Say Yes, Summer 2007: Editorial

In June we were delighted to receive a visit from UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. It was the Executıve Director’s first ever visit to Turkey. On the one hand, the visit provided us with an opportunity to explain some of the work which we are doing. On the other, it challenged us to consider how we fit into the global picture. In this issue, you will find a report on Ms. Veneman’s contacts in İstanbul and highlights of some of the issues raised during the visit.

Separately, we report on Ms. Veneman’s visit to an education centre in İstanbul’s Bakırköy district, where she met children and parents taking part in the parenting education programme. Preschool and parenting education are two ways in which we can help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to get a better start in life, and improve their chances of benefiting fully from their rights to health, education and protection. Additional benefits include empowering mothers and making it easier for them to join the labour market. Look out for the campaign which we are about to launch to increase access to preschool education, and to highlight its importance, with the aid of more mobile schools!

Supporting efforts to combat child poverty is becoming a major focus of the work of UNICEF Turkey. According to the most recent data, 27% of Turkey’s children are living below the poverty line. These children are mostly the sons and daughters of poorly educated parents who are unable to find steady jobs, but who may have a large number of mouths to feed. A system of child benefit targeting the poorest 20% would go a long way towards breaking the poverty cycle. But access to preschool education and the empowerment of women are also critical strategies. As catalysts for change and defenders of children’s rights, the full and equal participation of women in the household, the workplace, education and the political sphere has proven to be the grass roots solution to child poverty the world over.

For more than five years now, Say Yes, the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey, has been highlighting the issues affecting children and women in Turkey, and the efforts being made to improve their well–being. I would like to thank Ray and Rana Mullan for the great work they have done in drafting, designing and illustrating Say Yes ever since it first appeared. They have made the newsletter what it is. Nothing remains the same for ever, however, and with this edition, the time has come for a slightly different style and image. We will be making every effort to enrich the content of Say Yes and to increase its readability and impact. As ever, all comments and suggestions will be more than welcome. Please feel free to contact us with your comments and suggestions.

Edmond McLoughney
UNICEF Representative, Turkey

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