Issue: 13
Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation Leire Pajín and Kemal Dervis, UNDP Administrator, signed the agreement establishing the Fund at the United Nations in New York. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain’s Prime Minister, and Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, witnessed the signing.
With the agreement, Spain reinforces its commitment to the MDGs, broader international cooperation and multilateralism. Spain is contributing €528 million (about US$700 million at current exchange rates) to establish the United Nations Fund for the Achievement of the MDGs, to be managed by Spain and UNDP, which coordinates UN development activities in developing countries.
The Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Leire Pajin Iraola, recalled that in “his first visit to New York, the President of the Spanish Government conveyed to Secretary General Kofi Annan the Spanish Government’s willingness to be at the forefront of the fight against poverty, and notably to increase Spanish contributions in support of the United Nations development system. Today, we are back in New York, and pleased to say that our multilateral commitment, which has already been raised from €93 million in 2005 to more than €481 million in 2006, will be further increased through our new €528 million contribution of this Fund. We are doing all this with the confidence of knowing that we are working together with an effective instrument, the United Nation System, and in particular, UNDP. Only through a common effort— that of multilateral institutions, led by the UN, together with bilateral donors—will it be possible to realize the noble obligation assumed by all of us in 2000, the Millennium Development Goals.” The MDG Fund will focus on the following:
“UNDP thanks the Government of Spain for this contribution which confirms its leadership in multilateralism and international cooperation and highlights its confidence in the United Nations. While UNDP will manage this fund, Spain’s contribution will bolster the entire UN system by strengthening the reform process,” Dervis said. “Focussing on seven key development areas, widely acknowledged as central to the achievement of the MDGs, this contribution will better position the UN to help countries achieve their national development objectives.”
With the establishment of this Fund, Spain is making UNDP the strategic interlocutor for its multilateral action for development while creating a decision-making framework for Spanish contributions to the UN. Spain’s Master Plan for International Cooperation for 2005-2008 provides for a significant increase in multilateral development assistance, giving particular priority to the UN system. The Millennium Declaration is one of the main planks of Spain's development policy. The Spanish contribution to the Fund is based upon the Act Regulating the Administration of External Debt, approved by the Spanish Parliament on 22 November 2006, which authorizes the use of some of the external debt payments collected by Spain.
The Fund will be managed by a steering committee made up of representatives from the Government of Spain and UNDP, together with independent development experts. Additionally, thematic advisory sub-committees will review the projects submitted by developing countries in collaboration with the UN system.
Through this contribution, Spain intends to support the efforts of the United Nations system to coordinate and streamline its work on the ground. The Fund will be used to strengthen the UN reform process; at the country level, UN Country Teams, under the leadership of UN Resident Coordinators—who often serve as UNDP Resident Representatives—will be invited to submit consolidated proposals, thus reinforcing and strengthening the coherence of UN development activities. In addition, the Fund will support a number of global MDG activities of UN funds and agencies.
World AIDS Day was commemorated on 1st December; International Human Rights Day celebrated on the 10th. UN General Assembly adopted the first human rights treaty of the 21st century, the “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities” on 13th December; and the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to an economist for his outstanding contributions to poverty reduction, Dr. Mohammed Yunus.
The theme of the Human Rights Day this year was appropriately chosen as “Fighting poverty: A matter of obligation, not charity”. As UNDP’s Human Development Reports indicate overall development of a country is not only linked to and judged by its level of income and GNP. Using political determination and will (as in the sense of “obligation”) in addressing gender inequalities, health and education issues, and the elimination of regional disparities also play a very significant role in human development. Some countries perform better in converting wealth into social progress. (For example, Saudi Arabia has a much higher average income than Thailand, but a similar Human Development Index ranking: 77th and 73rd respectively. Guatemala has almost double the average income of Viet Nam, but is lower on the Human Development Index: 108th vs. 117th).
