoyono of Indonesia - in the panel’s meeting in Bali at the end of March.
In Ankara on 11th of May, volunteers with “Let’s Do It” campaign will clean up their city along with volunteers around the world in almost 100 countries.
One day and one big clean up. That is what a global Let’s Do It campaign intends to do on 11th of May.
During the day, informal network of tens of thousands of volunteers get together to clean up illegal waste in their communities and to raise awareness about environmental issues.
Clean-up action in 10 cities in Turkey
In Turkey, clean up action will take place at least in 10 cities.
United Nations Volunteers (UNV) is joining the campaign in Ankara, where it coordinates action and encourages everyone concerned about environment, recycling, illegal waste and the well-being of their communities to participate in a common action.
“Currently we are in the process of identifying areas that need cleaning the most and looking for partners to join the campaign to organize it. We are also looking for volunteers who want to participate in the clean up itself on the day in question in May”, tells UNV programme assistant Burcu Tamgac Morel.
As a UN specialized agency on volunteering, UNV participates in the campaign in Ankara as it goes to the heart of what active citizenship is all about.
Apart from Ankara, others groups of volunteers around the country are preparing their clean up events. The objective is to mobilize thousands of volunteers around the country under the banner “Let’s Do It Turkey”.
Najam, a national of Pakistan, will return to his home country after almost 22 years of service with the UN system around the globe.
“During the course of my career, I have witnessed with concern and pain, in the same space and time, the sordid concurrence of the abject poverty and starvation on the one hand and wastage and opulence on the other” Najam said in a statement he gave to New Horizons.
“I feel enormously privileged and honored to have had my final stint of more than 3 years in Turkey- a country which has done marvelously well in recent years in terms of its assiduous pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals through people centered, inclusive and sustainable development and its commitment to help especially the least developed countries address their development challenges” Najam added.
Najam, during his tenure in Ankara successfully led the UN Country Team to achieve several initiatives.
“I will be carrying with me very fond memories of Turkey, the hospitality and generosity of its people and the warmth of many friends and colleagues who have been tremendous source of inspiration and encouragement during all these years” Najam said.
We wish him health and happiness in the next phase of his life.
With a vast experience of more than thirty one years including over fourteen years within the UN System, new UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Turkey, Kamal Malhotra will take his post on 8 April 2013.
Who is Kamal Malhotra?
Prior to this appointment (late October 2008-31 March 2013), Mr. Malhotra was the UN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia; UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam; UNFPA Representative for Malaysia and Designated Official for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
From 1999-2008 he worked in UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy, New York as Senior Adviser on Inclusive Globalization (and Cluster Leader) (2002-2008), Civil Society Empowerment Adviser (2001-2002) and Senior Civil Society Adviser (1999-2000).
Before joining UNDP, Mr. Malhotra was Co-Founder and Co-Director of Focus on the Global South, (1995-1999) a global policy research organization located at the Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute in Thailand. During this period, he was also a part-time Regional Adviser on Macroeconomic Policies and Children’s Rights for Save the Children Fund (UK) for South-East Asia and the Pacific.
Mr. Malhotra holds an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York, with a specilization in economic and political development, a Master’s in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, India with a specialization in finance and economics, and a BA in economics (with honours), from the University of Delhi, India.
Al Gore, Gisele Bundchen and Kandeh K. Yumkella took part in a video shot for "Sustainable Energy for All Initiative".
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, fashion icon and the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Gisele Bundchen and Kandeh K. Yumkella, the Director General of the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All, voice their support for "the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative" launched by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The video was aired on CNN between 25 February and 24 March.
"The Sustainable Energy for All Initiative" aims to achieve by 2030 three inter-linked global targets: universal access to modern energy services; the doubling of energy efficiency; and the doubling of the share of renewable energy in the world's energy mix.
UNDP is also a partner in this initiative.
In July, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 20 March the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in people's lives around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.
“People around the world aspire to lead happy and fulfilling lives free from fear and want, and in harmony with nature,” Mr. Ban said in his message for the Day.
“On this first International Day of Happiness, let us reinforce our commitment to inclusive and sustainable human development and renew our pledge to help others” Mr. Ban said.
Olympic Champion Aslı Çakır Alptekin took part in the video produced for “For a More Just World, Stand By Me” with the motto of “Every Woman Deserves Success”.
‘Countdown for Gender Equality Has Started’ campaign has been started within the framework of ‘UN Joint Programme on Fostering an Enabling Environment for Gender Equality in Turkey’ implemented under the partnership of UN Women, UNDP Turkey and Turkish Grand National Assembly Equal Opportunities Commission for Man and Woman.
The theme of this campaign is “For a More Just World, Stand By Me’.
One of the initiatives done in order to internalize the gender equality and raise the awareness on this subject is the video shot with the Olympic Champion Aslı Çakır Alptekin.
Aslı Çakır Alptekin has taken part in this video as a role model with the motto of “Every Woman Deserves Success”.
UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Antonio Banderas launched a global video on International Women’s Day, saying: “Violence against women is unacceptable and must stop now.”
Film star and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Antonio Banderas broadcasted a video on Women’s Day in order to appeal to end violence against women.
“Up to 60 percent of women around the world experience some form of physical or sexual abuse during their life, and as many as half of all sexual assaults are committed against girls under the age of 16,” Banderas says in his video address.
He also added; “Two million women and girls are trafficked each year into prostitution, forced labour, slavery, or servitude. Young women and girls are often particularly vulnerable to early marriage, female genital mutilation and HIV – putting their health and rights at risk. This is unacceptable, and it must stop now.”
Banderas also calls on men to join him in standing up to violence directed at women and girls. “Stand up to end violence against women, now,” he concludes.
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women.”
“Discrimination against persons with Down syndrome and their families exists on many levels. This hurts not only individuals who are directly affected, but whole societies,” Mr. Ban noted in his message for World Down Syndrome Day, observed on 21 March.
“Given the appropriate support and opportunity, all individuals living with Down syndrome can achieve their potential, realize their human rights on an equal basis with others and make an important contribution to society,” said Mr. Ban.
Turkish Minister Binali Yıldırım visited Dreams Academy on Down Syndrome Day
"Dreams Academy" project initiated by Vodafone Turkey Foundation together with UNDP and Alternative Life Association hosted Binali Yıldırım, the Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication.
Under the scope of the “Ben de Varım” project carried out by Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications for the employment of disabled persons with different disability types, the Minister meet with the students with Down syndrome in Dreams Academy.
During his visit to Dreams Academy, Minister Yıldırım baked cookies with the students, played drums and get information on the activities of the academy.
In the meeting held at the beginning of March, together with the eleven projects which were presented by project owners, twenty one projects were evaluated.
Projects were prepared in order to mitigate adverse effects of climate change, preserve of biodiversity and provide energy saving.
Sixteen projects were granted by the National Steering Committee.
The projects will be implemented in the cities such as Ankara, İstanbul, Bartın, Sakarya and Kayseri.
What is Global Eenvironmental Fund?
The GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) is a world-wide programme providing grants to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for activities that address global problems related to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, protection of international waters, as well as combating of land degradation and climate change.
SGP is an integral part of Global Environment Facility (GEF), whose mission is "to make the connection between local and global environmental challenges and between national and international resources".
Since 1993, about USD 2 million have been distributed in small grants to over 100 projects throughout Turkey, promoting effective linkage of the environmental objectives in protection of biodiversity and international waters to sustainable livelihood and local development.
One of the most suppressing problems over the ecosystem is targeted with the “Ghost Net Hunters” project, which is being conducted by the support of the Strengthening the System of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas of Turkey Project and GEF SGP- COMDEKS.
Gökova Sailing Club took action against the problem of ghost nets, which lead great damage in terms of marine species and the ecosystem.
The “Ghost Net Hunters” project aims the effective and sustainable protection of the six no-fishing zones in the Gökova Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA) and removal of the ghost nets from the marine environment to reduce the pressure on the ecosystem are the targets of.
