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The representatives of
Local Agenda 21 Youth Parliament gathered between the dates, August 23 –
24; 2003 in Antalya to discuss the Draft Law of Public Administration
and its impact on youth together with the relevant state officials such
as the Prime Ministry Chief Counselor for the Draft Law and the Ministry
of Interior Affairs General Director for Local Administrations.
The major aim of this
meeting was to provide youth contributions to the Draft Law of Public
Administration. The meeting was considered as the most important
platform for the participation of LA-21 Youth Parliament representatives
in decision-making mechanisms not only at the local but also at the
national level.
After the consultations,
the youth representatives prepared a report reflecting their opinions on
the Draft Law, which was, later on submitted to the relevant authorities
in Turkey. Within the report, youth outline that:
There is no
national youth policy in Turkey and this draft law stays far away from
including structures that facilitate the formation of a National Youth
Policy in Turkey. Particularly, the abolition of the provincial
directorates of the General Directorate of Youth and Sports and the
transfer of their power to the local admini strations
pose an uncertainty about the question of “Which institutions are going
to be responsible for the formation of this policy?” Ministry of
National Education, General Directorate of Youth and Sports and the
Prime Ministry State Planning Organization should stay in cooperation and
consultation with youth about all kinds of youth activities they plan to
organize in the future.
Within the
framework of this draft law, the power and the
budget of the local authorities have grown to a large extent. Local
authorities should provide a certain amount of their funds to youth
policies (with a focus on employment, education and participation) and
projects in cooperation with youth councils.
Formation of
local and provincial youth councils should be supported for the
effective participation of youth in decision-making mechanisms.
Institutional
representation of youth is a must during the meetings of municipal
councils and provincial council meetings. |