Turkey’s performance in education and health issues, as well as in social inclusion and gender equality, is lower than what would be expected of its national income level. With a per capita income of 7,753 (PPP), Turkey’s place in GDP ranking (Gross Domestic Product) is 70th among 177 countries, which makes it a “medium development” country. However, taking into account other crucial social development factors, its overall ranking falls down to 92nd place in Human Development Index, calling for more human rights-based policies and implementation.
Derviş’s Human Rights Day Message
International Human Rights Day this year presented an opportunity to bring some light to bear on poverty through this crucial human rights lens, as UNDP Administrator Kemal Derviş explicitly stressed in his 10 December message below:
“Global economic growth has never been as rapid as in the last five years, and yet the distance between the poorest nations and the richest is widening. Inequalities within nations are also increasing almost everywhere. In too many countries, rising national GDP has failed to ‘lift all boats’; some prosper, but too many others are left in extreme poverty. It is clear that economic growth alone does not guarantee wider human development.
It is within this context that we need to implement the values enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and reiterated so compellingly in the internationally agreed Millennium Declaration, to make globalization a more equitable and inclusive process that fortifies human security rather than undermines it. One of the greatest challenges of our time is this need to work together to address the un-equalizing nature of current global growth if we are to reduce poverty, enhance human security and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Poverty and social inequality persist because many people lack their universally-guaranteed human rights and fundamental freedoms. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights emphasized that human rights are inherent to all people regardless of their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Freedom from poverty is a basic human right and tackling poverty should, therefore, be addressed as a basic human right, not as an act of charity. Real success in tackling poverty requires giving the poor a political voice in the societies where they live. This year’s Human Rights Day theme, “Fighting Poverty: a Matter of Obligation, not Charity”, reaffirms the commitment to this approach.
Our work in development should empower people to articulate their needs, rights and concerns, to demand better social services, and to exercise their universal human rights by holding governments to account. Development strategies must focus on inclusive growth and democracy must work for the poor.
UNDP emphasizes that a human rights-based framework is essential in bringing about more equitable development. The UN Secretary-General’s High Level Panel report, Delivering as One, published last month argues that actions to integrate human rights into all aspects of the UN’s work will help to make our development efforts significantly more effective.
Human rights are not a luxury that exist only after a certain level of development is achieved; instead they are integral to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Almost sixty years have passed since the Universal Declaration and the words and values contained therein remain essential for defining and progressing towards human development for all.’’
On the occasion of the World AIDS Day of 1st December 2006, at the award ceremony of the Zambian winner of the Red Ribbon Award, which is given to local communities around the world that work at the forefront of the fight against AIDS, Director of United Nations Development Programme’s HIV/AIDS Group, Elhadj As Sy said: “AIDS is no longer just a threat to public health; it now hinders broader human development, disrupting education and economic growth, aggravating poverty and deepening the deprivation of human rights, particularly among women and children.”
As the global epidemic continues to grow, there is concerning evidence that some countries are seeing a resurgence in new HIV infection rates which were previously stable or declining. According to new data, 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, published by UNAIDS/WHO, an estimated 39.5 million people today carry HIV. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006 with 2.8 million (65%) of these occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and important increases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there are some indications that infection rates have risen by more than 50% since 2004.
In North America and Western Europe, HIV prevention programmes have often not been sustained and the number of new infections has remained the same. Similarly in low- and middle-income countries, there are only a few examples of countries that have actually reduced new infections. And some countries that had showed earlier successes in reducing new infections, such as Uganda, have either slowed or are now experiencing increasing infection rates.
“This is worrying—as we know increased HIV prevention programmes in these countries have shown progress in the past—Uganda being a prime example. This means that countries are not moving at the same speed as their epidemics,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot. “We need to greatly intensify life-saving prevention efforts while we expand HIV treatment programmes.”
However, declines in infection rates are also being observed in some countries, as well as positive trends in young people's sexual behaviours.
HIV prevention works but needs to be focused and sustained
New data from the report show that increased HIV prevention programmes that are focused and adapted to reach those most at risk of HIV infection are making inroads.
