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PRESS RELEASE…
Local governments in Türkiye forge partnerships with civil society to solve urgent challenges…
With UNDP and EU support, seven pilot provinces launch strategies and action plans to promote civic engagement…
Ankara, 25 October 2024 – Alliances between local government and civil society are a winning combination for devising solutions to contemporary challenges such as climate change and disaster preparedness. This is the founding idea of a EUR 6 million project that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing in Türkiye with European Union funding. As a first step, seven pilot provinces – Çanakkale, Mersin, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Trabzon, Manisa and Eskişehir – have announced strategies and action plans for “civic engagement” designed to promote collaboration between local administrations and civil society.
In two of the selected pilot provinces – Elazığ and Gaziantep – that suffered devastation in the February 2023 earthquakes, post-disaster recovery was among the selected thematic areas.
“Participation of those affected by public policies is crucial to ensure that decision-making delivers workable, sustainable solutions to the common challenges we face,” said UNDP Resident Representative Louisa Vinton. “We are pleased to be providing tools to help municipalities and civil society organizations derive the maximum benefit from collaboration.”
The action plans were developed by “civic engagement task forces” encompassing a diverse membership, including representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and civic initiatives; local administrations; private sector business chambers and associations; universities; and mukhtars. Culminating a year of debate and discussion, these task forces have identified priority areas for administrative-civic collaboration for each pilot province:
| Province | Priority themes |
| Çanakkale | Disaster preparedness and post-disaster recovery, institutionalizing engagement, and environment and climate change |
| Elazığ | Earthquake-disaster preparedness and post-disaster recovery, rural development, and environment and climate change |
| Eskişehir | Resilience, accessibility, inclusiveness and local development |
| Gaziantep | Earthquake-disaster preparedness and post-disaster recovery, migration and refugee studies, and education and youth-social development |
| Manisa | Vulnerable groups, youth, and environment and climate change |
| Mersin | Disaster preparedness and post-disaster recovery, migration and refugee studies, and local development and entrepreneurship |
| Trabzon | Tourism, city planning and infrastructure, and environment, nature conservation, and climate change |
The plans are being presented to the public in the period from 16 October-7 November 2024…