The nets will be cleaned off, the fishermen will be informed
Through the project, it is aimed to clean off the ghost nets that have negative impact on the ecosystem restoration in no-fishing zones as well as sharing knowledge and raising awareness among fishermen and establishing a communication and information database.
The aim of the meeting was to get detailed information about Muğla Handcraft Limited Co. (MELSA) and to promote it as the national example of the management model in the protected areas.
Governor Şahin mentioned that MELSA is a good model which protects the environment by managing some protected areas and providing social and cultural services for the citizens of Muğla with the generated revenues.
“Strengthening the System of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas of Turkey” Project Manager Harun Güçlüsoy stated that the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and UNDP supports MELSA’s promotion as a good implementation model in national and regional scale in the protected areas that are under the provision and possession of the state.
The aim of the project was to build capacity within the MENR regarding the energy projections modeling that would not only support national requirements on energy projections but also international requirements under UNFCCC.
Trainings on LEAP (The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System) energy projection modeling for the MENR staff delivered in two phases. The full five days trainings were given to MENR staff by the team from Stockholm Environment Institute who developed the LEAP project.
LEAP modelling promoted
Twelve MENR staff participated to the first phase of the training while eight staff participated to second phase. At the trainings participants were informed about access to modeling as well as developing Turkey’s data set.
After the trainings, two different seminars were organized for governmental institutions and NGOs to promote LEAP modeling and to give information on how to use this modeling.
The MENR staff who participated to LEAP training meets every Wednesday under the presidency of MENR Deputy General Director of Energy Affairs to continue training on LEAP modeling. Moreover, MENR General Directorate of Energy Affairs continues to work on dissemination of LEAP project and making it a user-friendly model.
Energy modelling publications
Case studies of LEAP modeling and files with LEAP extension to which Turkey 3.0 data was entered can be reached from www.enerji.gov.tr from the Energy modeling title under Publication section.
Presentations on LEAP program can be reached from this link.
The United Nations and partners invite people all over the world to participate in setting the world’s future development agenda by voting in an innovative survey known as MY World, the United Nations global survey for a better world.
Presented by the UN and partners at the beginning of March, MY World provides an extraordinary pathway for citizens to have a say in what development priorities world leaders should include in the next development framework.
In a special video message for the MY World survey, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged the public: “Vote and tell us what issues matter most to you and your family. Make a difference. Mark a difference!”
Why My World?
The MY World survey is one of several tracks available for people to participate in framing the next development agenda.
In an effort to further promote an inclusive and open development process, the UN and partners are also engaged in almost 100 national and thematic consultations worldwide, and citizens continue to contribute their ideas and perspectives to the global consultations through the World We Want 2015 online platform.
Votes can be submitted online, and in some countries by mobile phone or through offline ballots.
Findings from the global conversation about the future development agenda will be delivered to the UN Secretary-General and world leaders, including the High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, Heads of State and Government attending the opening of the 2013 UN General Assembly, the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals, and other processes.
What are citizens voting for so far?
During an initial roll-out period, thousands of people from 189 countries have already voted for the issues that would make the most difference to their lives.
Across all countries and all groups, preliminary results show education is the issue that people think is most important for improving their lives.
An honest and responsive government, health, water, sanitation and food security have also been considered major priorities. Better job opportunities rank as an important priority for people living in less developed countries.
Application to relevant Fund which will support small sized sustainable tourism projects creating awareness on the alternative tourism resources of Turkey should be made online from www.gelecekturizmde.com.
The answers to the questions related to the applications were published on its website for the information of applicants.
For details please visit www.gelecekturizmde.com
The latest pledge adds to the US$11 million the Coca-Cola Company has already contributed to Every Drop Matters since its launch in 2006.
Every Drop Matters tackles challenges related to water supply, sanitation, water management and climate change around the world.
Every Drop Matters provides grants for local groups to undertake projects that improve access to water, improve water quality, lead to better water management and help communities adapt to climate change.
The programme aims to achieve MDGs
Every Drop Matters programme has projects in 18 countries.
The programme is an inspiring model of how big business can cooperate with a respected development agency, to help local people and safeguard water for the future.
“Our vision is to help achieve the Millennium Development Goal on improving access to safe water and good sanitation, which can change people’s lives in so many ways,” says Dr Boğaçhan Benli, Programme Manager for Every Drop Matters.
“It can especially make a big difference for women and girls, because they’re usually the ones fetching water, which takes a lot of time. Also women usually care for anyone in the family who gets sick from unsafe water or poor hygiene. If you improve this, you can free up time and money for other things, like going to school or starting a business”, Benli added.
“This partnership shows what can happen when a global business such as Coca-Cola and the UNDP work together on a critical issue,” explains Dr. Kadri Özen, Public Affairs Director, Coca-Cola Eurasia and Africa Group.
“This is what we call the Golden Triangle… The collaboration between business, government and civil society. Other evidence of the value in this collaboration is shown by the ‘Clean Sea for Clean City’ project, which attracted other partners including the Sochi 2014 Olympics organizing committee and the City of Sochi. This initiative won the Harmony with Nature award in the recently held Sochi 2014 Sustainability Awards”, Özen added.
Exemplary partnership
Every Drop Matters is continuously looking for new strategic partners.
According to Cihan Sultanoğlu, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, this type of innovative partnership is a model worth being examined and replicated.
“With diverse experiences and expertise, the partners complement each other and together deliver a range of support that exceeds what each could offer on its own” she says.
In this part, we talk about climate finance which is a critical issue in terms of tackling climate change.
New Horizons (N.H.): This is the New Horizons podcast of United Nations Development Programme in Turkey. In this programme, we will talk about climate finance as a critical issue in terms of combating climate change and we try to find out what climate finance means. And our contributor is Gürcan Seçgel from Policy and Strategy Development Division of Climate Change Department in Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. Welcome.
Gürcan Seçgel (G.S.): Thank you.
N.H.: I want to start our programme with asking the meaning of the climate finance.
G.S.: As you know, combating climate change is not solely an administrative and technical issue. To express this issue, the developing countries and the other ones have to work in harmony. There are five lines composing this working platform: the first is cooperation which means common vision, then the other areas such as finance, technology and capacity building. For developing countries, the most important areas for now are technology development and finance. The responsibilities of developing countries and of developed countries are not same in the arena of combating climate change. And to make the efforts to combat climate change cooparate and balanced, systematical, fair, equal and measurable, developed countries are obligated to give financial and techical support to developing countries.
N.H.: Hence, what we mean by climate finance is the support for countries, especially the least developed ones, to finance the process to combat climate change.
G.S.: Definitely, in a sense “money is talking” in this process although people cannot assume this strong relationship between an environmental issue and money. However, the negotiation processes show us that today combating climate change has become an issue highly related to the financing process.
N.H.: At that point, we see that everybody agrees on the necessity of combating climate change, but how Turkey will finance the initiatives to prevent climate change as the cost of combating climate change is very high. After these general explanations, to return the issue of your expertise, can you tell us how much Turkey has benefited from the tools of climate finance?
G.S.: We have not benefited from these tools for a long time because Turkey is not listed in a category similar to least developed countries as it is a European country and a member of OECD although it does not have a national income level equal to European countries. Thus, we cannot expect that a country like Turkey receives such a financial support easily. On the other hand, among the European Union and OECD countries, greenhouse gas emissions per capita in Turkey is very low.
N.H.: It is such a good news.
G.S.: Yes, exactly. Our historical responsibility for centuries in line with the greenhouse gas emission budget, current greenhouse gas emissions in Turkey is 4 per mille while its historical emission is 1 per cent. And we brought these two data to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) Secretariat and told them that our historical responsibility and the level of greenhouse gas emissions per capita are low, thus, our sin in the total budget is also low and we want to be a part of this process to combat climate change and we have a lot to do, so we need your financial support. In these negotiations over financial support, the questions such as what are you going to do with that money have been aroused. And as an answer, it is our duty to create new projects. If Turkey wants to get this financial support, we have to determine a road map specifying how and where we are going to use this support.
N.H.: Turkey is now on that level. Moreover, can you tell us the countries with low responsibilities contribute less to the moneybox of climate finance or they receive more financial support?
