Say Yes - Summer 2002

The World Listened
The Place to Learn
Yes … I Was There!
Working for Children
Pure Football, Pure Hope
IN THIS ISSUE
THE UNITED NATIONS
SPECIAL SESSION
ON CHILDREN
The Special Session in May, dedicated
to the children and adolescents of the
world, was an unprecedented meeting
of government leaders, Heads of State
and NGOs at the United Nations General
Assembly. Attention focused on the
Convention on the Rights of the Child
and the role of NGOs as watchdogs on
the Governments of the world was
emphasised at every turn.
Media coverage was widespread and
daily live satellite TV feeds ensured that
the event was followed across the Globe
with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) offering special coverage
throughout.
See The World Listened, pages 8 & 9
POLIO IS ERADICATED
IN TURKEY
As a result of mass immunisation
activities such as the National Immunisation Days (NIDs) and the ‘mopping-up’
operations which have reached six
million children each year since 1995,
the wild virus has been eliminated from
most regions in Turkey. Not one case of
polio has been diagnosed in this country
since November 1998.
That final case unfortunately delayed
polio-free certification by the European
Regional Certification Committee. However, the Committee finally certified
Europe polio-free on the 21st of June
this year. Congratulations to the many
health professionals and volunteers who
contributed to the success of the eradication programme. Through their efforts,
no longer will any Turkish child fear
death or disability from Poliomyelitis.
THE UNICEF/FIFA
ALLIANCE
On the 20th of November, 2001, the
Federation of International Football
Associations (FIFA) and UNICEF
announced a global alliance for the
benefit of children everywhere. The
announcement, attended by United
Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan,
Joseph Blatter, President of FIFA,
UNICEF Executive Director, Carol
Bellamy, the actor Roger Moore, a
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Pele
and the American female football star
Brandi Chastain was the outcome of a
‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU)
encouraging activities at the national
level which will promote the game of
football and the Convention on the
Rights of the Child at the same time.
National alliances and activities are
currently being developed between
UNICEF country offices and FIFA
national federations.
See Pure Football, Pure Hope pages 4 & 5
Nearly 400 delegates from around the
world attended the Children’s Forum,
a preliminary to the
Special Session.
Photograph:
Susan Markisz
2
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
THE CHILD FRIENDLY
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
More than eighty participants took part
in a workshop on the subject of ‘Child
Friendly Learning Environments’ in the
last week of June. The object of the
CFLE is to enhance any environment
where a child is present, making it ‘child
friendly’ in order to help the child or
children to reach their full potential. The
identifying characteristics of the CFLE
were discussed, with a particular focus
on school. More than two hundred such
characteristics were identified during
the course of the workshop.
See The Place to Learn on page 11
Published by UNICEF Turkey,
Birlik Mahallesi No. 11,
2. Cadde, 06610 Çankaya,
Ankara, Turkey
Telephone: +90 (0)312 454 1000
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EDITORIAL
The excitement surrounding the
2002 FIFA World Cup reminded us
again of the grip which football has
on the lives and imaginations of
people everywhere throughout the
world. When we speak of
globalisation, it is hard to beat
football as an example of what the
term means. Television has spread
its popular appeal in countries
where the game was previously
weak: South Korea’s performance
being the perfect example of the
strides football has made in a
country which was not considered to
be a serious contender prior to the
competition. Of course the
performance of the Turkish team who finally beat them for third place thrilled
and charmed the whole nation and drew the admiration of a global audience.
The teams we saw on our television screens during the competition are elite
players. Back home, they are heroes to the millions and millions of children —
boys and, increasingly, girls — who kick a ball around in the backyards, streets,
parks and just about anywhere else they can find the space, dreaming of the
day when they too will score one and perhaps net the cup itself for their
country before a global audience. These children are exercising their right to
play — one of the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child
which is perhaps too often overlooked.
Play develops the body, fires the imagination, and in the case of football,
develops teamwork and interactive skills. Football and other games give
children and young people an alternative to temptations like drugs, alcohol,
smoking and all sorts of harmful practices. Participation in games give children
an incentive to do well, provides an outlet for their energies and keeps them
occupied in absorbing, fun-filled activities.
