Say Yes, Autumn 2007: Edmond McLoughney looks back — and forward

UNICEF Representative Eddie McLoughney is about to leave Turkey after a six–year tour of duty. In this interview, he reflects on the changes which he has witnessed and points to growing momentum for change in the situation of children.

Q. A lot of things have changed in Turkey since you first arrived …

A. Yes, when I arrived in August 2001, the country was still in the throes of a financial crisis. The late Bülent Ecevit was the prime minister at the time. Kemal Derviş, who is now the head of the UNDP and also the head of the UN Development Group, was the Minister in charge of the Treasury. The current Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wasn’t even on the national political scene. The AK Party, which won almost 50% of the vote in the recent election, was just being formed. Since then the country has come out of the economic slump with flying colours. Beginning in 2002, spectacular economic growth has been achieved on an annual basis.

Q. Has economic growth also been accompanied by human development?

A. Yes, I believe so. There are still big challenges to be tackled, particularly for children. But all major indicators are moving in the right direction. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, for example, the infant mortality rate has come down from 27.8 per thousand in 2001 to 22.6 per thousand in 2006, which suggests steady progress. The Institute also says that the percentage of children under fifteen living in poverty has come down, although it remains at around 27%, because children in poverty tend to be concentrated in large families and rural areas. During the time I was here, UNICEF worked with the Ministry of National Education to launch the Girls Education Campaign Haydi Kızlar Okula! The objective of the campaign was to get every girl into primary school. That has not yet been achieved but nearly a quarter of a million girls have started attending school.

Q. Why is the Girls Education campaign so important for you personally?

A. I think, looking back, the Girls Education campaign is probably the initiative I am most happy with. Nothing works like education. It’s an absolute prerequisite for human and economic development. According to the 2000 population census, the illiteracy rate among girls and women over the age of six was close to 50% in many provinces in Southeast Turkey. A woman doesn’t stand much of a chance of a life if she is illiterate. She’ll end up in an unequal marriage relationship in all probability with a large number of children — because illiteracy goes with high fertility as well — and living a life of poverty and drudgery. So getting girls into school creates this great development dynamic which drives the country forward in the longer term and in its development of human resources. It benefits not just the girl herself but the family, the community and the country as a whole. With the Girls Education campaign, real momentum has been generated, and a very high level of awareness has been created in the country at all levels that Girls Education is a problem. It has also created awareness that gender issues as a whole are something that need to be addressed. In this regard, it is pleasing to see that the number of female deputies returned to Parliament in last month’s election was around double the number in the last parliament.

Q. What contribution has UNICEF made in reducing mortality rates?

A. We are proud of the fact that we have been involved, giving advice on strategies and policies and programmes. For example, we have been very active in pushing the Baby Friendly Hospitals strategy which is designed not only to make hospitals friendlier places but also to push for exclusive breastfeeding. There is no doubt in my mind that breastfeeding has played an important role in reducing the infant mortality rate. For one thing, the Baby Friendly Hospitals have tackled the superstition that giving the first breast milk, colostrum, is bad for the baby. In fact, it is essentially the baby’s first immunisation. I am sure this has helped small, fragile babies to survive. It is also good to see that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is on the increase because it ensures that babies get the best start in life in terms not just of physical development but also intellectual development and of course bonding with the mother.

Q. How many Baby Friendly Hospitals are there now?

A. In 2001 when I first came there were 116 baby–friendly hospitals in the country. UNICEF has worked closely with the Ministry of Health to increase this number, and now there are more than 520. In 2002, Konya was declared the first province in which all maternity facilities were baby–friendly. As of 2007, 67 of the 81 provinces are Baby–friendly Provinces. 87% of babies delivered in hospital in Turkey are now delivered in baby–friendly certified hospitals — up from 60% in 2001. I think this provides the conditions for a continued reduction in the mortality rates.

Q. What else has UNICEF done for children’s health?

A. One area where we have had lots of frustration but at the same time some success is the iodisation of salt for the elimination of iodine deficiency disorders, which affect mental development, particularly in very young children. Back in 2002 around 64% of households were using iodised salt but now according to the latest survey this has improved to about 75%. At the same time, the national median urinary iodine level is now 107 microgrammes per litre, which is over the recommended minimum of 100. We have equipped many salt manufacturers with iodisation machines and supported many advocacy meetings and publicity campaigns for iodised salt. There is still work to be done, but I’m very pleased that our efforts have helped to bring about progress.