Positive trends in young people's sexual behaviours—increased use of condoms, delay of sexual debut, and fewer sexual partners—have taken place over the past decade in many countries with generalized epidemics. Declines in HIV prevalence among young people between 2000 and 2005 are evident in Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. In other countries, even limited resources are showing high returns when investments are focused on the needs of people most likely to be exposed to HIV.
In many countries, however, HIV prevention programmes are not reaching the people most at risk of infection, such as young people, women and girls, men who have sex with men, sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users, and ethnic and cultural minorities. The report outlines how the issue of women and girls within the AIDS epidemic needs continued and increased attention. In sub-Saharan Africa for example, women continue to be more likely than men to be infected with HIV and in most countries in the region they are also more likely to be the ones caring for people infected with HIV.
"It is imperative that we continue to increase investment in both HIV prevention and treatment services to reduce unnecessary deaths and illness from this disease,” said WHO Acting Director-General, Dr Anders Nordström. “In sub-Saharan Africa, the worst affected region, life expectancy at birth is now just 47 years, which is 30 years less than most high-income countries."
As UNAIDS Director Peter Piot put it, action must not only be increased dramatically, it must also be strategic, focused and sustainable to ensure that the money reaches those who need it most.
Five years after the General Assembly’s resolution of December 2001 to establish a committee “to consider proposals for an international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities”, the Assembly adopted the Convention which covers rights to education, health, work and other protective measures for disabled people, in a vote by consensus on 13 December, 2006. “Today promises to be the dawn of a new era –an era in which disabled people will no longer have to endure the discriminatory practices and attitudes that have been permitted to prevail for all too long”, said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his message to the Assembly, and urged all 192 member states to quickly ratify the Convention.
As its name implies, the ‘Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ is a rights-based approach in favour of the nearly 650 million disabled people around the globe. 80% of them live in developing countries, often in extreme poverty and social exclusion. Only a very small ratio of disabled adults today have paid employment.
For UNDP, the new Convention has a particular significance for its linkage to human development, poverty reduction and social inclusion. UNDP’s approach of putting a “human face” on poverty fits well with a focus on people with disabilities. Among the various aspects of UNDP work regarding persons with disabilities, two areas are of utmost importance.
One is access, both physical (ie. to transportation, including using streets and sidewalks, public facilities and services, to information and communication), as well as access to paid employment, which are basic human rights for all. The other important area is education. A great majority of children with disabilities in many countries around the world are denied the opportunity to even complete primary school. Thus, not only are disabled youth robbed of their future and doomed to a life of poverty, societies in large are deprived of the talents and productivity of a large group of their citizens.
UNDP’s capacity building works focus on establishing partnerships in social services, protection and education regarding persons with disabilities, first and foremost with civil society organizations, but also with governments, media, donors and others. While much of this work focuses on laws, legislations, policies and programmes, a crucial component will be on changing mind sets… Many existing obstacles and barriers for disabled people in school age are, of course, physical (such as how to travel to school, go upstairs to the classroom, etc.), but many are mind sets (such as, of teachers who regard disabled students as burdens, or parents, out of a misguided sense of protection.) UNDP advocates for efforts to change this mentality.
In his opening remarks at the ‘Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ on 13 December 2006, President of the UN General Assembly, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain, said that the Convention was an “opportunity to reaffirm the universal commitment to the rights, freedoms and dignity of all people without discrimination.”
Chairman of the ‘Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities’, Don MacKay of New Zealand, said the Convention was a “Benchmark for future standards and actions. The key would be effective implementation, which requires coordinated action by disability organizations, cooperation among States and the mainstreaming of disability issues into development assistance programmes.”
With the adoption of this new Convention, disability is now recognized as an inherent part of human diversity. Development that includes people with disabilities in all aspects of social and political life,is also an integral part of the Millenium Goals.
The Convention will be open for signature and ratification as of March 2007, and will enter into force, once it is ratified by 20 countries.
“Nothing will change overnight, but change comes more rapidly with law behind it”, concludes Kofi Annan.
Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Ole Danbolt Mjoes said at the award ceremony, that lasting peace cannot be achieved unless large populations find ways in which to break out of povery. “Micro-credit is one such means. Development from below also serves to advance democracy and human rights.”
Mjoes added that by means of this year’s award, the Nobel Committee wished to focus attention on dialogue with the Muslim world, on women’s perspective, and on the fight against poverty. Mjoes said, “this year's Peace Prize places women centre-stage. Over 95 per cent of the borrowers are women, and their liberation is a major concern for Yunus and Grameen Bank. The emphasis on women may have been the most important factor in the success of their work.”
Mjoes concluded his speech, saying “We hope the Peace Prize will be a source of inspiration in the continuing work for a world without poverty. That is not a goal we shall reach in the next few decades. But we are on the way.”
2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Muhammad Yunus, remarked in his address at the award ceremony: “This year's prize gives highest honour and dignity to the hundreds of millions of women all around the world who struggle every day to make a living and bring hope for a better life for their children. This is a historic moment for them… Peace is inextricably linked to poverty, and poverty is a threat to peace. I believe terrorism cannot be won over by military action. We must address the root causes of terrorism to end it for all time to come. Putting resources into improving the lives of poor people is a better strategy than spending them on guns.” Mohammed Yunus ended his speech by thanking to the Nobel Committee “for recognizing that poor people, and especially poor women, have both the potential and the right to live a decent life, and that micro-credit helps to unleash that potential”.
UNDP and microfinance
Across the world, UNDP in partnership with UNCDF (United Nations Capital Development Fund), also supports the development of microfinance sector as a tool to reduce poverty and achieving Millenium Development Goals. 2005 was announced as the Year of Microcredit by UN General Assembly, and governments as well as the international community increased their focus on microfinance.
UNDP Turkey has been one of the key international actors in advocating for and supporting the development of microfinance in Turkey, drawing on global experience of the benefits of microfinance in reducing economic vulnerability and providing financial services for the poor and disadvantaged. Microfinance sector in Turkey is currently in its early stage of development: there is only a very limited supply of financial services to the poor. Within this context, UNDP has been involved in sector development by conducting key studies, hosting workshops and conferences in Turkey on microfinance, as well as policy advocacy work to the government. The participants have been various, from government to state/commercial banks, from NGOs to international development organizations.
Microfinance in Turkey
Although Turkey has a significant potential for microfinance, there is a significant untapped potential for microfinance services both in the rural and urban sectors. Access to financial services are quite limited both in the household and enterprise level. UNDP’s 2006 demand study revealed that; out of the 5.7 million households considered economically vulnerable (according to World Bank figures), a considerable portion of the population has no access to any financing, including savings and credits. Although access to bank branches is not a problem, finding affordable and accessible products is a serious concern. The study shows that approximately 2.6 million poor people can be reached through adequate savings products and marketing efforts, while an additional 1.5 million households have would have immediate demand for bank loans if suitable products are offered. Recommended savings products include different products such as emergency and target loans, while loan products include investment loans, emergency loans and other innovative products.
Although there are innovative initiatives launched in Turkey including the Grameen Bank in Diyarbakir reaching to 3,000 women, the supply of microfinance throughout the country is still limited. UNDP’s continuous commitment and support to develop the sector aims to attract investments in microfinance, and the private sector is increasingly interested in investing into microfinance in Turkey. Turkey is expected to develop its own models for microcredit and establish a best practice microfinance implementation in the coming years.
Why microfinance?
Every single individual on earth has both the potential and the right to live a decent life. Micro-credit/finance has proved to be an important liberating force in societies where women in particular have to struggle against repressive social and economic conditions. Economic growth and political democracy can not achieve their full potential unless the female half of humanity participates on an equal footing with the male. In addition, the right of access to decent and reliable financial services is a right that should be exercised by all, including the poor populations.
On 8 December, practitioners from four different cities presented their best practice examples of cooperation with different governmental and non-governmental organizations for enhancing effectiveness of Turkey’s social assistance regime.