As part of the ‘Child Friendly Learning Environment’ programme which is
described on page 11 of this edition of the newsletter, UNICEF will work
closely with the Ministry of National Education and other partners to
vigorously promote, amongst other things, adequate play spaces for children in
all of the schools in the country. We are confident that this will contribute
significantly to the development of the minds and bodies of Turkish children
and help keep them out of harms way.
And of course it will also provide an enlarged pool of excellent players for
future Turkish assaults on the World Cup — Here’s looking forward to
Germany in 2006!
Edmond McLoughney
UNICEF Representative, Turkey
Note: We very much like to hear readers reactions to the newsletter, so please
feel free to contact us with your comments and suggestions.
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
3
PURE FOOTBALL,
PURE HOPE
Nothing matches the game of Football for its grip on the hearts of young
people. (The same may be said for the not-so-young, but the ability of older
enthusiasts to kick a ball with any style tends to decrease with age.) In
Turkey, the ‘beautiful game’ has always been popular but it has never
enjoyed such undivided attention as it did during the FIFA World Cup 2002.
In case you were asleep throughout the month of June — a near impossible
feat on any day the National Team played — Turkey came third after a
break from the tournament of forty-eight years.
Within minutes of the final whistle in
Seoul, Turkish roads were congested
with a festival of blaring horns and
waving flags and children everywhere
skittered footballs up and down the
streets, excited and enthused by the
success of their National Team.
Weeks after the event, there’s
another game in the neighbourhood
every evening and it isn’t uncommon to
see a child bouncing a ball on the
pavement as he makes his way home.
Such is the influence of the World
Cup tournament — a truly global event
in everyone’s life. The game has an
unparalleled history of demolishing
barriers of race, religion, class and
nationality, bringing people together in
the most intransigent situations.
Being aware of the game’s powerful
influence on people, The Federation of
International Football Associations
4
(FIFA) has a history of involvement in
campaigns supporting children. In 1999,
in partnership with the United Nations,
FIFA launched the ‘Pure Football, Pure
Hope’ campaign raising funds for
UNICEF through the sale of merchandise.
“The youth of today is the
future of our world but it is
also the future of football”
Joseph (Sepp) Blatter
Thanks to FIFA’s involvement with
UNICEF in the ‘Kick Polio Out of Africa’
campaign, well-known players appear
on TV and radio encouraging people to
ensure that they have been immunised.
Good progress in Africa means that this
global campaign to eradicate the
disease is nearing completion.
The Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC) explicitly guarantees all
children the right to play, leisure and
recreation. Being guided by the CRC,
UNICEF understands that sport is an
excellent medium for making contact
with young people and the benefits of
fitness training to their general health
and well-being is unquestionable. So it
was with great pleasure that FIFA
President, Joseph Blatter and UNICEF
Executive Director, Carol Bellamy
formally launched the FIFA/UNICEF
Alliance in November, 2001. Promoting
the 2002 FIFA World Cup as it’s first
major event, the Alliance dedicated the
competition to the ‘Say Yes for Children’
Campaign.
At the formal announcement, Carol
Bellamy said: “Football is something
that makes the ‘global community’ real
as a humanitarian force. The football
community has the power to advance
humanity. And to help ensure that all
children everywhere have health,
education and equality.”
The announcement was broadcast
globally, the following week, on the
occasion of the World Cup Draw in
Korea, giving ‘Say Yes for Children’ a
welcome boost.
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
During the course of the tournament
children in ‘Say Yes’ t-shirts escorted
players onto the pitch at the beginning
of games. FIFA and UNICEF called on
warring factions around the world to
lay down arms, enabling UNICEF to
deliver food, supplies and other vital
services to children in conflict areas.
Ogün Temizkano¤lu presented
a television spot underlining
the importance of quality
education for all children
Local broadcast campaigns were
produced in participating countries
where footballers urged people to take
action in support of children. Many of
the footballers donated memorabilia to
a Yahoo! auction in support of UNICEF.
Following the objectives of ‘Say Yes
for Children’, the Alliance aims to place
children’s rights high on the public
agenda, mobilising support ‘to change
the world for, and with, children’.
UNICEF Turkey and the Turkish
Football Federation (TFF) made an
informal agreement to have well-known
players deliver messages to raise
awareness of children’s rights issues
through the media. The former International Captain, Ogün Temizkano¤lu
presented a television spot underlining
the importance of quality education for
all children.
