As it was indicated in Turkey’s latest Human Development Report on Youth in Turkey, NGOs working in the area of youth in Turkey do not seem to have sufficient cooperative connections and thus seem to be ineffective when it comes to push for youth policies. However, this scene is slowly changing with the youth NGOs mobilised over the Turkish Human Development Report. More >>

In Turkey, many NGOs and local authorities feel that they can not make their voices heard in decision-making and law-making processes. This is a perception observed during a two-day visit to Mersin, southern Turkey and Bursa, Northwestern Turkey by UNDP officials in the context of the “Inclusive Civic Engagement in Legislation Making in Turkey” project implemented by UNDP with the support of the Association of Parliamentarian Consultants, Legislation Association and the Prime Ministry. More >>

The first step of a new academy for future leaders has been taken in Turkey. On 4 July 2008, a protocol for the inauguration of the “Young Leaders’ Academy,” that aims to encourage the participation of Turkish youth into politics, was signed between Muammer Güler, İstanbul Governor Mahmood Ayub UNDP Turkey Resident Representative and Sezai Hazır, President of the Youth for Habitat Association. The “Young Leaders’ Academy” will develop the capacities of youth and allow them to participate more actively in the society.  More >>

Fast, sustained growth is not a miracle – it is possible for developing countries, as long as their leaders are committed to achieving it and take advantage of the opportunities provided by the global economy. Developing countries also need to know the levels of incentives and public investments that are needed for private investment to take off in a manner that leads to the long term diversification of the economy and integration into the global economy.  These are among the key findings of ‘The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development” recently prepared and published by the Commission on Growth & Development which consists of 21 distinguished practitioners of government, business and policy making mostly from developing countries of which also includes UNDP Administrator Kemal Derviş. More >>

Although the Kuyucuk Lake in Kars, Eastern Anatolia is under protection, there are still traces of poaching, degradation of riperian flora due to overgrazing, reed cutting by the villagers and leakage of organic substances into the lake from nearby agricultural areas. Through the support of BTC/UNDP Small Investments Fund, the Yer Gök Anadolu Association is aiming to reverse this with the “Developing Eco-Tourism Possibilities in Kars Kuyucuk Lake” project. More >>

A website for  Human Development Dialogue supported by the United Nations and World Bank in Turkey has been recently launched. The Human Development Dialogue is an initiative that aims to facilitate dialogue on human development and complement ongoing activities that are already taking place in many cities around Turkey. More >>

Creating Value for All: Strategies for Doing Business with the Poor, a new and groundbreaking report recently released by the UN Development Programme offers strategies and tools for companies to expand beyond traditional business practices and bring in the world’s poor as partners in growth and wealth creation. Part of UNDP’s Growing Inclusive Market’s initiative, the report draws on extensive case studies and demonstrates the effectiveness—both for human progress and for wealth creation—of more inclusive business models. More >>

The Least Developed Countries 2008 Report states that although the least developed countries have achieved their strongest growth performance in 2005 and 2006 exceeding the 7% target, this growth has failed to translate into poverty reduction efforts and has only slowly improved the well-being of LDCs. The report stresses that this is due to wrong types of growth and development models that only allow limited segments of the population and underlines that LDCs should have greater control and flexibility over how foreign aid they receive is used so that it has the greatest positive impact. The 2008 Least Developed Countries Report titled “Growth, Poverty and the Terms of Development Partnership” prepared by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was launched worlwide on 17 July 2008 as well as in Ankara, Turkey. More >>