The 5th Turkish Women's Councils Summit, organized within the framework of the Local Agenda 21 Programme, with the support of UNDP/Turkey's ‘Women in Politics' Project and the Municipality of Ürgüp, will be held in the central Anatolian town of Ürgüp during 31 August-4 September, 2006.

Local Agenda 21 Turkey Programme Coordinator Sadun Emrealp, Local Agenda 21 Ürgüp Women's Council President Ms. Necla Kırcı, Ürgüp's Mayor and a UNDP/Turkey official will give the opening speeches of the summit, at which leading academics, politicians, female mayors, journalists, writers, artists, businesswomen, trade unionists, and representatives of NGOs and women's organizations will discuss women's issues at various workshops and panel discussions.

Among the speakers who will participate in the panels to discuss “Women's Place in Political and Social Life”, “Women's Perspective and Impact on Decision-making Process”, and “Necessary Legislations to Establish Gender Equality in Women's Representation in the Parliament: Women's Quota”, will be Prof. Şirin Tekeli, ex-mayor of Şişli/Istanbul and actress Fatma Girik, Prof. Ersin Kalaycıoğlu, Prof. Beyza Bilgin, Prof. Nilüfer Göle, author and academic Elif Şafak, businesswoman Suzan Sabancı, as well as the representatives of women's branches of political parties.

The participants will also hold panel sessions on “Women's Branches of Political Parties in Turkey: What are their Mission and Function? What are their Contributions and Shortcomings?”, and “The Historical Development of Women in Politics in Turkey”.

The Women's Summit in Ürgüp will host many plays, concerts, poetry readings, dance and folklore shows, art workshops, and vintage visits to Ürgüp's vineyards. The Summit will be concluded on 4 September, with a press conference and a Summit Report.

Local Agenda 21 Programme and Women's Councils

At the UN “Earth Summit” in Rio in 1992, the concept of “sustainable development” was adopted as humanity's common goal in the 21st century. As the primary output of the Rio Conference, “Agenda 21” plan was endorsed by all UN member countries as a wide-ranging blueprint for action to achieve sustainable development worldwide, along with the ‘Rio Declaration on Environment and Development'.

As a participatory action programme carried out locally and independently, “Local Agenda 21” has been implemented since 1992, in thousands of towns and cities in nearly 140 countries around the world. Turkey Local Agenda 21 programme was started in 1997 with the support of UNDP.

The activities of Agenda 21s concerned with women's issues constitute the framework and essence of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted by the Fourth UN World Conference on Women, on 15 September 1995.

Recognizing the social gender inequality faced by women, this decleration made a commitment to the realization of women's involvement in economic and social development, of equal opportunities and the full and equal participation of women and men as agents and beneficiaries of people-centred sustainable development.

Currently women's work councils carry out ambitious activities in more than 40 cities of Turkey. Aiming to further strenghen women's place, visibility and voice in social life, in production, business, politics, culture and arts, Local Agenda 21's works on women are conducted by Women's Councils, Commissions and Work Groups.

The September issue of New Horizons will cover a special dossier on “Women's Councils and Politics”.

For more information on the LA21 Women's Councils:
http://www.la21turkey.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=20 )