Further projects for the partnership
in Turkey are under discussion.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was only
the start of a partnership which will put
the world’s most popular game at the
service of it’s most precious resource,
children. FIFA is committed to being a
powerful humanitarian force and
UNICEF will channel that commitment
to young people everywhere.
The Alliance is an opportunity for
UNICEF to raise it’s profile and reach
out to a much wider global audience,
maximising potential media attention
for it’s activities.
Looking towards the 2006 FIFA
World Cup in Germany, it is clear that
strong country level partnerships
between UNICEF and FIFA-affiliated
national football associations will
ensure the long-term strength and
sustainability of the Alliance.
Haydi Türkiye!
WHERE TO NOW?
With the FIFA World Cup 2002 competition behind us, discussions are
currently under way about how football can be used to enhance existing
programmes, to develop new ones and to reach new audiences at the national
level. Here are some ideas, outlined under the key areas of the FIFA/UNICEF
Memorandum of Understanding:
EDUCATION
education: developing women’s football programmes (in countries
• Girl’s
where it is culturally relevant) as a tool for developing self-esteem in young
women and girls and to help girls enroll or stay in school.
as an education tool to teach children important lessons on
• Football
HIV/AIDS, conflict resolution and other issues.
CHILD PROTECTION
as a tool in conflict countries, promoting children’s right to play
• Football
(and also as an anchor for children’s rights in general).
of football and recreation in general as a return to normalcy and
• Promotion
reclamation of childhood in conflict or disaster situations.
• Distribution of recreation kits (sustainably — not just for one-off events).
as a tool of conflict management and peace education. Where
• Football
there have been conflicts, FIFA could provide kits and coaching for games
and UNICEF could provide the conflict resolution elements of the project.
HIV/AIDS
• Football as an important and productive diversion for young people.
• Inter-generational dialogue through football, building community spirit.
to raise the profile of HIV/AIDS, increasing acceptance of
• Anyoungopportunity
people’s right to know about the issues.
important messages on HIV/AIDS — especially protection
• Disseminating
issues — to young people.
as a bridge to reach young
• Football
men and boys (hard to attract to
HIV information programmes
and related services).
as a tool to mobilise
• Football
young people, making them
agents for change on HIV/AIDS
prevention, non-violence and disarmament issues.
sports tournaments
• Nationwide
(preferably between districts or
regions hostile to each other).
coverage involving football stars and
• Media
Goodwill Ambassadors.
possibility of FIFA incorporating HIV/AIDS
• The
education into it’s own institutionalised training
programmes for referees, coaches and players.
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
5
YES … I WAS THERE!
Warm-up: Arrivals. At the end of a twenty-six hour flight from Ankara to
Seoul for the FIFA World Cup 2002. Tired and irritable, I collected my bags
and almost sleepwalked my way to the arrivals lounge. Someone called “Hofl
Geldiniz!” and hearing the familiar greeting so far away from home snapped
me out of my jet-lagged trance in an instant. Those were the first words I’d
heard in Korea. They made a good start.
Kick-Off
It was straight down to business on the
first night with a reception at the
Turkish Embassy for representatives of
the Turkish Football Association (TFA),
fienes Erzik, Board Member of FIFA,
the media and of course supporters of
the National Team.
6
I asked Mr Erzik to make a speech on
behalf of the FIFA/UNICEF Alliance
now making it’s Global Debut at the
World Cup since FIFA had dedicated
the competition to ‘Say Yes for
Children’. He very kindly agreed and
proceeded to detail the objectives of the
Alliance to the assembly of reporters
and football reps. He pointed out
that this is in fact the first time
ever that the World Cup
competition has been
dedicated to a humanitarian cause, indeed the
single most important
humanitarian cause —
the good health, wellbeing and development
of children everywhere.
Talking about the
activities of the Alliance
in Turkey, he mentioned
the special emphasis on
education, especially girl’s
education — an issue
which becomes daily more pressing.
Well-known footballers have given their
support to media campaigns designed
to raise awareness of the subject in
Turkey and UNICEF is hoping to
develop the strategy further.
However, the World Cup is the
World Cup and my spirits sank a little
when it came to reporters questions
which were entirely focused on the
game itself. Such is the fanatical
devotion enjoyed by the game that
there really seems to be little room in
the minds of supporters for anything
other than tactics.
