|
 19th
May is designated as the “Official Youth Day” of Turkey. The day has a
symbolic value for youth in Turkey since it is the present of the
founder of the Republic of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk to young people to whom
he commended the Republic. It has been celebrated by young people since
the establishment of the republic through various sports activities
under the coordination of the Turkish Prime Ministry General Directorate
of Youth and Sports every year.
That is why the first
meeting of Local Agenda 21 National Youth Parliament Convention was held
between the dates 17-19 May, 2003 under the title “YOUTH DISCUSSING THE
FUTURE” in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Among the key-note speakers
and panelists were, Secretary General of the Presidency of Turkey,
General Director of the Local Administrations of the Ministry of
Interior Affairs, UNDP Resident Representative, First Secretary of the
Representation of the European Commission to Turkey, General Director of
Youth and Sports in Turkey, President of European Youth Forum and the
youth representative of the EU Presidency, Greece.
The convention was
organized with the contributions of Turkish National Agency and Euro-Med
Youth Program of Turkey and brought together over 200 youth leaders
representing 76 provinces in Turkey. It was the first gathering of the
Youth Parliament since the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in
1923. Having gathered in the first Youth Parliament Convention, the
youth platforms also discussed the White Paper on Youth and
national youth policy of Turkey and
provided the Turkish youth contributions to the EU
White Paper
as well as contributions to the Future of
the European Union.
One of the outcomes of
the first Local Agenda 21 National Youth Parliament Convention was a
National Youth
Declaration which was presented at the Grand National
Assembly of Turkey on 19th May 2003. The other outcome was
the National Future Youth Action Plan for the following year until the
next convention in May 19, 2004. The National Youth Declaration adopted
at the end of the convention had important remarks on the current
situation of the youth policies in Turkey in 2003 and was a critique of
the Government for not activating the youth potential in Turkey, bearing
in mind that %60 of the whole population in Turkey was below the age of
30. Within the document, youth stressed that “The inequality of the
opportunities in the field of education, employment, lack of vision and
trust, insufficient participation of youth in decision-making mechanisms
are the serious problems youth face in Turkey.”
The declaration
consisted of four main themes: “European Integration Process and
Youth”, “Sustainable Development and Youth”, “International
Agreements related to Youth and
Turkey”, “Youth Participation
and Governance”, “Youth Employment” and “Information
Society and Youth”
The first LA-21 Youth
Parliament Convention is regarded as the turning point of LA-21 Youth
Activities in the sense that the national network created among the
local youth platforms in this national convention formed the basis of
all future cooperations and collaborations, recognized by the relevant
institutions of the Government of Turkey and international organizations
represented in Turkey. The convention raised a real momentum further
accelerating these activities and strengthening the role of youth in
local and national decision-making mechanisms. Youth Association for
Habitat and Agenda 21 continued to act as the facilitator and expert
institution for LA-21 Youth Parliament in this institutionalization
process.
|
