Issue: 91
The “Third Convention of Women’s Civil Society Organizations”, which was held on 21-22-23 June, gathered up hundreds of representatives of women’s organizations which have different areas of expertise, priorities and working traditions, but have “women empowerment” as a common objective.
Women talked of a world without shelter, the possibilities to develop a policy together, the struggle against discrimination, current political problems and women labour and employment.
The convention was organized with the support of UNDP and the secretariat of the convention is executed by the Flying Broom Women’s Communication and Research Association. The executive committee of the convention consists of the Women’s Labour and Employment Initiative (KEİG) Platform, Turkish Federation of Women’s Associations (TKDF), Turkish Women’s Union (TKB), Capital City Women’s Platform (BKP) and Association for the Support of Women Candidates (KA.DER).
Discrimination and obstacles for women’s movement were on the agenda
Various issues were discussed in the workshops which were carried out from morning to night during three days.
Femicides, child brides, the institution of family, Avoiding and Monitoring Violence Centers (ŞÖNİM), cooperation of public-civil society organizations, political participation, women friendly cities and the right to involve in local decision-making mechanisms, equality units in the cities are some of the issues which will be discussed during three days.
At the end of the convention, a final declaration was drafted on the basis of discussions held throughout these three days.
In the declaration, it was acknowledged that women want to build peace in every aspect of life and they want active participation of women in every stage of this process.
Fulfilment of every international commitment including CEDAW on gender equality and elimination of discrimination against women and provision and implementation of a sustainable and determined women policy were demanded in the declaration.
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A “single, universal development agenda” built around “five transformational shifts” sits at the heart of the report.
The High Level Panel, co-chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and UK Prime Minister David Cameron, was established by the SG to inform his thinking on a bold but practical vision for the world we want.
For the past year, the panel has deliberated on post 2015 development agenda.
The report, entitled “A New Global Partnership: eradicate poverty and transform economies through sustainable development” sets out a universal agenda to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030 and deliver on the promise of sustainable development.
The Report sets out five transformational shifts: ending extreme poverty; building a future around truly sustainable development; transforming economies for jobs and inclusive growth; forging a new spirit of partnership; and peace and accountability.
“The post-2015 process is a chance to usher in a new era in international development – one that will eradicate extreme poverty and lead us to a world of prosperity, sustainability, equity and dignity for all,” the Ban Ki-moon declared.
Right now, the UN is engaging people around the world at scale to ask their perspective on the world they want.
Nearly 750,000 people from 194 countries have tabled their views so far.
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“The Business Opportunities related to Sustainable Energy for All” conference was conveyed by the Global Compact Turkey and the Izmir Economics University on 30th of May.
Kamal Malhotra, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Turkey, attended and delivered the opening remarks.
Malhotra talked about the 'Sustainable Energy for All' initiative launched by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
'Sustainable Energy for All' brings together governments, businesses and civil society groups in an unprecedented effort to transform the world's energy systems by 2030.
Three complimentary objectives are set for the initiative, which are to ensure universal access to modern energy services; to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
Dr. Simona Marinescu, Director of Istanbul International Center for Private Sector and Development (IICPSD), also spoke at the conference held at the Izmir University of Economics.
Dr. Marinescu took part in the panel discussion titled “Turkey Launch of the Business Case for Sustainable Energy for All” moderated by Dr. Yilmaz Arguden (Chairman, UN Global Compact Turkey).
In 177 countries and territories, UNDP supports actions to lift living standards, create opportunities and enable people to live fulfilling lives.
The 2012-2013 Annual Report showcases how UNDP deliver results through programmes on poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and the environment and sustainable development.
It highlights the reach of diverse partnerships, and globally recognized initiatives on transparency and accountability.
The report also gave example Every Drop Matters supported projects while discussing the partnerships with philantropic foundations.
The report emphasized how large amount of beneficiaries were reached within 5 years with the Every Drop Matters project.
The Black Sea Box Project, which is one of the projects under Every Drop Matters and which targets to raise awareness within Black Sea Coastal Countries’ school children, was also especially emphasized in the report.
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Regional Information and Experience Sharing Platforms in Adana and in Mardin were co-organized by Turkish Grand National Assembly Equal Opportunities Commission for Man and Woman and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The meetings were held under “Count Down for Gender Equality Has Started Campaign” and the Joint Programme “Fostering an Enabling Environment for Gender Equality in Turkey” implemented by Turkish Grand National Assembly Equal Opportunities Commission for Man and Woman, UN Women and UNDP.
After the first meeting was held in İstanbul in early 2012, the seventh and eighth meetings were organized in Mardin and in Adana.
Ensuring gender equality, making necessary arrangements for gender equality, especially in the Constitution, and participation of women in local governance and decision-making mechanisms are some of the issues emphasized during the meetings.