This year’s 10 December Human Rights message “Fighting Poverty: A matter of Obligation, not Charity” marked the content of the discussions. In her opening remarks, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Sarah Poole stressed this message, underlining that regimes for social assistance and protection are at the core of state and citizen relations. State-citizen relations, Poole remarked, are “built on the principles of rights, and embodied in laws.” (Click for full text)
Presenting from the policy and managerial perspectives were Sırma Demir from the State Planning Organization, and Asuman Başaran, Lütfiye Türkmen and Nermin Akyıl of the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity. From the field, presenting best practices of cooperation, were Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation representatives Basri Bozan of Bolu; Durmuş Sarıkaya of Kırıkkale-Çelebi; and Hüseyin Şişeci of Sivas, as well as Yılmaz Korkmaz from Social Development Volunteers Association.
Experiences and remarks shared at the meeting highlighted that the current social assistance schemes in Turkey are fragmented and often infused with charity approaches. Transition to a more rational, coherent, and legally defined system is unavoidable as Turkey moves into the ranks of high development on the path to EU accession. Hence, a right-based system as emphasized in this year’s Human Rights Day message “Fighting Poverty: Matter of Obligation, not Charity”, is within sight for Turkey.
Such a transition is provisioned for Turkey’s social inclusion priorities as reflected by the State Planning Organization in its 9th Development Plan.
The change of the legal status of the ‘General Directorate of Social Assistance and Solidarity’ at the end of 2004 and the capacity development within the General Directorate are indications that the Government of Turkey attaches great significance to social assistance. Innovations and new developments in the three key departments of the General Directorate, - assistance, projects, and external relations - can help more clearly define the legal frameworks of social assistance, and help identify the duty bearers and claim holders.
The Community of Practice will further disseminate the example of the province of Sivas as a best practice of inter-governmental cooperation for servicing the poor.
[BAGLANTILAR]
The programmes are executed within the scope of the “Support to Local Administration Reform Project”, implemented by Ministry of Interior with the technical assistance of UNDP and financial support of the European Commission. A total of 900 local administration staff is planned to be trained until December 2007.
Forthcoming local administration training programmes will be delivered in 19 regional centers and each will last a week. The local administrations around these 19 regional centers will benefit from the training. Started in Antalya on 12-16 December and continued in Konya on 19-23 December,, the training programmes will continue in Ankara, Aydın, Uşak, Bursa, Kocaeli, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Van, Adana, Samsun, Trabzon, Kars, Malatya, Erzurum, Kastamonu, Tekirdağ and Kayseri, thus reaching at least one personnel from special provincial administrations,, metropolitan and district municipalities in all 81 provinces.
The programmes will provide solutions to the problems encountered after the enactment of new legislation in the field of local administration. These trainings will be the first implementation towards the establishment of a Local Administration Training Expertise system, which is one of the objectives of the Project. These programmes will also serve as the first step taken towards building of the infrastructure for the continuous delivery of similar programmes by training experts in their respective regions.
The trainings are delivered by the Local Administration Controllers of the Ministry of Interior and by the experts on the subject matter. The programme also benefits from the certified experts who have successfully completed the “training of trainers” programme, which was provided in cooperation with ‘Turkey and Middle-East Public Administrations Institute’ (TODAIE).
Support to Local Administration Reform Programme is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Ministry of the Interior, with the technical support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project was launched in August 2005 and will be completed by December 2007.
Target group
The local administration training programme targets mainly two groups:
Topics to be covered
The training programme is composed of two modules; an “Overall Local Administration” module for the first group and “Financial Management” module for the second group. The specific issues to be covered are as follows:
Overall Local Administration
Financial Management
The training programme delivered in Antalya (12-16 December) covered the local administrations in Antalya, Isparta and Burdur. Konya programme (19-23 December) covered the local administrations in Konya, Karaman, Aksaray and Afyon. With these two trainings, a total of 170 local administration staff, from 7 provinces and 95 districts, was reached.