G.S.: Well, when you look at Ghana, a South African country, with a very low responsibility, it is not listed among Annex II countries. Annex II countries are the OECD and the European Union members which are rich and responsible countries and these countries are required to provide financial support. As you know, we are fighting against climate change to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. After the second half of the nineteenth century, the area embracing a the spread of developed world is the European continent, thus, Asia and South Afrika cannot be blamed to be responsible for climate change.
N.H.: You mention a retrospective historical responsibility.
G.S.: To discharge this retrospective responsibility, it has been trying to determine a road map by integrating our past and future. As I said, these countries are the least developed countries with no financial responsibility. Turkey is also not responsible to help South Africa to combat climate change because it had been removed from the list of Annex II countries by a political and technical effort in a conference in Marrakesh in the year 2001. Therefore, we had this responsibility, but today Turkey is a Anne I country.
N.H.: From now on, we understand the situation in Turkey and the fact that it is one of the countries which receive financial support. However, the configuration and tools of climate finance has been determined yet, is it true?
G.S.: Maybe we should mention the nature, you know the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCC took place in Doha.
N.H.: The conference that brought the parties to UNFCC together was held in the end of November in 2012.
G.S.: Absolutely, the conference is generally held in the end of November or the beginning of December. This year, Turkey took some concrete steps aiming to show its concrete targets planned to be maintained by the financial support to Secretariat. Thus, we negotiated with all ministries such as Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, Ministry of Development, Undersecretariat of Treasury and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and issued a decision as a direcive that lead our working. In Doha, Turkey made a decision with three clauses...
N.H.: Therefore, Turkey joined the Conference in Doha with an action plan.
G.S.: Yes, we prepared an action plan and it was approved by General Assembly in Doha. Thus, it can be said that we signed an agreement with Secretariat which acknowledges that Secretariat is ready to negotiate with us. The next step is that we will prepare a technical paper and fill it in accordance with the rules of Secretariat and we will give this paper to them. Then technical organs of Secretariat will fill and examine this paper and the negotiations with us will be continued. It is foreseen that this process will continue for one year. If I am not wrong, the 19th Conference of Parties to UNFCC will take place in Poland and a new decision for Turkey will be made in this conference as a result of one-year study.
N.H.: We will witness this decision at the end of 2013. Those who listen to us and want to contribute this discussion, can share their opinions by using #yeniufuklar and #iklimfinansmanı hashtags on Twitter. You can reach more information on iklim.csb.gov.tr, the web site of Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. To return to the Conference in Doha, it should be underscored that the Kyoto Protocol was extended to 2020 instead it would have been ended in 2012. I want to ask that with the progress maintained after the Conference in Doha, do the cost Turkey has to bear or the amount of financial support it needs become prominent?
G.S.: Now we are trying to specify these amounts. It is like you work on something and it has a cost. The strategy followed by Turkey is the Turkey’s National Climate Change Action Plan. It was approved in 2011 and it is a long-termed road map which continues to be effective until the year 2023. It includes various sectors from transportation to industry, from agriculture to energy, from buildings to waste and forestry and 541 actions as the most detailed plan prepared now in Turkey. Each sector has specified actions and the costs of these actions should also be studied. And these are what we are living through.
N.H.: So, after the 19th Conference of Parties to UNFCC in Poland in 2013, we will find the answer to my question. Because a vision reflecting numerous conferences with full of conflicts has been appeared when we look at the issue of climate change, the last question is that what do you think about the future of climate finance in global terms?
G.S.: You’re right. The reason of this vision is the lack of consensus as a result of the uncooperative manner of the countries. If one country wants all the time without giving anything or if one country does not carry out its responsibilities and another one has to do all the tasks and then there would be a chaos which cannot be solved. If these conditions projected until 2020 are determined before 2012, all of them will be reached by now. Related to this issue, Turkey suggests to be fair, to cooperate and to be careful about the equity with paying attention to the concepts of responsible and irresponsible. Afrika and America cannot be responsible to fulfill the same obligations.
N.H.: Do you think there is a possibility that in the short term, the developed countries required more responsibility for climate change will be able to provide more financial support?
G.S.: Actually, today there is a such kind of possibility. A long termed financial instrument which was a part of the decisions approved in Doha has been operated as there had been so many discussions about this issue. Thus, today it is expected to collect a financial resource amounting US$ 100 billion. And this means that developed countries give an estimated US$ 100 billion fund to developing countries. Countries demanding this financing support should create projects and work really hard to receive it. Turkey is one of those countries demanding US$ 100 billion fund and we will remark our request clearly in our report.
N.H.: Thank you so much, Mr. Seçgel to join our programme.
G.S.: You’re welcome.
N.H.: Today we talked about climate finance as a critical issue in terms of combating climate change and our contributor is Gürcan Seçgel from Policy and Strategy Development Division of Department of Climate Change. We have come to the end of this episode of New Horizons which is prepared by United Nations Development Programme UNDP Turkey. This program has been recorded at the studio of Radyo ILEF of Ankara University Communications Department. You can follow our program on iTunes under podcasts, on FM frequency in İstanbul, on Açık Radyo (Open Radio) on internet, on nearly fifty Police radios and also on university radios in our broadcasting network and on undp.org.tr. Our user name for social media is undpturkiye. Hope to see you soon, good bye!
In this part, we talk about an evaluation note titled “Intergenerational Mobility in Education – Where is Turkey in Equality of Opportunity?” which is prepared by Economic policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV).
New Horizons (N.H.): This is the New Horizons podcast of United Nations Development Programme in Turkey. In this programme, we will talk about a report titled “Intergenerational Mobility in Education – Where is Turkey in Equality of Opportunity?” which is prepared by Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV). And our contributor is a researcher from Economic Studies in TEPAV, Bilgi Aslankurt. Welcome.
Bilgi Aslankurt (B.A.): Thank you.
N.H.: First of all, I want to stress that this evaluation note can be downloaded from tepav.org.tr. And let’s start with the first question: In this note, you did a research to examine intergenerational social mobility in Turkey compared with OECD countries on the basis of schooling rates and quality of education. What does intergenerational mobility in education mean?
B.A.: Intergenerational mobility in education is a common term we use to describe how education level change from one generation to the next.
N.H.: That is to say that it focuses on the relation that whether your parents are graduated from primary school and you are also graduated from primary school or you can take one step further.
B.A.: Definitely. If the level of intergenerational mobility in education is low, this means that the child has the same level of education with their parents.
N.H.: In other words, this is a research addressing the difference between the education level of new generations and old ones and the quality of education they get. What was your main purpose when you decide to write this note?
B.A.: We have made various research on Turkey’s development level in TEPAV’s Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRI) and our main focus was that how Turkey’s competitiveness can be developed. Education, at first, may seem irrelevant to our research topics, as people can only think about the issues such as account deficit, balance of international trade when they consider economic studies, however, education is very important and related to these kind of studies. About competitiveness, for example, the World Economic Forum publishes a global competitiveness report every year. In 2012, Turkey was ranked 43. In the sub-research areas of the Report, there are some evaluations about education. Turkey was ranked 63rd country in the education and health category, while it was ranked 74th in the higher education category. And all these factors affect the competitiveness of Turkey. Thus, as Turkey has a lower level of education and human resources, its competitiveness is pulled down.
N.H.: Hence, because of these reasons, you decided to write this evaluation note. The general opinion in Turkey indeed reflects that the parents do everything for the education of their children, but I think, the data you investigate show an opposite situation that the same level of education is transferred from one generation to the next and from this perspective, how is the situation in Turkey compared to the other OECD countries?
B.A.: In general, we know that all parents do their best for their children’s education. There are very good schools and so many well-educated people in Turkey. However, we have tried to find out that if everybody could achieve these opportunities by using some data presented by international statistics institutions. One of these is the results of the annual European Labor Force Survey. In 2009, the focus of this survey was related to the intergenerational mobility in education. Similar to this, an adult literacy research is made in the countries outside Europe such as Japan, America and Canada. Combining the findings of these two researchs, we reached a conclusion that the main problem for Turkey is the low level of intergenerational mobility. Especially for developing countries like Turkey, this result is very alarming. While OECD average level is 50 percent, I mean the portion of the families that transfer the same level of education from one generation to another is 50 per cent in OECD, it is 66 per cent in Turkey.