Q. What are the challenges you mentioned earlier on?

A. Well, there are important disparities in poverty between rural and urban areas and between the East and West of the country. And that is also true for other social indicators which we use to measure the well–being of children, such as under–five mortality rates and education and literacy rates. In education, we are working on quality of education as well as school enrolment. In health and education we see improving figures — reduced mortality, more children at school — but in the area of child protection there are many emerging issues. There are unfortunately more children living and working on the street than there were in 2001. We are hearing more about child abuse — partly, this is a taboo being broken. Meanwhile, the rise in Internet usage has raised the question of Internet safety for children. So child protection is a huge challenge. As Turkey moves forward economically and socially, there is definitely going to be a higher profile for issues like child abuse.

Q. Are there areas in which you feel UNICEF could be doing more?

A. Of course we would like to do more, particularly in the areas of education and child protection. For example, while we take every opportunity to advocate on behalf of children with disabilities, we do not have a substantial programme in this area. But it is also important to focus. Human and financial resources are limited, and if you try to do everything you risk ending up doing nothing.

Q. How has UNICEF’s strategy changed?

A. We are becoming less of a programme implementer and more of a programme advisor and programme advocate. To be a good advocate you have to have the right kind of information, data and research findings. So we are putting more emphasis on research. It is important to have good information, research and analysis in order to design the right kind of programmes. In this context, I would also like to mention the work we do in promoting the use of quality of life indicators in order to identify gaps in services for children so that more resources and attention can be devoted to these issues. I think that’s going to pay real dividends in the longer term. We are now calling this DevInfo (Development Information). It is a sophisticated piece of software which we are working with the government to roll out to the provinces. I think we have been good at building up partnerships as well. We have a particularly good relationship with the government, our most important partner.

Q. What else has UNICEF been doing to draw attention to children’s issues?

A. I think we’ve sharpened up some of the tools we use for advocacy. Our newsletter, Say Yes, which I introduced just after coming here, gets pretty wide circulation in government, among NGOs, the diplomatic community and the media. And I am very happy about the way in which the website, which we introduced a few years ago, has developed. It’s actually the most–visited country office website in UNICEF. This shows that people feel we have something to say and testifies to our reputation in the country. It’s important that we use this to serve as a voice for children, highlighting children’s issues and mobilising support, awareness and action.

Q. Do you think there is now more awareness of children’s rights?

A. Yes, I think there is a lot more awareness throughout the country, including among children themselves. You have to allow time for things like this to grow and develop. The human rights ethos in general, and child rights in particular, is much more out there in the public arena now than it was when I first came.

Q. How much longer do you think UNICEF will remain in Turkey?

A. Middle income countries like Turkey have more and more resources of their own which they can make available for the social sector. So that raises the question of whether UNICEF should stay and what role it has to play. The fact remains that 27% of Turkey’s 25m children are still living in poverty — and with that comes lack of opportunity, low levels of education, poor health and greater vulnerabilities. So there is still a job to be done there. I also feel that UNICEF can work with the government and civil society to support policy making and strategic planning for children whose rights are still not fulfilled. I would like to add that Turkey is unique in UNICEF in having both a National Committee and a Country Office. This could be a model for other middle–income countries. Personally I find this a very rational approach, with the National Committee mobilising resources and the Office using its expertise to maximise the benefit for children.

Q. What advice would you give to your successor?

A. Don’t rush into anything. Get to know all our partners well. Get to know the programme well. Get to know the staff. Do lots of field trips. Get to know the country. I think that’s absolutely fundamental. Get around the country, go to the provinces, get to know partners out there, get to know the situation of children, get to know how people feel about working with UNICEF, get a feel for how we can be most effective. I think this is a process that in my experience takes about six months. And only then, and then in a collaborative way, decide what kind of changes should be made. But I would hope that the momentum in our programmes can be maintained — and if there are any programmes that are lagging a bit, that they are given a new impetus.

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