Issue: 26
A sociological survey among 1000 youth between the age 15-30 was conducted in Bulgaria in October-November 2007 by UNDP Bulgaria in partnership with BBSS Gallup International. The aim of the survey was to assess the young Bulgarians’ perspectives and challenges during the country’s first year as member of the European Union. In this context expert researches and analytical evaluations were carried out and interviews with Bulgarian youth were realized in order to learn their opinions about thier career development, thier attitudes to migration and readiness to partake in political and civic actions. The results of the survey were broadly publicized, discussed with experts, media, representatives of government institutions and academics and were then published in the December issue of Bulgaria: Beyond the Facts.
Although youth in Bulgaria is perceived as a diminishing factor of the total population, Resident Representative for UNDP Bulgaria Henry Jackelen says: “I am happy to say that the youth of Bulgaria is optimistic for the future and see their future within the country. This is the key result of the surveys. Many would have guessed that with Bulgaria’s EU accession the opposite would be the case and that youth would see their opportunities more outside than inside.”
The outcomes of the survey can be categorized as Bulgarian youth’s perceptions on EU membership, economy and employement, independency, emigration and travelling abroad, politics and education.
According to the study the EU membership of Bulgaria is perceived as a source of serious opportunities, not as a source of risks. Around 56% of the interviewed youth apprehend the Euro integration of Bulgaria as something personally positive. For them, EU offers opportunities for labour or educational mobility, improvement of the enviroment and life standards including earnings and overall prosperity. The survey points out to high levels of optimism.
In Bulgaria there is a strong wish among youth for early seperation from parents and earning own money. The young people in Bulgaria can be characterized as economically active above the average with earnings also relatively above the average. 87% of people above the age of 26 years work and only 7% are unemployed. Around 15% of the interviewed at age 23-30 years have their own businesses. Concerning personal financal status, young people in Bulgaria demonstrate clearly expressed expectations for fast growth of their personal/family incomes as well as expectations for a higher starting salary. In this sense studies show that the private sector is more attractive for youth because it offers more opportunities as well as high and fast growing salary. The Bulgarian youth cherish the competitive environment and count on the professional skills as a factor for ascending social class. “Looking from this angle, the Bulgarian youth with its economic conceptions is more a plus than a minus for the Bulgarian economy regarding its competition power” states Bulgaria: Beyond the Facts. However studies show that professional and qualified work is a priority that stands before the security of the job.
In the very beginning of the postcommunist transition, the active generations in Bulgaria were taken over by the wish to travel abroad. According to evaluations, in the first years after 1989 many Bulgarians (around 800 thousand people) among whom quite many are young people left the country in search of a better life, connected mostly with better paid jobs. However with Bulgaria’s EU integration the survey has found out that for youth, the value of Bulgaria as a place for living and realization as well as for education has grown significantly. Today youth have broader expectations from Bulgaria and this is a result of political stability, growing economy, slow increase of incomes in general and possibilities of finding better-paid jobs. On the other hand the relatively free and accessible travel in EU has made leaving Bulgaria more of a simple option than obligation. Accordingly young Bulgarians up to 30 years old have comparatively low wishes for emigration and a large number of them already have a significant personal experience from travel or even temporary work abroad. Every third of Bulgarian people up to 30 years has already traveled abroad at least once. Every tenth interviewed has already worked outside Bulgaria mainly as students or seasonal workers. Consequently they have a more realistic idea about other EU countries. Intentions for permanent emigration are relatively low. There are still wishes for education abroad, but always with intentions for return to Bulgaria. Only 8% of the age group 14-30 plan to move to other EU countries or USA, and this proves the concerns of countries like UK the be exaggerated.
The survey that analyes political participation of youth in Bulgaria shows that in general young people are not interested in politics. The level of participation in democratic elections in 1990-1992 was 75-80% while today it is only 45-55%. There is a fast withdrawal of citizens from political participation. However the survey also shows that youth actually has high political expectations and that youth is distancing itself from politics only because they reject the leading political style, not politics in general. The survey underlines however that Bulgarian youth is not passive citizens and that they show high readiness for civic activities such as volunteering.