N.H.: When we look at your study, it is underscored that Turkey ranks second among OECD countries with 66 per cent of young people in Turkey achieving the same level of education as their parents. And Slovakia ranks first. We mention before that your study is about the transmission of level of education from one generation to the next, I wonder how many years of education have been transferred in Turkey and in Slovakia? I suppose, these should be considered from this perspective.
B.A.: You are right. While the average year of schooling in Turkey is considered with the average years of schooling in other countries, the intergenerational mobility draws a very grimmer picture. For example, in Turkey, the average year of schooling is 7 years which means that...
N.H.: Second year in secondary school in old terms.
B.A.: Yes, second year in secondary school. In Turkey, the average year of education is called “secondary school drop out”, but it is 11 in Slovakia.
N.H.: While the mean years of schooling is 11 in Slovakia, it is 7 years in Turkey. What about the ranking of the countries with the lowest average years of schooling to transfer?
B.A.: It may be more beneficial if we consider the group of people who do not experience an intergenerational mobility in education within the concept of the countries’ education structures, then we see that Turkey has quite low ranks. And in families with no intergenerational improvement in education level, a stark 91% have no high-school graduates in Turkey.
N.H.: Hence, they do not complete the eight-year education.
B.A.: Yes, of course. Apart from Slovakia, as a developed country, the United States of America has indeed a low level of intergenerational mobility at 60 per cent. However, the situation is reversed as people achieving the same level of education as their parents have high level of education and 85 per cent of them is high school graduates.
N.H.: According to the figure of average years of schooling, USA is at the middle among OECD countries and I guess, Turkey ranks first. Thus, Slovakia has the lowest intergenerational social mobility among OECD countries, while Turkey has the lowest average year of schooling to transfer. Portugal and Spain follow Turkey in this index. In terms of intergenerational social mobility, Slovakia ranks first, Turkey ranks second and USA ranks third. Hence, we can say that Turkey experiences a special situation.
B.A.: Yes, Turkey has very low standards and has achieved a very slow progress. Thus the convergence period of Turkey with countries having high level of years of education is remarkably slow.
N.H.: In your study, you also examine the quality of education and maintain that in this area, there is a severe inequality of opportunity. As you mention in the evaluation note, based on the relation between quality of education and income level of parents, in Turkey, the education system is defined with the “low quality-high inequality” duo. According to the sample you study, Turkey may be the first ranked country among OECD countries which should be lifted out of the trap of transmission of low level of education.
B.A.: Yes, definitely.
N.H.: Those who want to contribute to this discussion can share their opinions by using #yeniufuklar hashtag on Twitter. What kind of efforts should be maintained to solve these problems?
B.A.: Of course, the most importing thing is to ensure the equality of opportunity. Every person should achieve the high quality education regarless of their socioeconomic status and income level. To increase the schooling rate, you know that a law has been enacted to promote 12-year compulsory education. Although this is a very positive development, it is not enough while the quality of schools and the access of quality education in Turkey, there is a huge gap between schools. Therefore, every school has to have a good education level. More precisely, while the duration of average schooling is increased, the equal opportunity to achieve a good education should be guaranteed for every student regardless of their socioeconomic status. I see a risk in this process. On the one hand, it is expected that there will be more schools, more students and more teachers within the 12-year compulsory education, on the other hand, if the necessary amount of resources cannot be promoted, the quality of education can be decreased. Thus, in my opinion, the next education policy should be prepared by combining the aims of increasing schooling rate and quality of education.
N.H.: By this means, the families with low level of education will be able to transfer a higher level of education to their children and to the next generations. Thank you so much Bilgi Aslankurt to join our programme.
B.A.: You’re welcome.
N.H.: Today we talked about an evaluation note titled “Intergenerational Mobility in Education – How Does Turkey Compare in Equality of Opportunity?” which is prepared by Economic policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) and our countributor is a researcher from Economic Studies Group in TEPAV, Bilgi Aslankurt. We have come to the end of this episode of New Horizons which is prepared by United Nations Development Programme UNDP Turkey. This program has been recorded at the studio of Radyo ILEF of Ankara University Communications Department. You can follow our program on iTunes under podcasts, on FM frequency in İstanbul, on Açık Radyo (Open Radio) on internet, on nearly fifty Police radios and also on university radios in our broadcasting network and on undp.org.tr. Our user name for social media is undpturkiye. Hope to see you soon, good bye!
In this part, we talk about ‘Justice for Children’ project implemented with the technical support of UNICEF.
New Horizons (N.H.): This is the New Horizons podcast of United Nations Development Programme in Turkey. In this programme, we will talk about a project titled “Justice For Children” which is implemented with the technical support of UNICEF. Our contributor is Göktan Koçyıldırım who works in this project as the Child Protection Officer in UNICEF . Welcome.
Göktan Koçyıldırım (G.K.): Thank you.
N.H.: Between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, the number of court cases opened against children rose sharply and reaching about 100,000 per year in Turkey. 90 percent of these children are boys and three-quarters of them aged between 15-17. The most common charges against children are theft and robbery. And you are a part of a project which was initially started to address the problems in this picture. The project partners are the European Union, the Ministry of Justice DG Prisons and Detention Houses, the Ministry of Justice Training Department, the Ministry of Family and Social Policies DG Child Services, the High Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors and the Justice Academy of Turkey. There are institutions focused on both children and the legal aspects of the issue . What has been the initial point of this project and why is your project important?
G.K.: Actually the juvenile justice system is in itself a very critical issue. And “Justice for Children” is not the first project we have involved in this area. The project which were started in 2002 and supported by the European Union were also related to the juvenile justice system. With regard to some results and some programmes developed during the project, we decided to implement a project fosucing on the issue of justice for children. At first, the only project partner was the Ministry of Justice, but then because of some legal changes and the importance of this issue all partners you have mentioned got involved in the project. And it is an important project, because justice is itself an important and a hot issue related to development. We can say that the juvenile justice system is indeed the most specialized issue of justice as it touches upon the child issue or a social dimension more than the general justice system. Justice system is more about the cases and actions, however juvenile justice system is related to the environment and situation children live in and the social conditions they have. And it needs a comprehensive research as it is a prominent issue parallel to its multi-disciplinary characteristic.
N.H.: Of course this issue is deeply connected to the social structure and development policies. As I mentioned before, the number of court cases opened against children reached about 100,000 per year between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s. This is a very dramatic increase. “Many of these children are observed to come from poor/excluded urban communities including migrant communities” is another important statement in the project notes. Thus, the starting point is much more clear now. What do you think about the main reason of the increase in the number of court cases against children?
G.K.: Actually we can say that there are more than one reason. In my opinion, the first reason is the culture of violence. Children do what they see and domestic violence or other social environment including violence such as the perception of heroism in the society are the main factors that force children committing crime. On the other hand, it is closely related to the development. Although we hesitate labelling people, it is true that economic and social conditions are directly linked to committing a crime. When we look at the court cases, this relation leaps out. Another reason is that we cannot realize the signs showing that a child can commit a crime and it is generally related to the child protection. For example, if a child is a victim of peer victimization and school officers, health system or state mechanism in the society cannot realize this situation, then it is inevitable that this child gets involved in crime. Hence, the main reasons can be grouped under these three headings.
N.H.: So from social protection to child protection, there is a variety of policies in this area. As you mentioned, child poverty is one of the starting points. Which development policies should be implemented to solve this problem? What kind of solutions can be promoted for the situation in Turkey with your project?