For Mardin region, the need for improving educational opportunities and providing the continuity of girls’ education were underlined.
The “Support for Women Employment in Dicle” EU-project grants were presented by Dicle Development Agency in the meeting in Mardin. The main aims of this project are to employ more people and keep them employed by especially decreasing women unemployment.
For Adana region, social support and employment problems were the prominent issues.
The need for equal access to social services for everyone and proving them in a more organized and fair way are addressed.
The dimensions of illegal fishing were highlighted in the studies within the project under the support of the Strengthening the System of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas of Turkey Project and GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) – COMDEKS.
Striking findings were reached in the studies regarding to spear-fishing under the context of the project.
Commercial sale of the fish caught by spear-gun is banned
The studies showed that there is an intense pressure of spear-gun fishing in Datça-Bozburun SEPA both locally and from the outer sources.
The significant part of this pressure is based on commercial purposes.
Especially in summer season, as the demand for fish increases, selling fish to some restaurants, which are caught illegally, becomes a popular economic activity in the region.
But the selling of fish caught by spear-gun in the restaurants or use of them for commercial purposes is completely banned in Turkey like in many other countries.
Conscious fishermen/divers support the project
Project team has also been communicating with the local fishermen, restaurants, official representatives and the consumers.
This communication reveals that the project is being supported by the conscious and fishermen, divers and restaurants.
The economic value of recreational fishing is identified in the report named ‘the report on Socioeconomic Characteristics of Recreational Fishing Activities in Foça and Gökova Special Environmental Protection Areas (SEPAs)’.
The data obtained from the studies are conducted between December 2012 and March 2013.
As a result, the economic value of recreational fishing in Foça and Gökova SEPAs were determined as nearly 120 million TL and 33 million TL, respectively.
The expectations for recreational fishing license are also evaluated
The respondents’ willingness-to-pay amounts for a one year compulsory recreational fishing license were also determined in line with the regulation efforts for the recreational fishing, which is boosted in recent years.
In this context, the economic value in Foça and Gökova SEPAs were determined as 593.206 TL and 139.740 TL respectively.
Life-long Volunteering Conference was held in early June by GSM Youth Service Centre in cooperation with United Nations Volunteers.
It aimed to advocate creation of an enabling environment and infrastructure for youth volunteering.
The conference brought together almost 100 relevant stakeholders from different levels such as youth organizations, policy makers, international organizations, young volunteers and other professionals working in the field of volunteering.
Volunteering contributes to development areas relevant to wide network of stakeholders
The conference consisted of panels, discussion studio and workshop linking it with the issues that emerged during the Post-2015 Development Agenda National Dialogues in Turkey, such as social inequalities, youth empowerment and local development.
The objective was to highlight the contribution of volunteering to the development areas that are relevant to a wide network of stakeholders and hence to emphasize the relevance of youth volunteering in the society.
A declaration, called “Volunteering for the World We Want” was written in the conference, voicing to their future aspirations of participants and their recommendations to others.
The declaration highlights that youth volunteers see the future in which all individuals embrace a shared commitment voluntarily contribution, within their capacity and regardless of their background, to the pursuit of the common good and to the ideas of harmony and peace.
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The launch took place during the conference on the “Private Sector’s Role in Vocational Training – Lessons Learned from Turkey.”
What is Global Alliance?
The Global Alliance will bring together international partners and stakeholders to research and promote new approaches for skills development with an emphasis on private sector-led vocational training.
The conference was attended by international partners representing governments, private sector and international organizations.
UNDP Resident Representative Kamal Malhotra also gave a keynote address in the conference.
During his speech, Malhotra emphasized the importance of the Global Alliance being formally institutionalized and the role it can play in exposing countries in transition to the excellent models of technical education and skills development.
Importance of conducting studies on smoother transition from school to training to employment
After the signing ceremony, three panels took place two of which are on the topics of “Private Sector in Vocational Training” and “Lessons-Learned from Turkish Private Sector Initiatives in Vocational Education and Training”.
The panels gave the opportunity for presenting models in respective topics.
Columbia University and Special Adviser to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the Millennium Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, joined the panel from New York by a video call.
Prof. Sachs discussed the problem of unemployment which is becoming more complicated due to the changing nature of the labor force.
He also stressed the important role IICPSD can play in conducting studies on how to facilitate a smoother transition from school to training to employment.
The final panel titled “Next Steps: Building an Alliance for Sustainable Employment” gave the opportunity for five experts to discuss the prospects of the Global Alliance.
The conference concluded with optimism from various high-level representatives of the governments participating about their willingness in joining the Global Alliance and marking it as a positive step forward for the development of private sector-led vocational training in their respective countries.