As regards to education researches show that education in Bulgaria is still not apprehended by youth as an investment although there is a general readiness. The survey shows that higher education in the country is currently a barrier for the competitive power of the young generation. Only a bit over one third of young Bulgarians who are university students are convinced that their specialty can prove high incomes for them. About 43% do not think that the market needs specialists with the qualifications that they are obtaining at the moment, and about half of the interviewed declare that it might be better to have professional skills even from high school in order to find a good job. Currently universities are considered more of a fashion than for carrier planning.
The national sociological survey represents the entire country and includes youth of different gender, ethnicity, education level, region and type of settlement i.e. district, town and villages. It also takes into account different income levels, possesions, level of consumption, the level of need to basic goods and services and social status.
The survey conducted in 2007 and published in Bulgaria: Beyond the Facts was a continuation of surveys carried out in the 1997-2006 period. Bulgaria: Beyond the Facts is a monthly publication that analyses the important trends in politics, economics and social affairs. The data used by the publication is received from a number of sources such as official government and international institutions as well as from opinion polls carried out exclusively for the publication.
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The total estimated budget of the project is $62,300 US dollars of which $25,000 US dollars is funded by SGP. The project activities that started in 2006 received the support of SGP in December 2007 and the project will continue until November 2008. The project was initiated by Fruit Heritage Study Group and Ali Nihat Gökyiğit Foundation (ANG). Currently other supporters of the project are Nezahat Gökyiğit Botany Park which is affiliated with ANG Foundation, The Turkish Foundation for Combatting Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA), Turkish Cultural Foundation, Flora Association and Mira Design.
Turkey’s agricultural biodiversity is being rapidly depleted by agricultural policies, globalization, population growth and other socio-economic factors. This depletion is threatening food resources of future generations and eroding cultural diversity. Although Muğla is rapidly transforming into a tourism spot with advancing concrete buildings it still includes 3 of the 122 Important Plant Areas of Turkey that is in need of protection and is rich in citrus fruits, grapes, figs, almonds and olives. So far 400 local kinds for 28 fruits have been identified and photographed and samples have been taken from 200 of these. In this context, a research mechanism needs to be developed, a comprehensive database must be established and fruits need to be officially registered with their local names and spread so that an infrastructure is established that enables other regions in Turkey to implement similar methods.
As a part of project activities, field studies were realized in order to identify local kinds, nature-friendly implementations were determined and ways of preserving them in-field (in situ) and out-of-field (ex situ) were searched as well as investigating potential markets. As a result of the field studies, 55 different kinds of almond, 97 kinds of fig, 69 kinds of grape, 3 kinds of local olive, 22 kinds of apple, 106 kinds of pear, 21 kinds of plum, 8 kinds of quince and 11 kinds of pomegranate were identified. An inventory was made which was then transferred to the database and genetical analysis were conducted. As a part of the project, discussions with producers were also arranged in order to learn their preferences and their ways of daily living as well as to compile cultural information, trainings were realized in primary schools, a publication introducing 200 local fruits was published and distributed to local producers, municipalities, schools and farmers.
Among the future activities of the project are conducting DNA tests for 100 new kinds, shooting a documentary film that shows discussions with producers and that show harvesting, drying and other techniques, preparing a website that not only provides information but also enables those interested to exchange information, conducting further market analysis, preparing brochures and arranging presentations for relevant local and central institutions.
In Turkey dependency on foreign products increases as the importance given to local kinds decreases. Turkey’s agricultural imports amounted to 2.3 billion dollars in 1982 whereas today this figure is 5 billion dollars. Turkey’s agricultural exports on the other hand have reduced 5 times from the levels in 1995. Foreign agricultural products, hybrid seeds, imported fertilizers and various pesticides make up a large amount of Turkey’s agricultural imports. Finding new market opportunities to export Turkey’s own products will undoubtedly also make the project more sustainable.
The GEF Small Grants Prgramme is a corporate programme of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and supports NGOs and local communities in their activities to preserve and sustain biodiversity and in their activities to combat climate change. The GEF Small Grants Programme not only provides funds but also shares it experience with its partners. The Small Grants Programme is executed by UNDP on behalf of three GEF agencies, UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank.
