Cities 2030: Localization of Sustainable Development Goals in Turkey
Full Solution
Boğaziçi University
SDSN Turkey
SDSN Turkey contributes to raising awareness and developing capacity among the Turkish municipalities’ staff on SDGs via its collaborations with the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, Marmara Municipalities Union and Municipalities. In this context, SDSN Turkey organized education programs such as “Cities 2030: Localization of Sustainable Development Goals” and “Sustainable Cities and Climate Change” among Turkish Municipalities and “Circular Economy and Zero Waste” webinars. SDSN Turkey also works to ensure that local studies are included in national and international reports.
Last update: 17 Jan 2022
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Context
Challenges addressed
The demand for education was high but the monetary possibilities are narrow to arrange wide-scale education programs.
Location
Turkey
East Europe
Process
Summary of the process
The building blocks follow this process:
1. Define the target
2. Assign the role to each party
3. Open communication among parties
4. Build trust among parties
5. Concrete and successful results satisfy the parties
Building Blocks
Education on SDGs
The 7 weeks certified seminar program including experimentation workshop in the form of online courses to municipal employees and to the stakeholders are efficient to prepare the staff to take action for the climate crisis and build sustainable and resilient cities.
Enabling factors
Professors and further stakeholders.
Lesson learned
These programs encourage Municipalities in Turkey to revise their plan in terms of SDGs, plan their mitigation and adaptation activities.
Cooperation
UN SDSN Turkey has built an efficient coalition for education on SDGs with the academy, NGOs and municipalities.
Enabling factors
Boğaziçi University, Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center, Union of Municipalities of Turkey, Marmara Municipalities Union, 350.org, Yereliz.org, UCLG MEWA.
Lesson learned
The efficient coalition between UN SDSN Turkey and the parties (Boğaziçi University, Boğaziçi University Lifelong Learning Center, Union of Municipalities of Turkey, Marmara Municipalities Union, 350.org, Yereliz.org, UCLG MEWA) led to the inspiration of other municipalities to take action on SDGs and climate crisis.
Impacts
Various municipalities in Turkey are inspired by the education programs of SDSN Turkey. Over 1000 staff working in the municipalities have participated in the courses and 35 municipalities built their sustainability offices. Some of them began to write Voluntary Local Reviews. SDSN Turkey contributed to the consulting, education and preparation process of Voluntary Local Reports of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality (Izmir is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara; and the second largest urban agglomeration on the Aegean Sea) and the Municipality of Sultanbeyli, Istanbul (Sultanbeyli, has served as a hub for migrants for several decades) in collaboration with UCLG-MEWA. These reports are the first Voluntary Local Reports (VLR) of Turkey. Many municipalities are in continuous communication with SDSN Turkey to elaborate sustainability (SDGs) and climate action plans.
Beneficiaries
The staff of the municipalities of Turkey (over 1000 municipalities in Turkey).
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 11 – Sustainable cities and communities
Story
SDSN Turkey has initiated intensive action about the localization of SDG 11 and SDG 13 at the level of municipalities. The action has started with a Conference where the Municipalities have signed a declaration "We Are IN" and pledged to prepare their Climate Action Plans to reduce carbon emissions and take measurements to adapt to climate change, using the latest scientific information and following international standards. The municipalities have taken SDSN Turkey online courses and they began to prepare Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) to declare that they act in line with SDGs.
