UMT, the representative of all municipalities in Turkey, is a member of UCLG and follows the works of the platform to achieve SDGs. UMT implements various projects and works related to the following goals: SDG 4 Quality Education; SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities; SDG 13 Climate Action; SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; and SDG 17 Partnership for the Goals. Responsibilities and duties of local administrations in Turkey overlap directly or indirectly with a large part of SDGs. Local administrations provide economic, social and environmental services to meet common local needs including clean water and sanitation services, waste collection and disposal, organization of economic life at local level, transportation, healthcare services and education. Therefore, local administrations naturally contribute to the implementation of SDGs. Further, they prioritise and diversify their activities in this direction, with an awareness of the importance of sustainable development. In this regard, as they are the units closest to the public, municipalities that are aware of local needs offer expeditious, effective and unique solutions to these needs. In addition to the direct services of local administrations, exemplary practices contributing to the success of SDGs are listed in the following table (Table 2): Table 2. SDG Practices in Municipalities Municipality Name Summary of Practice/Project Relevant Target Manisa Metropolitan Municipality As a part of the Women’s Health Education Programme; training on reproductive health are provided. Target 3.7. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality As a part of “Healthcare Services at Home,” medical examination, nursing services, physiotherapy, psychological counselling, patient transfer, patient escort service, household and personal cleaning services are offered to citizens free of charge. Target 3.8. K.Maras Metropolitan Municipality Within the framework of Elderly Support Programme (YADES), a smart city application was initiated through which, elderly people aged over 65 could measure their blood pressure and blood sugar free of charge. Additionally, those who wished to receive personal care could send their request. Target 3.8. Tuzla Municipality Tuzla Municipality organised a series of activities as a part of “No to drug addiction in Tuzla” project implemented under the leadership of Tuzla governorship and with the participation of civil initiatives. The project is based on volunteerism aimed to raise awareness. Target 3.5. Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality’s Department for Social Services implemented various activities as part of the “Province Action Plan for Combating Drugs” Those activities are aimed to raise awareness about drugs and drug addiction within families. Target 3.5. Edirne Municipality Counselling services are offered in the context of Combating Drug Addiction. Target 3.5. Yenimahalle Municipality Tutoring sessions are organised to assist economically and socio-culturally disadvantaged children in their school courses and examinations as well as to support their social and cultural development. Target 110.3 Adana Metropolitan Municipality Adana metropolitan municipality established the Refugee Assembly to form policies ensuring the social, cultural, political and economic integration of refugees into the city. Target 110.7 Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Municipal buildings, facilities and parks are being modified with energy efficiency solutions. Target 11.c Izmir Metropolitan Municipality As an environmental smart city solution, a solar power station was established on 10,000 m2 of roofs by the local transport authority ESHOT General Directorate. This station aims to meet the energy needs of 20 ESHOT buses fully powered by electricity. Target 11.2 Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality As the first Turkish city declared member for the field of gastronomy by the 116-member United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO)’s Creative Cities Network; Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality hosted the International Gastronomy Festival. Target 11.4. Seferihisar Municipality Seeds are produced in the Seed Centre and distributed free of charge to the villagers in need. Target 11.4. 19 TURKEY’s 2nd VNR 2019 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS “Strong Ground towards Common Goals”
3.1.5. Private Sector’s Ownership of SDGs
Private sector in Turkey has high potential to achieve
SDGs, considering its contribution to the national income,
employment opportunities, size of its investments and its role
in international trade. This potential will be mobilised in direct
proportion to the ownership of SDGs. In addition to increasing
ownership within, due to its large sphere of influence, private
sector also has a significant multiplier effect on the public
opinion, starting from its own employers.
In this context, highlights of private sector activities regarding
ownership of SDGs are summarised below.
Cognizant of the importance of sustainable development in
Turkey, private sector has first undertaken activities focusing
on social responsibility projects. Along with the Agenda 2030,
SDGs have become the main focus of private sector, trusting
sustainability to the forefront.
Various studies indicate that the business world follows
sustainability issues/discussions closely. Private sector took
an active role in the Stocktaking Analysis Project and made
significant contributions for the preparations of the 2nd VNR.
In this regard, private sector also showed significant interest
in the project database and registered numerous projects
therein.4
Organizations having a wide range of regional and sectoral
affiliation from the business world such as TUSIAD,
TURKONFED, MUSIAD and TOBB adopted SDGs and conducted
diverse activities on the goals which were of particular interest
to private sector. The activities of the aforementioned umbrella
institutions of private sector include projects aiming increasing
women’s participation in the business world, protecting the
environment, ensuring sustainable production throughout
the value chain, and enhancing sustainability in all economic
sectors. These activities enable all segments of the society to
familiarise, embrace and contribute to implementing SDGs as
well as provide an environment for dialogue and cooperation.