I decided that I was tired-out,
exhausted by the flight, and that I
wouldn’t let this observation deflate my
enthusiasm to promote the children’s
cause. I made a note to explore the
issue in the cool light of day and said ‘‹yi
Geceler’ to my colleagues.
Second Half
Turkey plays China — a battle of the
Republics — and the stress on our
National Team was tangible. Can
Cobano¤lu, the Press Manager was
diligent and helpful, providing information to the assembled company of
more than seventy national and
international media representatives
about the UNICEF Turkey and TFA
partnership. He mentioned how the ‘Say
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
Yes for Children’ banner was unfurled
during friendly games and referred to
Ogün Temizkano¤lu’s television appearances in support of educational
awareness.
He said: “We believe in the power of
football but more importantly, we
believe that children are our future. We
should work together to make a better
world for children and to ensure access
to high quality education for all
children.”
During the course of the match, I
was busy promoting the Alliance on the
press stand, talking to various tv people
and reporters and making sure that
they had all read our press releases. It
wasn’t difficult to keep track of Turkey’s
progress, however, since there was a
deafening roar of support for each of
the three goals scored against China.
UNICEF’s presence at the game was
very much in evidence: the public
service announcement ‘Change the
World with Children: The Power of
Football’ was aired at the beginning of
all the games and sight of the child
escorts in their ‘Say Yes’ t-shirts
accompanying players at the start of
the game was an unforgettably moving
experience for me. The ‘Say Yes’ logo
was the only form of branding allowed
on the pitch — another significant
World Cup ‘first’. I was very much
heartened to see that in our commercial
world where so much hinges on
competition between global brands,
there is real support among the big
corporations for ‘a world fit for
children’.
And a big hand for the people at
Türkiye Radyo Televizyon Kurumu
(TRT) who covered the FIFA/UNICEF
Alliance and gave me the opportunity to
talk about the partnership on both the
global and national levels.
quotes in support of this unprecedented
initiative.
While the media appeared to do
their level best to cover the Alliance, the
World Cup is about football and, as
many of my colleagues in that camp
were keen to point out, they were first
and foremost in Seoul and Japan to
report back on Football.
“I have met people all over the
world through playing soccer
and I can say that football
knows no boundaries. It is
important for kids across the
globe to know that anything
they dream is possible
in soccer and in life.”
Landon Donovan, USA
Meetings with representatives of
other competing teams were friendly
and informative but sadly the pressure
of the event tended to confound their
best intentions. Mick McCarthy, the
Republic of Ireland coach readily
agreed to have his team play a match
with a children’s team on World
Children’s Football Day but the Irish
unfortunately lost to Spain and had to
return home before June 19th.
Similarly, the Press Officer for the
Spanish team was also very cooperative
and offered to get some quotes on the
Alliance from his players but he had to
explain in the end that they were under
a great deal of pressure. And eventually
the Spanish themselves were on their
way home.
Thankfully,
the team
from the USA were very conscious of
the campaign and made a great deal of
it at their press calls. Brian McBride
said: “UNICEF and FIFA’s ‘Say Yes for
Children Football Day’ is another great
way to help kids all over the world. I’m
glad to have been a part of UNICEF’s
AIDS awareness campaign in the US”.
The Score
Before my visit to Seoul, I was aware of
the influence football exerts on people
(I’m Turkish, after all) but I had very
much underestimated just how
profound an effect that is. It occurred
to me that the fanatical devotion of
football supporters sucks everything in
and substitutes it with the fever of the
game itself. Looking to the future of the
Alliance, we should perhaps find ways
to circumvent this ’black hole’ in the
attention-span which tends to replace
all other matters with the players’
performance on the pitch.
The FIFA World Cup 2002 was a
magnificent start to a campaign which
will develop on the more modest, yet
more relevant local level. Football
means so much to everyone that it
cannot help but serve in the best sense
as a motivator for governments,
communities, families and individuals to
make this world of ours fit for children.
No matter which team you support.