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That was the Small and Medium Enterprise Development in Southeastern Anatolia. UNDP Turkey Office and EC Delegation in Turkey has been joining forces in several other projects and areas recently to help Turkey to achieve its development targets in the way to EU membership. New Horizons asked Ulrika Richardson-Golinski, UNDP Deputy Representative in Turkey, about the linkages between EC and UNDP programming in Turkey, and the lessons learned from this partnership. Here is what she says:
Ulrika Richardson-Golinski (U.R.G.): As a development organization, our mission in Turkey is to support national priorities. In this context, Turkey’s EU accession is central to our thinking of development priorities in this country. Therefore, we work with national and local authorities and civil society to assist their efforts to align their practices to EU norms. We work with other UN colleagues to identify areas that require further attention from authorities. For example we have done and continue to do sector assessments in areas that are relevant to the political criteria. They include security sector assessments as well as new work in the justice sector. New areas also include working with the legislative (committees in the Parliament) and the executive to make legislation be more consultative and particularly involve civil society. Related to this, we are also facilitating multi-stakeholder consultation processes which are important for pluralistic decision and policy making processes. We further support local authorities and civil society as well as private sector to deliver EC programs more effectively. Most recently, we are supporting local authorities in Şanlıurfa to align their industrialization practices to international norms.
We also give support to some regional projects of the EC. “Accelerating CSR Practices in the New EU Member States and Candidate Countries as a Vehicle for Harmonization, Competitiveness and Social Cohesion in the EU” programme is an example of this. “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Turkey” Baseline Report has been prepared with the help of a Turkish organisation, the Corporate Social Responsibility Association, which is an important partner to UNDP Turkey for a long time. The report, a comprehensive analysis of CSR practices in Turkey, is part of a wider EU funded programme in this region. In this context a regional study report titled “Baseline Study on CSR Practices in the New EU Member States and Candidate Countries” has already been published by UNDP.
UNDP Turkey: What kind of programmes has the UNDP been involved with to date?
U.R.G.: One of our longest standing involvements in European Commission programming has been in the Southeast Anatolia region. In this region, we have supported the implementation of EC’s large regional development program by delivering business development services to small and medium scale enterprises. The EC program impact has been growth of the regional economy and the creation of over 1000 jobs. More recently, we cooperate with our European colleagues in the implementation of EC programs in the field of public administration reform, human rights, women's empowerment, gender and sustainable development.
UNDP Turkey: What are the lessons learned from UNDP’s involvement in EC programming?
U.R.G.: We have always known the importance of coordination among donors as a way to increase the impact and efficiency of our work. But knowledge does not always translate into action. In the past few years, we have seen the benefits of coordination with briefings and information sharing events organized together with our EC colleagues. That way we are able to map our programs more strategically, avoid duplication and promote synergies.
The second lesson learned is that we need to focus on capacity development in order for our national and local partners to participate in international programs. The UNDP is not a funding agency; hence it is even more important that we are able to advise our partners of the broader funding environment for their initiatives. We are very pleased for instance to note that some of our local partners in areas such as Bayburt or Erzurum end up applying for EC funds following the training and capacity building support we have given them within the context of our own small programs. We are very glad to see that many youth initiatives are springing up and applying for EU programs such as Leonardo or Erasmus. A lot of these initiatives have had their first exposure to international projects through our work with youth councils and city councils within the context of our Local Agenda 21 program. Based on this experience, we see a lot of value added in the UNDP’s projects with local authorities and civil society where we build their institutional capacity so that they themselves pursue their own goals and participate in EC programs.
UNDP Turkey: How do you see the future of EC and UNDP cooperation?
U.R.G.: There is the fact that UN agencies are coordinating more among themselves. For example, UNDP is involved with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNESCO, UN Environment Program and FAO in joint programs in different fields ranging from adaptation to climate change in Çukurova region, gender equality to cultural heritage promotion in Kars in Eastern Anatolia. The ILO, UNFPA, IOM, UNICEF and UNDP cooperate in a joint gender program in 6 provinces across Turkey. The experience of joint programming shows that local authorities and the government are pleased to benefit from the different strengths and expertise of different UN agencies under a more coherent UN program, “One UN”. I therefore see a future where the collaboration with the EC, to a greater extent, is one in which we partner as “One UN” and more strategically use the individual strengths and expertise of each UN agency.