The programme in Antalya was inaugurated by Mr. Fikret Toksöz, Key Expert of the Project; Mr. Erdal Öner, Vice-President of Mediterranean Union of Municipalities and Mayor of Kepez Municipality; Dr. Hasan H. Can, Deputy General Director of Local Administrations; and Ms. Umut Özdemir-Tsarouhas, Sector Manager in the Delegation of the European Commisson to Turkey. The training programme in Konya was inaugurated by Mr. Toksöz; Tahir Akyurek, President of Konya Union of Municipalities and Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality; Atilla Osmançelebioğlu, Governor of Konya; Mr. Ercan Topaca, General Director of Local Administrations; and Mr. Şahabettin Harput, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior.
The aim of the conference was to review the developments in Turkey and the world in organic agriculture and related industries, discuss the strategies to increase the competitiveness of the GAP region in this sector, and draw the attention of governmental authorities to the region. Şanlıurfa Governor Yusuf Yavaşcan delivered the opening speech of the conference, in which Chairman of GAP Regional Development Agency Muammer Yaşar Özgül, Harran University Rector Prof. Uğur Büyükburç, Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey/SMEs and Private Sector Programmes Director Mustafa Fazlıoğlu, Chief Advisor to the Chairman of KOSGEB Halil Özgökce, Şanlıurfa Mayor Ahmet Eşref Fakibaba and Chairman of Şanlıurfa Chamber of Agriculture Halil Dolap also participated with a speech.
“Organic Agriculture Industry Development Project” aims to expand production by using organic agriculture techniques, contribute to the increase in product diversity and volume and the number local farmers, and as a result, raise the market share of Şanlıurfa and the GAP Region in the exports of organic products.
The project, which covers Şanlıurfa (as the focal city) and the nearby towns, has adopted the “Clustering methodology” that the European Commission recommends to the member and accessing countries as an appropriate instrument for local economic development.
Within the context of the project, started in mid 2003, various training, informing and awareness-raising programmes, such as seminars or conferences, have been organized for the target group. The project supervised the establishment of the “Organic Agriculture Advisory Board” in Şanlıurfa, to which all related parties (universities, private sector companies, chambers of agriculture, agricultural development associations, farmers and Provincial Directorates of Agriculture) contribute. Within the framework of the project, several visits were arranged to various agricultural and industrial production plants in the Aegean Region, which is the most developed region of Turkey in this sector. The project also contributed to the publication of a study, entitled “Market Conditions and Marketing of Organic Products”, and the establishment of ‘GAP Development and Social Solidarity Association for Ecological Agriculture (GAP-EKODER)’, under the leadership of Şanlıurfa GIDEM. Approximately €110.000 has been granted to this association, within the context of the European Union’s Regional Development Supporting Funds.
Mardin Food Sector Forum
Another meeting organized by GAP Entrepreneur Support Centres (GIDEM) within the context of the “Food Sector Development Strategies” project, and supported by UNDP Turkey, was the Mardin Food Sector Forum. The meeting was held on 8 December, with the participation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and representatives from public and private sector establishments.
Started in June 2005 by Mardin GIDEM office as a local economic development activity, ”Food Sector Development Strategies” project aims to increase the local, national and international economic power of the GAP Region in food industry and its sub-sectors, and to contribute to the region’s, particularly Mardin’s, pioneering role in these areas. Within this framework, the project analyzes the import structure, export facilities, threats and opportunities regarding the sector, especially in the production of pasta, pounded wheat and semolina; prepares a comprehensive strategy and short, medium and long term plans to trigger local economic development, in order to increase the competitive edge of the food sector in Mardin (focal city) and Diyarbakır, Batman, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa.
Mardin’s food sector development strategy and the subsequent short, medium and long-term plans have been determined with the participation of all related parties operating in this sector. In this respect, the food sector development strategy, as part of Mardin province’s overall development plan, is “a project in which local governance principles are applied”.