G.K.: It is much better if we divide this issue into two dimension. At first, to prevent child poverty, protective and preventive measures should be promoted. The professionals working in the schools and health facilities should be on the alert about the risks that children are imposed. If a child is a victim of peer victimization or a violent act, it does not always mean that the child will commit a crime, but it means that there is something wrong in his/her life. And defining the policies and responsibilities of the state towards protective and preventive measures is the first dimension. The second dimension is that sometimes children can be a part of the system by committing a crime or being a victim of a crime. And the child victimization is increasing gradually. Therefore, after children become a part of the system by those reasons, the main issue is that the system should treat children in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age. If a child is in need of a professional help such as a health or a care measure or a consultancy measure, then the professionals should analyse the situation of child and implement the necessary measurements carefully. It should be noted that these measurements are not always required for children, but also for their families and it is important to support families together with their children. If we cannot save the child and s/he goes to prison, it is an international obligation to support him/her and maintain proper policies to protect his/her interests.
N.H.: Hence, child poverty and social conditions do not have to lead the emergence of children with problems. It should be underscored that by the help of protective and preventive measures, it is possible to achieve positive results in the short run. People can reach more information about the project from its website cocuklaricinadalet.org. You can share your opinions via using #yeniufuklar hashtag on Twitter. What have been done under the “Justice for Children” project until now and what are your plans for the future?
G.K.: The “Justice for Children” project tries to touch upon all the areas I have mentioned. We focus on coordination which means a better coordination of services for children inside and outside of the justice system. This is the first dimension of the project. The Ministry of Family and Social Policies is our main partner in this dimension while it is responsible for the services for children. These services constitute of empowerment of child prosecutions, effective implementation of measurements for children and maintaing some interview techniques for children and so forth. The second dimension of the project is the professionalizing and training of judges, public prosecuters and other members of a profession. The third dimension is the provision of indivualized services for children in prison. It has been a year since the project started and the field researchs about these three dimensions have been almost completed. In 2013, after finishing these researchs, we will implement the project activities and trainings. As a result, we aim to ensure a better protection, judgement and enforcement systems.
N.H.: At this point, it should be highlighted that UNICEF Turkey has been carried out the national consultations which have been undertaken by 50 countries all around the world, in the process of determining the post 2015 development goals. Thus, I think we can say that the issue “justice for children” can be involved in the post 2015 development agenda. Thank you so much Mr. Göktan to join our programme.
G.K.: You’re welcome.
N.H.: Today our contributor was UNICEF Child Protection Officer Göktan Koçyıldırım. And we have come to the end of this episode of New Horizons which is prepared by United Nations Development Programme UNDP Turkey. This program has been recorded at the studio of Radyo ILEF of Ankara University Communications Department. You can follow our program on iTunes under podcasts, on FM frequency in İstanbul, on Açık Radyo (Open Radio) on internet, on nearly fifty Police radios and also on university radios in our broadcasting network and on undp.org.tr. Our user name for social media is undpturkiye. Hope to see you soon, good bye!
In this part, we will talk about population dynamics in Turkey.
New Horizons (N.H.): This is the New Horizons podcast of United Nations Development Programme in Turkey. In this programme, we will talk about population dynamics in Turkey. Our contributor is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sinan Türkyılmaz who is a lecturer at the Department of Technical Demography in Institute of Population Studies at Hacettepe University. Welcome.
Ahmet Sinan Türkyılmaz (A.S.T.): Thank you.
N.H.: Turkish Statistical Institution (TÜİK) has recently announced the results of address based population registration system for 2012 and according to the results, the population in Turkey is approxiamately 76 million. In 2011, the annual population growth rate of Turkey was 13.5 ‰ while it decreases to 12 ‰ in 2012. What is the main reason behind this decrease in annual population growth rate?
A.S.T.: As you said the annual population growth rate of Turkey was decreased, to be more clear. The decrease from the rate of ‰ 13.5 to ‰ 12 means that the amount of population of Turkey did not decrease, instead it continues to increase but the growth rate is gradually decreasing. Within a quantitative perspective, it is not a dramatic and unexpected decrease. In fact, the level of decrease is the same amount we, as demographers, have expected . As I said, numerically the decrease is approximately equal to 900 thousand people.
N.H.: If the annual population growth rate of Turkey stays at this rate, then it means that every year the population of Turkey continues to increase by 900 thousand people?
A.S.T.: This statement might not be statistically true to suggest as the denominator of the population of Turkey will increase year by year, hence this number will also increase proportionally. If there were an increase in the following years, it would be expected to be approximately 900 thousand – 1 million.
N.H.: What do these recent data mean in terms of the economic and social structure of Turkey? When will the population in Turkey begin ageing?
A.S.T.: The population in Turkey has already begun ageing, however, it does not mean that we should panic because our population is still young. If the elderly population comprises more than 10% of the entire population, then we can call the population aged. According to the recent data, Turkey’s elderly population is 7.5% of the entire population and it is equal to approximately 5 million 600 thousand people out of 75 million 600 thousand people. This rate will be 10% in the 100th anniversary of Republic in 2023. Thus, between the years 2020 – 2025, the elderly population of Turkey will exceed 10 percent that is nearly 8 million – 8 million 100 thousand old people out of the entire population.
N.H.: Therefore the social policies on social security and ageing will be crucial issues on the agenda. The population studies is highly related to the development studies as the income of the people, education, health, substructure, food security are closely related to the population dynamics. According to the recent data, it is obvious that there has been a transformation in the population structure of Turkey. Although the annual population growth rate has been decreased, according to the TÜİK’s results, the rate of working population increased by 1.5 percent. Is this increase an opportunity for Turkey in respect to achieving sustainable development?
A.S.T.: It is definitely an opportunity for Turkey. In the literature, it is called as “demographic window of opportunity”. It means that in a specific period of time, the nations with high level of fertility will have high rates of population growth. In the past, Turkey had the high fertility rate when 5 – 6 children born per one woman in average, hence today the people over 15 aged have 3 – 4 siblings and they are the working population of Turkey. It has two dimensions: One dimension is that if you create enough employment opportunities for the sake of utilizing the potential of this working population, then you can turn this opportunity into achieving the sustainable development. But if the proper education, living and employment opportunities are not provided to this fraction of the population, then, this opportunity may lead toa dangerous situation for a country. If these young people would be properly educated and employed, the outcome would be a more prosperous future.
N.H.: The relationship between population and development is indeed a very interesting issue. How does the increase in population affect the growth rate? With regard to the examples in the world, how can the current situation in Turkey be described?
A.S.T.: As you know, Turkey was ranked as the second country following China in the increasing growth rate recently. Additionally, the population of Turkey continues to increase. Thus, this means that every year approximately 750 – 800 thousand people can be employed…
N.H.: What is the China’s population growth rate?
A.S.T.: China’s population growth rate is less than Turkey’s as they have implemented one child policy for years. Now the policy has been loosened a bit but China has still a huge population that is 1 billion 300 million.
N.H.: But the population growth is getting proportionally lower, isn’t it?
A.S.T.: Yes, it gets proportionally lower however when we consider the amount of working population and their production capacity of cheap labour force, it can be understood that the cheap labour force is at the core of the huge development success of China. In Turkey, there are both an economic growth and 600 – 650 thousand people labor force and if the unemployment rate in Turkey stays constant, it means that enough employment opportunities are provided for those people and thus, they can contribute the development of Turkey. By implementing necessary policies to decrease unemployment rate and to raise job quality, we could create the real development opportunities.
N.H.: How many countries around the world experience both increase in the economic growth and increase in the population at the same time?
A.S.T.: I do not know much about this issue but I can give an example of an opposite situation. As it is named as Asia’a miracle, Korea experienced this type of growth, however after that, the fertility rate decreased to 1.15 chidren born per woman. I mean, they had high fertility rates similar to Turkey but there was a dramatic decrease and today they have faced important challenges in the quantity and proportion of working population before Turkey.
N.H.: I guess it is important to underscore that the fertility rate and the population growth rate are different measurements. As you mentioned, the ratio of people who are over 65 and financially dependent on working population is 7.5%. It is expected that this ratio will be 20% in 2050. All these ratios show that there has already been a need to implement the proper ageing policies. What do you think about this situation?