Sema Hosta,
Communication Officer,
Final Whistle
The TFA were very helpful and
supportive before they left for Japan,
donating a shirt signed by all the
members of the Team. This has gone to
Britain to be auctioned along with
similar memorabilia of the tournament
in aid of UNICEF. Given Turkey’s final
result, I’m sure that it will fetch a
good price. Many of the competing
teams made similar donations and I
was glad to hear that players were
aware of the Alliance and offered
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
7
THE WORLD LISTENED
Wilmot, from Liberia, testifies on the impact of war on children at a United Nations Security Council Meeting on Children and Armed
Conflict, on the eve of the Special Session on Children. Photograph: Susan Markisz
It was the most important global event on children since the 1990 World
Summit for Children. This time around the UN Special Session on Children
was a formal event involving not only government leaders but major NGOs
as well. Children made all the difference: making themselves heard and their
presence — so fundamental to the success of this landmark event — felt.
The commitment of world leaders over
a decade ago at the World Summit for
Children has helped to place children’s
rights at the top of the global agenda.
Participants in the United Nations
Special Session on Children assembled
in May to review progress made since
then and to set further goals and
standards for the future.
Delegates set to the task of creating
a new plan for the coming decade which
will ensure:
ful participation in their
communities.
The official programme consisted of
three parts: a Debate between Heads of
Member States and observers, Heads of
relevant entities of the UN system and
8
“I believe that for
the first time in the
history of the
United Nations,
children are not
just being seen
— they are
being heard.”
Carol Bellamy,
UNICEF
Executive
Director
Other significant
supporting events
were the Parliamentary Forum, hosted
by
the
interparliamentary union
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
Photograph: Paula Bronstein
best possible start in life for all
• the
children;
basic education for
• aallgood-quality
children;
opportunities for all children,
• the
especially adolescents, for meaning-
certain NGOs; the Ad Hoc Committee of
the Whole (speakers were General
Assembly observers, UN system
entities not represented at the
head level and NGOs) and the
Round Table (where three
separate panels discussed
‘Renewal of commitment
and future action for
children in the next
decade’).
Supporting events were
organised around the
Special Session, notably
the Children’s Forum, facilitated by UNICEF, which
gathered nearly 400
children from government
and NGO delegations
around the world to
discuss the key actions for
children and the draft
outcome document of the
Special Session, ‘A World
Fit for Children’ in advance
of the official event.
The outcome of the Forum was
presented to the Plenary of the Special
Session. The child delegates said: “We
are not the sources of problems; we are
the resources that are needed to solve
them. We are not expenses; we are
investments. We are not just young
people; we are people and citizens of
this world. You call us the future.
But we are also the present.”
and UNICEF, which discussed the impact
of legislation and budgetary allocations on
the well-being of children and Mrs Nane
Annan’s informal discussion between First
Spouses on the theme of Women’s
Leadership for Children.
“You have a right to live a life
safe from the threat of war,
abuse and exploitation.
These rights are obvious yet
we, the grown-ups, have failed
you deplorably in upholding
many of them.”
Kofi Annan,
UN Secretary-General
The Celebration of Leadership for
Children proved to be a high point of the
event when Nelson Mandela delivered
the record-breaking list of almost a
hundred million signatures from the
Global Movement for Children’s ‘Say
Yes for Children’ campaign to the
President of the General Assembly.
During the course of the Special
Session, the GMC was also granted
formal acceptance as a legitimate force.
Turkey, where one in every four
people signed the ‘Say Yes for Children’
pledge, was especially commended.
Key conventions and protocols admitted for ratification included:
Optional Protocol to the CRC on
• The
the sale of children, child prostitution
and child pornography;
FACTS AND FIGURES
It finally happened! After more than a decade and one postponement from
September, 2001, the United Nations Special Session convened in New York
during May. So who was there, what did they do and what did they achieve?
THE PARTICIPANTS
• 164 boys and 242 girls between the ages of 7 and 18 years old.
of these children were part of official government delegations such as
• 265
Simge Haznedaro¤lu and Mehmet Yeflilyurt of Turkey.
Gemici, Minister Responsible for Women and Children lead the
• Hasan
Turkish Delegation of 19 including the child delegates.
Invitee’ Professor ‹hsan Do¤ramac›, eminent authority on
• ‘Special
children’s issues who works extensively with UNICEF at the global level.
were 69 Summit level Government participants including Heads of
• There
State, Crown Princes, Vice Presidents and Deputy Prime Ministers.
• 43 Heads of State and/or Government.
• 187 of 189 UN Member States spoke at General Assembly Plenary Debates.
• 54 First Spouses.
• 141 children of a total of 1,732 participants formed 91 NGO delegations.
• 314 NGOs from developing countries and 385 from industrialised countries.