In addition to these activities, the Business Council for
Sustainable Development Turkey (BCSD Turkey) was
established in 2004 to mainstream sustainability into
corporate strategies. With a total turnover, corresponding
to more than 15% of GDP, Turkey’s 62 leading companies
which employ 350,000 people are members of this Council.
4 See Chapter 2.2.
BCSD is a regional network and a business partner of the
World Business Council for Sustainable Development. It also
undertakes activities to raise awareness on SDGs for the
public and increase their impact. In this regard, the Council
works to boost best and exemplary practices, scale up and
raise quality of sustainability reporting.
At the beginning of 2019, TURKONFED and TUSIAD which
represents more than 40,000 companies and 244 associations,
in cooperation with the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), founded the Business for Goals Platform
to help businesses internalise SDGs. The platform aims to
offer an environment to mobilise multi-partner programmes
enabling companies to use their resources more efficiently
and effectively, ensuring such resources are used in the most
appropriate way by the public sector and civil society.
LEADERS PLATFORM FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
SDG Targets
16.6; 16.7; 17.14; 17.17
Executing Entity
Yıldız Holding
Start & End Dates 2018-Ongoing
Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and leaders of companies with
major share in the development of Turkish economy, in cooperation
with B Lab Europe, the Leaders Platform for a Sustainable Future
has been founded to forge a common vision of sustainability.
The Platform aims to mobilise the transformative power of the
private sector and leaders to contribute to environmental assets
preservation, to develop a highly prosperous society and to
implement a value-based economic development model in building
a sustainable global future.
An all-volunteer force convening at least once a year, the Platform
addresses all aspects of the concept of sustainability, share good
practices for economic, social and environmental goals, and
discuss next steps.
The initial participants of the Leaders Platform for a Sustainable
Future include Yıldız Holding, Boyner Group, Kaanlar Gıda, Ziylan
Group, Doğan Holding, Albayrak Group and Zorlu Holding.
20
TURKEY’s 2nd VNR 2019
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
“Strong Ground towards Common Goals”
On the basis of Turkey’s unifying force and its dynamic private sector, Turkish Government and UNDP established the Istanbul International Centre for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD) in 2011. As one of UNDP’s 6 Global Policy Centres, the institution contributes to the global and local efforts exerted towards the solution of development problems through engagement of private sector. The centre aims to increase the support given by the private sector to the sustainable development efforts of countries. IICPSD, in collaboration with Turkish and international partners launched the “SDG Impact Accelerator” project to mobilise and maximize private sector’s impact accelerating role particularly for LDCs and refugee populations to achieve SDGs. Public and private sector representatives and many subject- matter experts have come together since 2015 to discuss steps towards achieving SDGs in the Istanbul Development Dialogues forums co-organised by PSB and the UNDP Regional Office for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Borsa Istanbul (BIST) Sustainability Index was established in 2014 to increase the understanding, knowledge and practices on sustainability among companies listed in Borsa Istanbul (Istanbul Stock Exchange). By doing so, corporate awareness on sustainability is increased and investors are informed on corporate policies on environmental, social and corporate governance issues. 3.1.6. Awareness-Raising Activities A Training Programme on Sustainable Development Goals was delivered, in cooperation with the UN Office in Turkey, in Ankara in 2018 for all public agencies, academicians and private sector representatives to ensure that the scope of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is better understood, and to solicit ideas for better integration of the goals into Turkey’s development approach and policy choices. A workshop themed “Results-Oriented Management for the Agenda 2030” was also held in 2018, in cooperation with the UN Office in Turkey, for PSB and Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) experts to use innovative and holistic tools and methods for planning, monitoring and reporting the implementation of Agenda 2030. In addition, many activities are undertaken by public agencies, private sector, local governments and their unions, universities and NGOs to create awareness on SDGs. 3.2. INTEGRATION OF SDGs INTO NATIONAL POLICIES Turkey has pursued a holistic approach since the adoption of Agenda 2030 and aims to achieve SDGs through the NDPs. NDPs are policy documents that capture macro-level policies promulgated for public institutions and guiding for the private sector in Turkey. NDPs are prepared in line with the Constitution, with a participatory process involving Specialised Commissions, which include representatives from all public institutions, NGOs, international organisations and private sector. Prepared in technical terms, the plans are then debated politically in TGNA at Plan and Budget Commission and General Assembly respectively, subsequently entering into force upon approval of the TGNA. NDPs are the highest level, medium-term policy framework in Turkey. Turkey has not opted for drafting a separate action plan or policy document for SDGs, instead, chose to implement and monitor SDGs and their indicators in a holistic manner by integrating them into NDPs and sectoral strategies as a policy approach. 