A.S.T.: I can say that there are approximately 5 million 600 thousand old people in Turkey and this number is greater than the common trend in the world. Therefore, it is time for us to take action to implement ageing policies. Especially with the developments in the health conditions and increase in the life expectancy, the number of older people will continue to increase in the future. As the fertility rate is decreasing, financially dependent and unemployed population in Turkey will be more older than ever. This is an observation from an economic perspective. Related to the quantitative results, we can say that Turkey has already started to face the similar problems about ageing population with Europe.
N.H.: You work at Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies which is the only institute in this field in Turkey. People can reach your publications from the web site of the Institution which is hips.hacettepe.edu.tr. You can share your opinions via using #yeniufuklar hashtag on Twitter. And post 2015 development agenda has been discussed all over the world and Turkey is a part of this process. One of the thematic areas which have been discussed in consultations in Turkey is your professional field that is “population dynamics”. Which issues should be discussed to be involved in post 2015 development agenda both in the national level in Turkey and in the global level?
A.S.T.: Actually we joined to the consultation process and I was the moderator of a working group in the meeting. Four main topics are highlighted in our final report. The first one is the youth including youth policies and the situation of young people as there is no specific policy on youth in Turkey. The second one is about the elderly people and the necessity of new policies on ageing as we have talked before. The third one is the migration problem while the internal migration continues in Turkey and in Western regions and cities, the population growth still depends on the migration rate instead of fertility rate. And the last topic is the policies on access to sexual and reproductive health services and the necessity to make them universal. As a result, these four main topics will be on our post 2015 development agenda.
N.H.: And you are a part of the consultation process in Turkey as an academician. Thank you so much to join our programme.
A.S.T.: You’re welcome.
N.H.: Today our contributor was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sinan Türkyılmaz who is a faculty member at the Department of Technical Demography in Institute of Population Studies at Hacettepe University. And we have come to the end of this episode of New Horizons which is prepared by United Nations Development Programme UNDP Turkey. This program has been recorded at the studio of Radyo ILEF of Ankara University Communications Department. You can follow our program on iTunes under podcasts, on FM frequency in İstanbul, on Açık Radyo (Open Radio) on internet, on nearly fifty Police radios and also on university radios in our broadcasting network and on undp.org.tr. Our user name for social media is undpturkiye. Hope to see you soon, good bye!
In this part, we talk about Growth and Employment which is one of the nine thematic areas in post 2015 development agenda.
New Horizons (N.H.): This is the New Horizons Podcast of United Nations Development Programme Turkey. In this programme, we will talk about Growth and Employment which is one of the nine thematic areas in post 2015 development agenda. Today, our contributor is Ozan Çakmak from International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Turkey. Welcome.
Ozan Çakmak (O.Ç.): Thank you.
N.H.: There are nine thematic areas being discussed in the ongoing consultation meetings in Turkey. As we mentioned before, our audience might remember that Turkey is one of the fifty countries who undertakes national consultations for determining post 2015 development agenda. Here, we will talk about one of these nine thematic areas which is Growth and Employment that you also specialize in. Before we mention about this process, let’s start with the concepts. It might be better if we will talk about the importance of growth and employment for the global development. When we say that development happens through employment, what kind of growth and employment do we talk about?
O.Ç.: As you know, employment is one of key tools for development that rescues people from poverty trap and provides them more decent incomes to live on and get the opportunities. In 2000, the Millenium Development Goals, with the target date of 2015, were determined. However, the world has experienced a big crisis a couple of years ago and during this period, a chronic unemployment has emerged for the first time in years not only in least developed and developing countries but also in developed countries. Therefore, we have experienced such a period that employment is a global problem, while it should also be solved by national policies. The studies and presumptions show that the unemployment risk will continue for a while. The growth of the global economy should be maintained through inclusive growth policies to lower the unemployment rates and to sustain a development happens through jobs.
N.H.: Of course, we talk about weak and unstable economic conditions. According to the ILO report “Global Employment Trends 2013” issued in January, today job creation has become the most urgent development priority in the world. It is estimated that unemployment is increasing globally. However, Turkish media has emphasized that unemployment is decreasing in Turkey while it is increasing in the world. Although this statement is true, there are some certain structural vulnerabilities in the labour market in Turkey, am I right?
O.Ç.: Definitely. The measures and adequate policies implemented against the negative consequences of economic and global crisis caused some positive results to restrain the rising unemployment rates and to foster employment. After all, a joint study of ILO and OECD, which was maintained a couple of years ago, shows that Turkey has enjoyed the highest rate of employment growth between G-20 countries. In that sense, a posivite picture is painted for Turkish economy. However, the characteristic of employment and the profile of people participated in the labour market are also very crucial as female employment rate is extremely low in Turkey.
N.H.: The youth employment is also very low.
O.Ç.: Youth unemployment almost doubles the national unemloyment level.
N.H.: Therefore, we mention an inclusive employment for all people and fragile groups in the society as ideal policy.
O.Ç.: ILO emphasizes an inclusive growth based on employment generation to eradicate the poverty and income inequalities.
N.H.: Then, it should be noted that the ILO report “Global Employment Trends 2013” is available on www.ilo.org. Those who would like to contribute the discussions related to the post 2015 development agenda can express their opinions using #yeniufuklar or #2015sonrasi hashtags on Twitter. Let’s talk a little bit more about post 2015 development agenda. There have been no specific goals named “growth and employment” within the eight millenium development goals. Since 2000, what has been changed and growth and employment have become major issues discussed during the consultation process of post 2015 development agenda?
O.Ç.: Actually the main reason is the recent global developments reflecting that growth and globalization guided by wrong policies, can lead to further inequalities. In other words, it is understood that there is economic growth but no employment. Today, other new concepts emerged such as middle income trap to define millions of people who escape poverty but stuck in the middle income trap. Long-term unemployment is a serious problem that so many people in Europe suffer from who have given up looking for a job, continued living as unemployed and become impoverished. And also young people who could not find any job are returning to education to spend their time at least for enhancing their abilities. However, higher education levels do not always mean higher employment levels. In Turkey, related to the schooling rate, college graduates have faced higher unemloyment rates than other people and thus, it shows that labour market have a great difficulty in generating high value-added and skilled jobs.
N.H.: Hence, since 2000 as the effects of growth and employment on development have become more clear within the context of regional crises and global crisis, the growth and employment issue have been considered more explicitly. In line with the situation in Turkey, ILO organized a consultation meeting on “Growth and Employment” in November 2012 in Ankara. In this meeting, what kind of observations did you make and which problems did become prominent?
O.Ç.: In this meeting, we hosted so many different people from trade unions, employer organizations, non-governmental organizations, young and women organizations, universities and public institutions. The starting point of this meeting is to receive the suggestions and recommendations of our participants for the process of post 2015 by considering the situation in Turkey. So, how the issue of growth and employment would be counted as one of the post 2015 development goals and which factors should be considered in this process were discussed in the meeting. I shall mention these issue briefly. We determined three main topics for the meeting; “Inclusive Growth Policies for Creation of Decent Jobs”, “Emloyment Policies and Social Protection for Everyone” and “Inclusive Employment Policies Toward Sustainable Development”.
N.H.: Therefore, you mention inclusive growth, social protection and inclusive employment.
O.Ç.: Well, we see that being employed is not enough to helping people escape poverty. Since the year 2000, it has been observed that working poor has become a very crucial concept while working in the informal economy deprives people from social security mechanisms. And it includes jobs without any social and health security measures or working in the dangerous jobs.
N.H.: Therefore, being unemployed is not necessary for being poor.
O.Ç.: Definetely. This belief has been disapproved in this process. Actually world has experienced a very important period in the beginning of the 21th century as groundbreaking economic changes have been occured. In this context, the significance of generating jobs which are able to increase the female participatiion in labour force and in labour market by point out that the level of flexibility should be considered to avoid the wrong policies and the perception that accepts women as cheap labour forcewas discussed in the meeting. And one of the participants stated that jobs should be created not just in the green economy reflecting during the sustainable development process, but also in the purple economy.