In the short and medium term I think we will see a more substantive discussion with the EC and the Government in the design of the projects, benefiting more from UNDP’s extensive network and presence in the country in areas such as capacity and institution building for a more sustainable and democratic society.
UN and EU hand in hand
For decades, the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have been working together to promote human development around the globe. It is not surprising to see that two have built such a strong partnership and have recorded successes in a variety of fields. They are an inextricable part of each other because the European Community – when first established – directly took UN values and objectives as a roadmap for its activities. In other words, the 1957 Treaty of Rome that established the European Community clearly stated Europe’s commitment to the objectives of the United Nations. The UN and EU are linked to each other with many other treaties. For example, during the Millennium Declaration in 2000, world leaders adopted the values that are necessary for international relations in the 21st century. Accordingly, freedom in other words a world free from hunger, fear of violence, oppression or injustice, equality among all, solidarity, tolerance to different cultures and beliefs, respect for nature and shared responsibility became the core values of the international community. These values have motivated and shaped the extensive partnership that exists today between the UN and the EU. In this context, the European Commission (EC) channels significant financial resources to support UN’s work, thus making UN a key partner for the implementation of the EU external assistance. In 2006, the Commission’s support for joint activities amounted to about 1.3 billion Euros.
The UN and the EC implement their programmes in 105 countries. Although fields of work vary, the ultimate goal behind each programme is human development. In this context, the two partners uphold human rights and international standards, save lives and protect people in emergency and humanitarian crisis, work for the prevention and recovery from conflict and natural disasters, invest in health, education, water and sanitation, promote sustainable livelihoods and food security, strengthen governance and state capacities. In 2006 for example some of the fields of cooperation between UN and the EU were the administration sector in which good practices were exchanged for internal management and administration including planning, budget, human resources etc, the agriculture and rural development sector, education and culture sector, employment, equal opportunities, statistics in which the aim was to coordinate among international organizations regarding economic statistics, fisheries and maritme affairs, consumer protection, information society and media as well as justice, research, transport and energy.
On the other hand, the Millennium Development Goals also represent a cornerstone of the EU’s relationship with the UN. They are a guiding framework for the cooperation of the European Commission and United Nations Development Programme. The target of their activities are usually least developed and/or developing countries and focus on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other dieseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing global partnerships for development.
Today, the EU and the UN have a well-established regular dialogue and organize bi-annual meetings for the EU-UN Steering Committee. Through their partnership, the UN and the EC have made a tangible difference in the lives of millions of people, and have translated their values into action.
The project aims to encourage the active participation of women in employment not only in the production stage but also at the marketing level. The project also aims to introduce a new product to Erzurum and its surrounding area and to make producers meet with wholesalers, marketers and the final consumer chain.
Due to seasonal differences, the strawberries in Erzurum grow after the normal harvest season for Turkey. Researches show that strawberries that are organically produced in high altitudes and that are better in quality could serve as a new source of income for the locals where 80% of the people in the region work in the agriculture sector.
As a part of the activities, the project was first introduced to public institutions, local administrations, NGOs, representatives of the private sector, commercial dealers and the media through a press conference. A four-day fair was then organized in which the introduction of Erzurum strawberries and their products continued. Strawberry products such as cakes, jams, marmalades, strawberry milk and yoghurt and strawberry juices were exhibited and sold. The fair provided a great opportunity for women producers and commercial buyers to come together. A strawberry cake contest was also realized in which the winners were awarded with gold. Trainings were given on the production and storage of strawberries. Brochures, posters and CDs were distributed in order to introduce Erzurum strawberries.
With the project, female farmers started to participate more actively in employment and producers were brought together thus establishing a more coordinated network which is essential for the sustainability of the production process. Most importantly the project laid the grounds for NGOs to develop similar projects.
In the context of the third phase of the Life Plus Youth Programme, 9 projects from Antalya, Balıkesir, Amasya, Erzurum, Istanbul, İzmir, Manisa and the Nomad villages were funded. The projects focus on education, environment, culture, art and sports.
The Life Plus Youth Programme supports innovative, creative, participatory and sustainable projects developed by youth aged 16-26 and encourages youth to design projects that will find solutions to environmental and societal problems. 22 projects have been realized since the establishment of the programme in 2005. The Life Plus Youth Programme gives 3 thousand to 30 thousand dollars for each project.
