UNICEF in Turkey: Country Programme Action Plan 2006–2010
Play park, Tekirdağ, 2006. Photograph by Rana Mullan © UNICEF Turkey 2006
What is the Country Programme Action Plan?
As an intergovernmental agency, UNICEF works with its public and private sector partners through a five-year cycle or programme of projects agreed with the government of the host country. The first Basic Agreement with the Government of Turkey was signed in February 1951. Over the decades, such basic agreements have evolved into the more complex have evolved into the more complex format of the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP). A typical CPAP seeks to ally aid for children to national development policies.
CPAP 2006-2010
The latest CPAP for the period 2006-2010 was agreed in August 2006. In preparation for the CPAP, UNICEF undertook an extensive review of progress towards goals set at the beginning of the previous Country Programme in 2001. Achievements were analysed in terms of policy effectiveness, strategy, programming and lessons learned during that cycle and the current CPAP was developed in collaboration with UNICEF partners in government, non-governmental organisations, the public and private sector.
The goal of the 2006-2010 CPAP is to ensure the effective implementation of social and economic policies for the reduction of poverty and inequality in Turkey by 2010.
The CPAP will promote and support national priorities of expanding quality basic social services for vulnerable groups in hard-to-reach areas, enhancing child protection, equipping adolescents with knowledge and skills, implementing policies and legislation for children and women and increasing resources accordingly. Targeting areas with low human development indicators and low-income families in general, the CPAP aims to:
- close the gender gap and reduce drop-out rates in primary education;
- further reduce IMR and U5MR;
- establish and strengthen minimum standards of institutional care;
- make institutions and individuals accountable for violations of children’s rights;
- foster a protective environment for children and encourage the adoption of policies, laws and monitoring systems for their better development and protection.
The mix of CPAP strategies includes:
- strengthening national data collection and analysis to inform and provide strategic focus to support policy and institutional changes;
- building the capacity of professionals, local authorities, community leaders and civil societies to achieve positive change for children and women;
- strengthening local planning processes to identify problems in health and education service provision and encourage appropriate solutions;
- scaling up successful gender-sensitive and child-friendly models;
- reinforcing alliances with partners, including the media, to further mobilise resources for children.
The combination of rights-based initiatives and accurate, disaggregated data monitoring the state of women and children will not only reduce disparities and improve the well-being of this vast section of the population but also contribute to Turkey’s long term development objectives. The renewed partnership between UNICEF and the Government will contribute to:
- Turkey’s compliance with the CRC and CEDAW;
- the European Commission’s recommendations on Turkey’s progress towards accession
- and Turkey’s achievement of the MDGs as well as the goals of Section VI of the Millennium Declaration by 2015.
CPAP partnerships
The longstanding UNICEF partnerships with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Social Services and Child Protection Agency (SHÇEK) and the Ministry of National Education (MONE) have provided a solid platform for deepening cooperation in child protection, effective parenting and monitoring of children’s rights.
Other major partners for the current CPAP include the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the State Planning Organisation (SPO), the Turkish National Committee for UNICEF, the Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat), the World Bank, the World Health Organisation (WHO), parliamentarians, national and local media and the private sector. The Government will continue to work with NGOs experienced in advocacy, social mobilisation, monitoring and reporting on children’s rights. The EU will also be a major partner both as a donor and a catalyst for reform in the area of children’s rights. Hacettepe University and other academic institutions will provide with research and evaluation.
The participation of children and their families will be essential as advocates of their own rights, sharing knowledge, ideas and skills with their peers, influencing policies and promoting change.
Activities to raise awareness and respect for children’s rights will continue with the promotion of rights-based reporting through the Child-friendly Media network.
The CPAP will be implemented in partnership with other UN agencies as part of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), contributing to the goals for children in education, health and protection of Turkey’s National Plan of Action (NPA) and Five-Year Development Plan. The CPAP contribution to UNDAF will help to:
- strengthen individual and institutional capacity for democratic and environmental governance at local and central levels;
- develop social and economic policies for poverty reduction and improved provision of quality basic social services for vulnerable groups;
- provide a more protective environment for women, children and youth.
Joint programming on HIV/AIDS and gender will continue through UNAIDS and UNGEI.
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