3.2.1. SDGs in the 11th NDP Specialised Commissions In the context of the 11th NDP preparations, 43 Specialised Commissions (OIKs) and 32 working groups for sectors and themes involving approximately 5,000 experts completed their reports in 2018. OIKs and working groups played a functional role in integrating SDGs into national policies. The OIK Report Preparation Guide demanded each Commission and working group first to make an assessment of the SDGs. They were further requested to examine the relation and coherence of the identified policies with SDGs in the section “Relation and Coherence of Goals, Objectives and Policies of the Plan with Sustainable Development Goals.” Thereby, SDGs have been discussed under all potential titles of the Plan in the preparation meetings of the 11th NDP. Discussions on SDGs with the stakeholders participating in the preparations of the 11th NDP also contributed to the recognition of the SDGs by all parties. Therefore, SDGs were mentioned in OIK Reports representing the main input into 21 TURKEY’s 2nd VNR 2019 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS “Strong Ground towards Common Goals”
NDPs, the highest policy documents. Accordingly, this raised awareness on the inclusion of SDGs in all action plans, thematic and sectoral strategy documents prepared by public institutions in their respective remits. 3.2.2. Inclusion of SDGs in Annual Programmes The concept of sustainable development in Turkey has always existed in the plans and programmes since the 8th NDP. The 10th NDP covering 2014-2018 includes all components of the sustainable development agenda. After 2015, SDGs were implemented through annual programmes.5 As the first programme published after the adoption of SDGs, the 2016 Annual Programme elaborated the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with all its elements, including the Addis Ababa Action Agenda under the heading of “Protection of the Environment and Sustainable Development.” In line with the measures laid out in the 2016 Annual Programme, the “Turkey’s Stocktaking Analysis Project for SDGs” was implemented in 2017 in close cooperation with public institutions, private sector and NGOs. The 2017 Annual Programme included the progress towards SDGs, particularly referring to the fact that Turkey was among the first 22 VNR countries in 2016. In this period, decision was taken to start monitoring activities as regards to the goals. The project entitled “Identifying National Indicators for Sustainable Development Goals” was initiated in the 2017 Investment Programme implemented by TURKSTAT.6 The 2018 Annual Programme referred to the need for an institutional body which could raise awareness on SDGs across the country; monitor and evaluate the implementation at the national scale in an effective and participatory manner, and included a measure stating that “institutional structuring will be completed for the coordination of sustainable development”. Under the said measure, it is aimed to establish a coordination structure7 which will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the national implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with broad participation from public and private sectors, academia and NGOs. 5 Annual Programmes are the annual planning of policies in NDPs, and represent the high-level policy framework documents prioritising the activities and policies of all public institutions with an integrated perspective. The 11th NDP is postponed for a year due to the administrative transformation initiated for coherence with Turkey’s Presidential Governmental System. 6 Detailed information on the project and results are covered in the heading on the monitoring system (3.3). 7 Developments regarding the said structure are covered in the heading of 3.5. The 2019 Presidential Annual Programme declared that Turkey would present its second VNR in HLPF to be held at under the auspices of ECOSOC in July 2019. Further, the need for an institutional structure for coordination, monitoring and evaluation of SDGs was reiterated. PSB was entrusted with the responsibility for the second VNR. Implementation steps of SDGs were planned and coordinated through the annual programmes under the 10th NDP. Under annual programmes, two of the measures have been fulfilled to date while one has been realised, partly due to the transformation in Turkey’s public administration system, and the process still continues. 3.2.3. Turkey’s Stocktaking Analysis Project for SDGs Turkey’s Stocktaking Analysis Project for SDGs was conducted in 2017 with participation of all relevant parties to establish the baseline and analyse gaps in integration of Agenda 2030 into national policies. Policies, strategies, relevant legislation, institutional framework processes, and projects that overlapped with goals were assessed during the baseline analysis to identify gaps and areas that need improvement. In addition to desk studies, the results of roundtable meetings, one-on-one interviews and information obtained from stakeholders were utilised in the evaluations. In the initial phase of the work, relevant stakeholders including public and private sectors, NGOs and universities were identified and means of collaboration were set up under each SDG. Considering interlinkages between and among SDGs, 6 SDG groups were formed and roundtable meetings were organised. In addition to the activities undertaken during the preparation and implementation phases of the project, 20 meetings including 6 roundtable meetings were held with participation of more than 300 experts and managers representing around 150 institutions. The results obtained through participatory methods were used in the qualitative analysis section of the project report. As a result of the evaluation of all works, a heat map was drawn on which developments regarding each goal were assessed. 22 TURKEY’s 2nd VNR 2019 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS “Strong Ground towards Common Goals”