• 250 parliamentarians from 75 countries.
Peace Prize Laureates: Kofi Annan, 2001; Nelson Mandela, 1993
• 3andNobel
Rigoberta Menchú Tum, 1992.
• 10 United Nations entities were represented at directorial level.
• 9 UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors.
• Over 1,200 journalists including more tha 50 young journalists.
• Almost 200 volunteers from UNICEF and elsewhere.
SIGNIFICANT RESULTS
‘Say Yes for Children’ pledges were delivered by Nelson Mandela
Optional Protocol to the CRC on
• 94,875,927
• The
to the President of the General Assembly, setting a Guinness World Record
the involvement of children in armed
conflict;
for the largest ever response to an international pledge campaign.
24 countries took Treaty action during the course of the SSC (1–17th May).
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress
•
• The
and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
• For the first time in history, 2 children spoke at the General Assembly.
Especially Women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention against
Transnational Organised Crime;
Amendment to Article 43.2 of
• The
the CRC, raising from ten to eighteen
the number of members of the
Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The cooperation of the media was
vital for the promotion of children’s
rights issues on the worldwide platform.
Hopefully, in the wake of the Special
Session the relationship will develop
and concerned agencies around the
world will encourage partnerships with
the media at the local level.
EVENTS AND PROCESSES
separate events were organised by governments along with the United
• 43Nations
and other international organisations. 63 were organised by NGOs.
including 7 Heads of State and/or Government and 4
• 44HeadsGovernments,
of UN agencies took part in the 5 Inter-generational Dialogue sessions.
NGO speakers addressed the General Assembly Plenary and Ad Hoc
• 15Committees
of the Whole.
40,000 Child and Youth opinion poll interviews were conducted
• Almost
worldwide in the lead-up to the Special Session.
Children’s Forum was conducted in 3 languages: English, French and
• The
Spanish. Translations in Arabic, Bangla (Bengali), Chinese, Portuguese and
Vietnamese were available during other sessions.
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
9
WORKING FOR
CHILDREN
Twenty-eight Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) formed the ‘Turkish
Children’s Rights Coalition’ (TCRC) at the beginning of January, 2001, their
mission being to ensure the full implementation of children’s rights. Since
1994, when the Government ratified the Convention on the Rights of the
Child, the subject of children’s rights has grown daily more prominent in
Turkey, encompassing health, education and recreation amongst many
other socio-economic issues. As such, a broad variety of agencies, both
governmental and non-governmental, are interested.
Aiming to enforce the rights of the child,
everywhere, the TCRC plans to network
all NGOs operational in Turkey, build
local coalitions throughout the country
and promote children’s rights issues.
The TCRC also represents Turkey at
international meetings on children’s
rights. For this year, the coalition has
been elected as Vice-President for the
NGO/UNICEF Central and Eastern
Europe, Commonwealth of Independent
States and Baltics Regional Network.
The coalition has seven coordinators,
elected by members, each of whom is
responsible for the respective fields of
Education, Health, International Relations, Communication, Legal Rights and
Finance. Supporting the coordinators
are five press representatives.
The TCRC upholds a simple list of
five principles under the Voluntary
Partnership Agreement (VPA), accepted in January:
child has a right to live in a
• Every
perfect world.
excluding any child, work for
• Without
children so that they have enough
knowledge and resources to start life.
societies and children
• Families,
themselves should endeavour to
make a world where children can live
in dignity, security, prosperity and
where they have the opportunity to
explore and develop themselves.
on children’s problems and
• Tofindfocus
appropriate solutions.
the beginning of this millenium, to
• Atadvocate
for equality, justice, peace,
health and happiness for Turkish
children and children everywhere.
The first campaign of the TCRC was to
promote ‘Say Yes for Children’, offering
it’s support to UNICEF and the Turkish
Government in order to contribute to the
final total of more than sixteen million
pledges. The campaign received almost
universal support from the public, from
celebrities and from the private sector
and fundraising for it’s success proved to
be a gigantic task. Other activities during
the past year included:
in Advocacy and the
• Training
Conduct of Advocacy Campaigns;
up the ‘Children’s Assembly’
• Setting
with the fiiflli Council, ‹stanbul;
• A painting competition for children;
to form a local coalition in
• Helping
the GAP Region;
children to plan and form a
• Helping
coalition using techniques of drama
and art;
• Supporting
Campaign;
the
Breastfeeding
The TCRC has planned a series of
short campaigns, panel meetings and
discussions throughout the country with
the cooperation of the Ministry of
National Education (MoNE). The
support of recording artists and
performers is being sought for a series
of records, videos and radio and
television promotions.