Mardin Food Sector Forum of 8th December shared the latest outputs of the project with the target groups, and drew the attention of governmental bodies and state institutions to the region, in particular to Mardin, regarding the recommendations for the development of the food sector.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Dr. Mehmet Mehdi Eker made the opening remarks of the Forum, where Mardin Governor Mehmet Kılıçlar, Chairman of GAP Regional Development Agency Muammer Yaşar Özgül, Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey/SMEs and Private Sector Programmes Director Mustafa Fazlıoğlu,Chief Advisor to the Chairman of KOSGEB (Small and Medium Industry Development Organization) Halil Özgökçe, Mardin Mayor Metin Pamukçu and Chairman of Mardin Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mehmet Ali Tutasi each delivered a speech.
Following the opening session, a panel was held, conducted by the Agricultural Production and Development General Manager Hüseyin Velioğlu. The panelists were Turkish Union of Chambers and Stock Exchanges/Food Sector President and Bahcivan Gıda Company’s Head of Executive Board Erdal Bahcivan, Hedef Alliance’s Head of Executive Board Ethem Sancak, Filiz Food Industry’s Deputy General Manager Murat Bozkurt and Karaboğa Group of Companies’ Head of Executive Board Bedrettin Karaboğa. The panelists discussed the current status, problems and the future of the food sector in the GAP region.
“A healthy, sustainable environment is a vital national asset and when it is eroded, the poorest people suffer the most,” said UNDP Administrator Kemal Derviş in his introduction. “This report highlights the progress of some countries towards more environmentally sustainable development planning, but it also presents a harsh reality: If our delicate ecosystems are not firmly at the heart of all national plans to reduce poverty, then all other efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 will be undermined,” he added.
The report, entitled “Making Progress on Environmental Sustainability: Lessons and recommendations from a review of over 150 MDG country experiences” charts the progress of developing countries’ efforts to make the environment a priority in their national plans to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The environment is very much a part of efforts to reduce poverty. While the role of the environment in poor people’s lives varies from country to country, the Report’s authors stress that the best progress is made when countries first adopt the principle of environmental sustainability, and then adapt their development plans to their own specific ecosystems.
Deforestation is a major challenge in Kenya, for example, where the poor chop down trees as their only source of fuel for cooking and heating. As part of its plan to reach the MDGs, the Kenyan Government proposes to protect at least 3.5 percent of its forested area by 2008 and introduce renewable options like solar energy to the rural population.
The conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina left behind a different set of environmental challenges: Between 75 and 80 percent of identified minefields, accounting for approximately five percent of the country’s overall land surface, have yet to be cleared. The mines are incredibly damaging to the environment and their presence means that access to safe, productive land on which the country’s citizens can earn a living is restricted. As part of their MDG planning, the Government is working to increase the percentage of de-mined land from five percent of the minefields in 2000 to 36 percent in 2007 and 80 percent in 2015.
In Egypt, where protecting the environment is a priority for the country’s eco-tourism industry, the Government is already actively monitoring and reporting progress on water access, waste management and land degradation, with a view to ensuring it understands what still needs to happen to reach the MDGs, and sets targets accordingly.
Albania, Bhutan, Lesotho, Nepal, Syria, Thailand and Vietnam were also cited among the leaders of environment reforms by the Report. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, said: “Achievement of environmental sustainability is not only a national concern but one with significant international dimensions. Countries, by mainstreaming environment into poverty reduction and development strategies, can achieve a great deal. However, national environmental degradation and conversely environmental sustainability are also inextricably linked with trading regimes, economic instruments and the values placed on ‘nature-based’ goods and services within a globalised world”.
“Together and as part of UN reform, UNEP and UNDP can be a catalyst for drawing together and weaving these national and international threads into a seamless whole. Together we can play a big part towards achieving environmental sustainability and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals,” he added.
The Report, which drew support from the governments of Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom, is part of a wider “toolbox” of services designed by UNDP to help developing countries prepare national plans to reach the MDGs on time.