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The international training course on “Business Planning for Energy Efficiency Projects” was co-organized in İstanbul on June by Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR) National Directorate of Renewable Energy (GDRE), the United Nations Economics and Social Commission (UNECE), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The training course has been realized within the scope of “Promoting Energy Efficiency in Turkey” projects which are financially supported by GEF, executed by Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR) National Directorate of Renewable Energy (GDRE) and implemented by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the collaboration of relevant institutions.
The training also helped to build local capacity and serve the needs of local experts to prepare investment projects, to appraise their knowledge of equity participation in projects, mezzanine and third party finance capacities.
The training was formed of two phases
The first phase was held on 17-19 with the participation of representatives from ministries, financial institutions, ESCOs in Turkey.
The second phase was held on 20-21 June in addition with international participants.
Around 70 institutions and organizations were invited from Turkey to the training and in total more than 80 participants from 20 countries were trained on Business Planning for Energy Efficiency Projects.
Photo: Deniz Karamanoğlu
The fishing gears that are left down to the bottom of the sea that passively continues fishing, in other words 'ghost nets', will be cleaned off with “Ghost Net Hunters’ project implemented by Gökova Sailing Club under the support of the Strengthening the System of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas of Turkey Project and GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP).
Six divers reached the ghost nets
The dives were conducted between 24-26 May.
The locations, of which the coordinates were taken from the fishermen before the dives, were controlled by a team of six divers.
The dives were made in 12 spots and between 18-36 meters. Trammel and gill nets, fish lines and wastes from a former fish-farm were located through the dives.a
“Ghosts” will come to surface
The efforts to surface the ghost nets, which were monitored in the field studies, will gain momentum in the coming months and surfacing phase of the ghost nets will be launched.
The project which is named “POPs Legacy Elimination and POPs Release Reduction” project will be implemented by the United National Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization with Global Environment Facility (GEF) funds.
The preparation phase of the project was launched at the kick-off meeting.
The project aims not only to eliminate current legacies of POPs, but also to ensure longer-term national capacity to manage POPs in line with international practices and standards and integrate POPs activities into national sound chemicals management initiatives.
“POPs cross border easily and persist in the nature for a long time”
The kick-off meeting was attended by approximately hundred people from various institutions including ministries, private sector companies, universities, research centres, representatives of organized industrial zones, associations and the Deputy Minister for Environment and Urbanization Muhammet Balta.
In his opening speech, UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States’ (RBEC) Practice Leader for Environment and Energy Mr. Martin Krause underlined the importance of eliminating POPS legacies.
He said that “POPs adversely affect human health and the environment and can be easily carried via water and air. POPs cross border easily and persist for a long time passing from species to species.”
He emphasized that “We cannot sustain our lives without properly taking care of our wastes”.
Martin Krause stressed the importance of mobilizing all relevant actors in this process and pointed to Turkey’s already existing advantage for the baseline of this process as Turkey is a party to important relevant international conventions.
Deputy Minister of Environment and Urbanization Muhammet Balta emphasized the importance of the outcomes of this project and stated that no matter how high a country’s gross national product is, its citizens cannot live in peace without a clean and safe environment.
Activity plan of the project was shared during the meeting
During the kick-off meeting, historical background information on POPs was provided, the proposed components and activity plan of the project were shared and recommendations were received.
In the following year, preparations of the project will be completed and will be re-submitted to GEF for approval and its implementation.
Dreams Academy in Kaş, which is situated in a 13 thousand hectares field, will support disabled people, poor children and children who cannot complete their education.
Ercan Tutal, the project coordinator, says that Dreams Academy is established by volunteers and training programmes on personal development, arts and sports will be given by volunteer teachers.
Hence, a call is made for all volunteers who want to work in any fields for the academy in Kaş which will start its activities in a year at the latest.
The volunteers are expected to work between June and July.
For more information about volunteering in the Academy and about Kaş Village camp: http://www.duslerakademisi.org/
UNDP Turkey’s “Dreams Academy”, launched in 2008 in collaboration with Vodafone Turkey Foundation and Alternative Life Association, supports the people with disabilities to break social exclusion and be more active and productive through Art.
Social Inclusion Band, formed by talented young people trained at Dreams Academy, played this time in Geneva at the Music Fest.
Social Inclusion Band regularly performs at popular venues and music festivals sharing the stage with professional musicians.
Their debut album called “From Dreams to Stars” released in limited edition in 2011 is the major proof of their success.
Detailed information regarding the Dreams Academy and Social Inclusion Band is available on the following link: www.duslerakademisi.org
To see all vacancies, click here.
Editor: Faik Uyanık
Assistant: Nazife Ece
Intern: Gülşah Balak
Contributors to this issue: Ceyda Alpay, Deniz Tapan, Melis Meişoğlu, Neşe Çakır
© 2013 UNDP Turkey
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