Local Agenda 21 Youth Activities and YG21 National Youth Parliament
Local Agenda 21 (LA-21) National Program of Turkey is an important local democratization project of Turkey, implemented and coordinated under the auspices of United Nations Development Programme and United Cities and Local Governments Section for the Middle East and West Asia – UCLG-MEWA since 1997. The overall objective of the program is to strengthen local governance by ensuring that civil society participates in decision-making and influences local investments. The program, currently encompassing over 73 cities, reflects a decentralized and enabling approach, based upon networking and collaboration among equal partners. The primary decision-making and implementation mechanisms are the local stakeholders organized mainly in the form of city councils supported by working groups, youth and women councils, platforms of children, elderly and disabled.
Building on the experience of the Turkey LA-21 Program, this Project aims at localizing the Government’s Millennium Development Goals commitments by advocating the prioritization of the UN (MDGs) in local action. The project strategy rests on participatory local governance as the basic means for the civil society and citizenry to mobilize local level action for achieving the MDGs and rendering account for shortcomings; advocating the critical role of local authorities in promoting gender equality, and engaging broader segments of the society, including the private sector, in localizing the Government’s MDG commitments.
Youth activities within the LA-21 National Program in Turkey are coordinated and facilitated by Youth Association for Habitat operating both at the national and international level and which acts as the secretariat of Youth for Habitat International Network
LA-21 Youth Activities in Turkey;
Ø are an essential part of this local democratization project where young people enhance their capacities,
Ø enable youth to participate in decision-making processes at the local level,
Ø institutionalize local youth platforms in order to achieve the sustainability of youth activities, and
Ø provide the basis of a future national youth mechanism, to be established out of those local youth platforms.
Local youth councils and centers under the LA-21 Program;
Ø bring together representatives of high school student unions, university student councils, local, regional and national youth organizations as well as employed and unemployed youth,
Ø support transferability in capacity building of young people with peer education,
Ø create a sense of belonging to the city,
Ø develop solutions for the problems of youth at the local level,
Ø provide interaction with different social youth groups,
Ø enable young people from diverse backgrounds to produce together, and
Ø provide urban facilities from which youth cannot profit.
Local youth councils have been set up in 75 provinces within the framework of Local Agenda 21 Programme. These youth councils are in:
Adana, Afyon, Antalya, Aydın, Babaeski, Bakırköy, Bartın, Beşiktaş, Beyoğlu, Bingöl, Bitlis, Burdur, Bursa, Çanakkale, Çankırı, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Doğubeyazıt, Edirne, Elazığ, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gemlik, Hakkari, Isparta, İznik, İzmir, İzmit, Kahramanmaraş, Karabük, Karaman, Kars, Karaburun, Kayseri, Konya, Kuşadası, Kütahya, Manisa, Malatya, Mardin, Mersin, Muğla, Muş, Nevşehir, Nilüfer, Ordu, Samsun, Sinop, Şişli, Tarsus, Trabzon, Uşak, Van, Yalova, Zeytinburnu, Zonguldak
and they execute in accordance with the aim of “achieving youth participation to the local authorities in decision making process by setting up Youth Councils and Youth Houses in local level.” 24 youth centers/houses are established in:
Adana, Adapazarı, Adıyaman, Afyon, Babaeski, Batman, Bingöl, Bolu, Bursa, Denizli, Gemlik, Diyarbakır, İznik, Kayseri, Konya, Kütahya, Mardin, Nilüfer, Şanlıurfa, Kilis, Şırnak, Gaziantep and Siirt.
In remaining cities, youth activities are implemented through LA-21 Youth Working Groups.
National Coordination Meetings of Local Agenda 21 Youth Platforms and
Local Agenda 21 National Youth Parliament
Leaders of Local Agenda 21 youth platforms have been convening under the Local Agenda 21 National Program since 2001 to strengthen and maintain the national network among their platforms. National coordination meetings organized every three months provide the means of sharing experiences and socialization between local youth platforms in Turkey. Each coordination meeting is accompanied by capacity building and training programs provided by professionals and experts.
Preface of the National LA-21 Youth Declaration of Turkey, 19 May 2003
"We have gathered here in Ankara between the dates, 17-19 May 2003, representing 76 different provinces in Turkey for the meeting organized within the framework of Local Agenda 21 National Program to discuss our future and the future of Turkey.
We feel honored, standing before the Grand Assembly, to share our demands, expectations, needs and issues to be implemented that we, youth as the guarantee of the future, have prepared here reflecting our future vision at the end of the continuous efforts to be submitted to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey".
…
After numerous local, regional, national and international meetings organized since 1997, a National Youth Summit was organized in parallel with the 19th May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day where nearly 220 youth representatives from 64 provinces participated in 2003. Steps for the establishment of LA-21 National Youth Parliament were taken at this summit.
Local Agenda 21 National Youth Parliament, which takes its strength from local youth platforms leading to a National Youth Council and is based on democratic civil participation, constitutes a basis in determination, preparation and efficient implementation of national youth policies and programs.
Local Agenda 21 National Youth Parliament declared its establishment at the end of the Summit organized between the dates 18-21 May 2004 with the participation of 297 delegates and observers from 75 diverse provinces.
LA-21 National Youth Parliament (NYP) has been carrying out activities towards building and enhancing the capacity of local youth platforms. It has also been contributing in formation of national youth policies and process of establishment of a national youth council basing its strength on local youth platforms.
LA-21 National Youth Parliament provided recommendations for the amendment of the Municipality Law and organized meetings with state authorities; the goal has been to increase youth participation in decision making at local level. Consequently, the Municipality Law changed on 8 October 2006 enabling local youth councils to have a stronger role at municipalities through city councils.
Successfully, LA-21 National Youth Parliament initiated a campaign to decrease the eligibility age from 30 to 25 to become a deputy in Turkey after organizing multiple meetings with representatives of political parties and state authorities. The campaign was highly supported by local governments, ministers and the public and for the first time in the Republic’s history, young people gained their right to represent the nation at the Turkish Great National Assembly.
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