N.H.: Green economy may be a familiar concept for people contrary to the purple economy. So, can you explain us what does purple economy mean?
O.Ç.: The measures and policies for job creation in the sectors such as social care and increasing the gender equality in the sectors where women participation is lower than men to promote women employment opportunuties in these areas…
N.H.: Then, as green economy highlights the sustainable development, purple economy is a women friendly economy which enables more female participation in the labour market. Apart from this issue, in accordance with these meetings you organized and the reports you prepared, what will be the main priority of ILO in the growth and employment concept?
O.Ç.: ILO has suggested in all those consultation meetings that employment and decent work should be one of the post 2015 development goals while job creation must be maintained as in the following decade, every year 40 - 50 million people will enter the labour force in the world. The existing situation has already been very critical, thus our studies show the importance of promoting the policies to extend and support the social protection floor. The participants in the consultation meetings have also emphasized the necessity of extending the social protection floor and stated that the growth model based on the framework of environmental, social and economic sustainability should be transformed into a people oriented growth. Moreover, the youth employment has been emphasized as an another important issue by young people as they are one of the main actors of the development process.
N.H.: Indeed, it should be highlighted that this consultation process is still continuing. It is possible to contribute to the process by visiting the website 2015sonrasiturkiye.org and also via #2015sonrasi hashtag on Twitter and Instagram as you know there is a photo contest on Instagram (for the photos which are about nine thematic areas determined for post 2015 Development Agenda). The Sustainable Development Goals will be determined at the end of the process which started in the second half of 2012 and continuing in 2013 and most probably the concept of growth and employment leaded by ILO will be seen as one of these goals. Thank you so much Ozan Çakmak to join our programme.
O.Ç.: You’re welcome.
N.H.: Today our contributor was Ozan Çakmak from International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Turkey. And we have come to the end of this episode of New Horizons which is prepared by United Nations Development Programme UNDP Turkey. This program has been recorded at the studio of Radyo ILEF of Ankara University Communications Department. You can follow our program on iTunes under podcasts, on FM frequency in İstanbul, on Açık Radyo (Open Radio) on internet, on nearly fifty Police radios and also on university radios in our broadcasting network and on undp.org.tr. Our user name for social media is undpturkiye. Hope to see you soon, good bye!
In this part, we talk about a global movement "One Billion Rising" which organized on 14 February 2013 all around the world.
New Horizons (N.H.): This is the New Horizons podcast of United Nations Development Programme Turkey. In this programme, we will talk about a global movement called ‘One Billion Rising’ which organized on 14 February 2013 all around the world. This year, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with dance. One billion women and men danced on 14 February to raise the awareness on violence against women. ‘One Billion Rising’ movement aimed to end the violence against women with the motto of ‘Enough is Enough! End the violence against women!’ There were also events organized all around Turkey within the ‘One Billion Rising’ movement, one which was in Middle East Technical University. We asked why one billion is rising on 14 February to Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit who is a Faculty Member in Sociology Department in METU and the Head of Gender and Women Studies in METU, who also organized the event in METU.
Yıldız Ecevit (Y.E.): There is an organization called V-Day. They have organized this global event to celebrate their 15th anniversary. This is a global movement, a global rising. Departing from the fact that violence against women happens in every country and every time, this is an event organized to protest this with a dance performance.
N.H.: V-Day organization, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, symbolizes three words that are Victory, Vagina and Valentine. ‘One Billion Rising’ is organized by V-Day. This was a global event. It was organized in many countries and many people participated. Many non-governmental organizations also supported the ‘One Billion Rising’. One of the biggest events was organized in India. One Billion is actually a symbolic number. It points out to the fact that as one out of every three women is subject to violence; this adds up to 1 billion women in the world who are victims of violence against women. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit explains the importance of this event which aims to attract the attention to 1 billion women and raise awareness on violence against women:
Y.E.: This is an important event because at the same day, all around the world on every city and on every town, people organized in smaller or larger groups could have join to this global event. Even in a small neighborhood, people can gather together, and dance with the song chosen for this day and for this event. Yes, there is a chosen song for this event. The name of the song is ‘Break the Chain’, the lyrics also translated into Turkish. It has very meaningful lyrics. People danced with this song. I would like to also add that some people found this event odd saying whether it is true to protest with dance the violence against women which is a very terminal issue causing deaths. However, I think it is very significant to protest violence against women with dance because what is important here is to raise awareness and inform people about the violence against women. If I were to organize a conference or a panel which we also do, but there is not enough participation to these events. However, during this One Billion Rising event, the participation was great and many people have wondered what was going on there, why these people have gathered together. Anyway, therefore dancing was an important and effective way of protest. It was very successful and I am happy with this event.
N.H.: ‘Break the Chain’ is the song chosen for this event. It was written and produced by Tena Clark. Award winning choreographer Debbie Allen has choreographed a dance just for One Billion Rising organized on 14 February. People in more than 160 countries have danced with the same song and choreography. Buse, a student from METU explains the aim of the event:
Buse: One out of every three women is subject to violence, rape and harassment. You know the recent incidents in India. After these tragic incidents, people started to rise to fight violence against women. We thought that we should also join this event in METU to raise awareness about violence against women.
N.H.: Within the One Billion Rising events, in Turkey people danced in 30 different spots in 20 cities. In Ankara, there were gatherings in METU, Kızılay and the Grand Assembly. Prof. Dr. Yıldız Ecevit who emphasizes the fact that this is a global event and METU student Buse explains the message this event wants to deliver as follows:
Y.E.: It is totally about prevention of violence against women because one out of every three women is exposed to violence in their lifetime, or they are even killed. This makes 1 billion women. I would also like to add that this is an event that every men and women can participate. This is not an event called One Billion Women Rising but it is One Billion women rising. So, it is important that every one participate to this event.
Buse: Women are left alone in this life, they are left alone with this violence and we say that we do not have a life to give for red roses and nothing can disguise the violence against women and we want to say that we are against this patriarchal system. We call everyone to dance on 14 February.
N.H.: There are a variety of women’s problems in Turkey. There are honor killings on one side and murders of women on the other side. The other problem is representation. There are many topics, such as representation of women in the parliament, labor and management. Where shall we begin to solve the women’s problem?
Y.E.: This is a very hard question. You want me to prioritize the issues but I cannot do it as each of these problems is very important to me. All women’s problems and gender inequality are serious problems and they all should be considered all together. But if I have to give an answer, I would say the violence against women should be prioritized. Women should stay alive first to fight against gender inequality. Violence against women should be followed by economic independence of women and employment of women. Of course, there are education and women health to be addressed. I cannot prioritize these problems.
N.H: In this episode, we talk about the One Billion Rising event organized on 14 February 2013. Our friends, Nazife Ece and Gülşah Balak followed the event in METU. You may reach all the information about V-Day and One Billion Rising via http://www.onebillionrising.org website. You may share your thoughts on Twitter using #yeniufuklar hashtag. And we have come to the end of this episode of New Horizons which is prepared by United Nations Development Programme UNDP Turkey. This program has been recorded at the studio of Radyo ILEF of Ankara University Communications Department. You can follow our program on iTunes under podcasts, on FM frequency in İstanbul, on Açık Radyo (Open Radio) on internet, on nearly fifty Police radios and also on university radios in our broadcasting network and on undp.org.tr. Our user name for social media is undpturkiye. Hope to see you soon, good bye!
In this part, we talk about current situation of carbon markets in Turkey.
New Horizons (N.H.): This is the New Horizons podcast of United Nations Development Programme Turkey. In this programme, we will talk about the current situation of the carbon market in Turkey. In fact, we will also try to find out what a carbon market is. And our contributor is the Regional Manager for Turkey at the Gold Standard Foundation, Bahar Ubay. Welcome.
Bahar Ubay (B.U.): Thank you.
N.H.: You had also worked as an expert on this issue at UNDP and now, you work on the same issue at the Gold Standard Foundation. Shall we begin to discuss that although Turkey cannot benefit from the flexibility mechanisms of Kyoto Protocol, there has been a growing emphasis on “Voluntary Carbon Markets” which have been developed and implemented since 2005. It probably sounds unfamiliar to our audience, thus, can you explain what a carbon market is?