Among the participants of the launch were Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment Sedat Kadıoğlu, UNDP Resident Representative Mahmood Ayub, General Director of the State Planning Organization General Directorate of Social Sectors and Coordination Kemal Madenoğlu and Marina Olshanskaya UNDP Regional Technical Specialist for Climate Change for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Initially the 2007/2008 Global Human Development Report was launched on 27 November 2007 in Brazil by the UNDP Administrator Kemal Derviş in parallel with launches all over the world including Istanbul.
The welcoming remarks of the presentation in Ankara were made by UNDP Resident Representative Mahmood Ayub. Ayub gave striking statistical figures from around the world and explained the human development approach. UNDP Technical Specialist on Climate Change Marina Olshanskaya on the other hand gave further detail on countries’ carbon emissions. Other issues taken up during the meeting were Turkey and climate change and Turkey’s reflection on the report followed by a session of challenging questions and answers.
The report Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World warns that the world should focus on the development impact of climate change that could bring unprecedented reversals in poverty reduction, nutrition, health and education. Fighting Climate Change provides a stark account of the threat posed by global warming and warns that inequalities in ability to cope with climate change are emerging as an increasingly powerful driver of wider inequalities which could lock the world’s poorest countries in a downward spiral, leaving hundreds of millions facing malnutrition, water scarcity, ecological threats, loss of livelihoods and many health risks.
Some of the ecological threats that the report highlights are:
Authors of the report therefore call on developed countries to demonstrate leadership by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. Among other alternative recommendations are establishing carbon taxation, more stringent cap-and-trade programmes, energy regulation and international cooperation of financing for low-carbon technology transfer.
During the global launch of the Report, UNDP Administrator Kemal Derviş said: “Ultimately climate change is a threat to humanity as a whole. But it is the poor, a constituency with no responsibility for the ecological debt we are running up, who face the immediate and most severe human costs. Of course there are uncertainties, but faced with risks of this order of magnitude uncertainty is not a case for inaction. Ambitious mitigation is in fact the insurance we have to buy against potentially very large risks. Fighting climate change is about our commitment to human development today and about creating a world that will provide ecological security for our children and their grandchildren”.
The project aims to improve the socio-economic conditions of internally displaced people (IDPs) through increased access to quality basic social services, better integration and social inclusion. In this context, enhancing the capacity of service providers such as governorates, municipalities and civil society organizations and implementing tailor-made training programmes as well as developing different models for rural and urban settlements where IDPs live are needed. The models will promote the integration of IDPs to these settlements.
On 7-15 January 2008, professor of Developmental Economics at Ulster University Prof. Siddiq Osmani came to Van to conduct a gap analysis among the service providers of Van. The aim of the gap analysis was to identify institutional capacity building programmes and to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery. Osmani will submit the final report of the gap analysis in mid-February.
As a part of future preliminary activities, various field level activities will be conducted by the Ministry of Interior through the Van Governorate and in cooperation with UNDP, an analysis of the market oriented labour force along with an environmental impact assessment and other required feasibility studies for rural and urban settlement schemes will be conducted.
The need for such a supplementary project was recognized during the activities of the “Support to the Development of an IDP Programme in Turkey” project that was previously implemented by the Ministry of Interior with the support of UNDP. In the context of the project activities, the Van Action Plan for the IDPs Service Delivery was prepared through multi-stakeholder consultation processes with the participation of the public and private sector, local administrations, NGOs, civil servants and the IDPs themselves. This Action Plan was announced on 29 September 2006 by the Van Governorate Return to Villages and Rehabilitation Centre and was a comprehensive study addressing the expectations of IDPs. Other activities included local stakeholder meetings, focus group meetings, individual consultations, workshops with NGOs and preparing policy recommendations as well as a baseline survey. The baseline survey entitled “Turkey Migration and Internally Displaced Population Survey” conducted by Hacettepe University’s Population Studies Institute drew attention that a majority of IDPs wanted to live in urban areas which meant that activities for both those who want to return to rural areas and those who want to continue to live in urban centres were needed. The findings of the survey highlighted the need for broader projects and thus the preparations for the “Support to the Improvement of Economic and Social Conditions of IDPs in Van” project began.
The English and Turkish versions of the full Action Plan can be reached at www.van.gov.tr.