B.U.: Yes, it is still a very complicated concept for Turkey as it is one of the countries that have involved in this process recently. Carbon market is a market-based mechanism where governments, businesses and individuals buy and sell the certificates that they obtain in order to balance, or neutralize the greenhouse gas emissions they produce. These certificates can be obtained because of a reduction in another source. To give you an example, let’s suppose that you own a cement factory and every year it emits a specific amount of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. On the other hand, there is a windpower plant that provides clean energy to lattice electric and therefore, reduces the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Hence, to offset the cement factory’s carbon emissions, you can purchase the wind project’s certified emission rights. In other words, the mechanism of trading the emission rights is defined as the carbon market.
N.H.: At this point, it can be said that the windpower plant has an emission right and it can sell this right to another entity which releases greenshouse gas emissions to offset the carbon emission.
B.U.: Definitely.
N.H.: And there are two types of carbon market: Voluntary carbon market and mandatory carbon market. Can you please talk about the definitions of and the differences between these markets?
B.U.: Voluntary carbon markets have started much earlier than mandatory carbon markets. In the United States, there were important examples of voluntary carbon markets, however mandatory carbon markets were emerged when Kyoto Protocol came into force with the participation of Russia to the Protocol. The countries have committed to reduce their carbon emissions to the level of 1990s within the mandatory carbon trading which is defined with the Kyoto Protocol.
N.H.: So, this is how mandatory carbon market has started and Turkey is not in it.
B.U.: It is true because Turkey was not a party to the Protocol at that time, hence it did not make any commitments. Therefore, Turkey did not take part in this mandatory carbon market.
N.H.: Okay, then when did the concept of carbon trading emerge?
B.U.: Actually, it has been known since the 1970s and carbon trading first emerged during the struggle against sulphuredioxide in the USA. Afterwards, both the Kyoto Protocol and carbon trading started to be discussed. Kyoto Protocol was actually a mechanism offered by the United States, however, later it did not participate to the Protocol. The EU had met with the system for the first time with this Protocol. And as a result, we can say that, the concept of carbon trading started to be talked about in the early 1990s when Integrated Framework Agreement was discussed.
N.H.: But I guess it has not been a long time since it was formulated and transformed into its current version. Am I right?
B.U.: Yes. The formulation of the system and the openning for signature of the Protocol happened in the 1997 and the mechanisms offered in the Protocol entered into force in 2005.
N.H.: Turkey is one of countries where the voluntary carbon offset markets take place. Let’s describe the voluntary carbon market. What does “voluntary” mean? Does it mean that it is an unregulated mechanism? I mean, it should be regulated in some way. Is it true?
B.U.: It is true. At this point, the standards play a crucial role which create both transparency and measurable, reportable and verifiable mechanisms to the voluntary carbon markets. Voluntary carbon markets serve totally for the emission rights that are purchased by businesses, individuals and governments upon their voluntary will. For example, the companies such as DHL, SwissPost, Nokia and Panasonic, which demand the certificates of Gold Standard, purchase the emission rights mainly from the voluntary carbon markets, since they do not have any commitments to reduce the emissions different than the companies in cement or iron and steel industry with high levels of carbon emission. Thus, they prefer to take part in the voluntary carbon market due to their environmental and social responsibilities.
N.H.: Is this market global in a sense that, can a company purchase the emission right of a company in an another country?
B.U.: Yes, for sure. This is the main characteristic of system, now. Unfortunately, in Turkey, there has not been a domestic demand yet and Turkey only sells these rights depending on foreign demand. There is not enough consciousness and awareness yet on the issue. This is being established gradually, however, mostly the multinational companies pay specific attention to this issue and the certificates have already been taken from foreign institutions.
N.H.: How does monitoring take place in this system in order to understand whether the commitments are adapted?
B.U.: In fact, this is the most critical point and in this respect, standards of voluntary carbon markets should be determined in detail and the voluntary buyers should receive their certificates consciously. These are the main topics we advice to the buyers. The verification of the certificates, thus reducing the emission and achieving their aims are crucial. In the voluntary carbon markets, the projects begin with a registration process and the buyers give some kind of commitment to reduce their carbon emissions at a certain point in the context of their environmental and social responsibilities. After their activities are realized, let’s take a wind plant as an example, at the end of a one-year business activity, plant will be monitored by independent auditors to confirm whether it can maintain the emission reduction it commited, provide enough employment opportunities and pay enough attention to the environmental issues. They are monitored by these independent auditors both during the registration and the certification processes and then, they apply to the certification institutions. In consequence of the evaluation of these institutions, they receive their certificates. This process shows us that they receive their certificates following an actual measurable, reportable and verifiable process.
N.H.: Hence, these institutions voluntarily prepare their projects and generate the supply part as you mentioned before that there is a supply in Turkey, but no demand. And many projects are developed in accordance with the Gold Standard Foundation where you work as the Regional Manager for Turkey. In that sense, what is the Gold Standard? How many projects from Turkey have applied to this foundation?
B.U.: The word “Gold” refers to the high quality certificates the foundation gives, otherwise the foundation has nothing to do with gold.
N.H.: You wanted to emphasize that.
B.U.: Yes, because it causes misunderstandings. The Gold Standard is a non-profit foundation which was established in Switzerland in 2003 by World Wide Fund (WWF). The standard was consituted as a result of the criticisms of non-governmental organizations for the clean development mechanism within the Kyoto Protocol, because this standard is needed not just for the provision of carbon and emission abatement, but also for the sustainable development. The Gold Standard Foundation was developed by numerous non-governmental organizations and today, it is supported by more than eighty-three NGOs.
N.H.: Consequently, you follow the developments in Turkey. Let’s finish our programme by talking about the situation in Turkey, if you like. How do you evaluate the future of carbon markets in Turkey?
B.U.: As Turkey is a rapidly growing country, it has show some progress in this area eventhough it participated in this process recently. It has still chance to make us of very important opportunities, however, as it supplies so many certificates, it should increase the demand side of the certification process. At this point, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization is going to carry out some implementations and projects related to the potential emission trading systems in the fortcoming days. If all these would be implemented properly, they could become very important opportunities for Turkey. Unfortunately, I cannot foresee a situation that can meet this foreign demand in the voluntary carbon market and provide a domestic demand to compensate this supply. But in addition to the geothermal, landfill gas and wind projects, new projects from biogas and biomass sectors started to apply for the certificate. I think that these new projects will have more chance as they will be more attractive to the buyers. Again the sustainable cities and afforestation projects will play crucial role for Turkey in the next years.
N.H.: Those would like to participate in this discussion can use #yeniufuklar hashtag on Twitter. Also they can get more information about your work from the Gold Standard’s web site that is cdmgoldstandard.org. CDM refers to the “clean development mechanism”. Thank you so much, Regional Manager for Turkey at The Gold Standard Foundation Bahar Ubay to join our programme.
B.U.: You are welcome.
N.H.: Hence, we talked about the current situation of carbon markets in Turkey. And we have come to the end of this episode of New Horizons which is prepared by United Nations Development Programme UNDP Turkey. This program has been recorded at the studio of Radyo ILEF of Ankara University Communications Department. You can follow our program on iTunes under podcasts, on FM frequency in İstanbul, on Açık Radyo (Open Radio) on internet, on nearly fifty Police radios and also on university radios in our broadcasting network and on undp.org.tr. Our user name for social media is undpturkiye. Hope to see you soon, good bye!
Editor: Faik Uyanık
Assistant: Nazife Ece
Intern: Gülşah Balak
Contributors to this issue: Ceyda Alpay, Deniz Tapan, Gökmen Argun, Gönül Sulargil, Neşe Çakır, Pelin Kihtir Öztürk
© 2013 UNDP Turkey
All rights of New Horizons are reserved to UNDP Turkey. Any use of information should be accompanied by an acknowledgment of New Horizons as the source citing the URL of the article.