Press Conference for the Say Yes for Children Campaign, May 2001: TCRC Coordinator, Ebru Yarcan, Necmi Hayal, Deputy Mayor of fiiflli
District Council, Songwriter, Zeynep Talu, Singer, Nükhet Duru, and Sema Hosta, UNICEF.
10
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
THE PLACE TO LEARN
“I dream …” says twelve year old Gökçe Çiçek, the artist who made this
drawing, “I dream of a school where I’ll be very sad when the summer
holidays come." Gökçe was one of the children who attended the UNICEFassisted workshop on ‘Child Friendly Learning Environments’ (CFLE) in
Ankara between the 24th and 28th of June. The participation of these
children and their teachers was critical to the productivity of the event.
More than eighty participants took part
in the workshop — children, teachers,
school principals, school inspectors,
central and local officials from the
Ministry of National Education (MoNE),
the Social Services Department
(SHÇEK), the Ministry of Agriculture
(MoA) and several NGOs. The object was
to consider what is required from any
environment where a child is present in
order to ensure his or her freedom to
develop, to secure the right to survival
and protection and obtain the vital skills
of critical thinking, problem solving and
working with others.
In short, to assist the child in
realising his or her full potential for a
happy, healthy and productive life.
On consideration of these aspects,
participants attempted to reach a
consensus on the concept of CFLE, developing a list of characteristics necessary
to establish such an environment. They
would then focus on the best way that
their various agencies and institutions
might facilitate the establishment of
child friendly learning environments.
Characterising the CFLE
In order to proceed, it was decided that
the most productive strategy would be
to look at ‘Good Practices’ (successful
projects already in operation) and to
locate the child-friendly characteristics
which might serve as a model for
qualifying CFLEs.
So fifteen different but successful
projects by MoNE and other ministries
and non-govermental organisations
were presented for analysis.
It has to be said that this was an
awesome task given the scope of the
subject. The efforts of participants to be
very specific in their efforts to identify
the child friendly characteristics in each
presented project in order to achieve
concrete conclusions is to be applauded.
A list of more than two hundred
CFLE-identifying characteristics was
finalised with a particular focus on the
school environment. These were then
listed in eight categories:
• the academic curriculum
• health and safety issues
participation of children (in
• the
school councils, clubs etc …)
• individual references or different needs
• discipline and rules
• the physical environment
administration, organisation
• school
and philosophy
• counselling and guidance services
A two-day preliminary training
seminar was organised under the
guidance of a British expert with the
participation of the principals, teachers
and students of six local schools. The
seminar provided excellent grounding
on the nature of CFLEs, illustrating the
importance of participation by children
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey
themselves and how CFLEs can be
actualised in the schools.
Planning Ahead
The next step is to give a final shape to
the characteristics of CFLEs in consultation with a team of specialists and
experts in a two-day ‘Writeshop’ which
has been scheduled to prioritise a
shortlist. Training kits will be prepared
using the ten most important issues for
guidance and the CFLE project will be
implemented in pilot schools before the
end of the year. Ultimately the programme will be expanded nationwide by the
year 2005.
A very immediate and heartening
outcome of the CFLE workshop is that
participants from the Board of
Education have already integrated the
related characteristics of childrens’
participation into their draft regulation
on school councils and clubs. At the time
of press, they were hoping to have
submitted the document for approval
by the end of July.
As Gökçe Çiçek and her friends put
it, during the course of the Workshop:
“We all dream of a school where no
child is left out and all of the children
are so healthy and happy to participate
and eager to learn that they don’t even
want to leave for the Summer holidays”.
And that is what all of us, all the
participants in the Workshop, have
commited to work for until it becomes
a reality for the children of Turkey.
11
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
TURKEY
Copies of all the publications listed below may be obtained free of charge on
request from UNICEF Turkey, Birlik Mahallesi No.11, 2. Cadde,
06610 Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey
Donor Funding Catalogue
A brief description of unfunded
UNICEF projects in Turkey detailing
budgetary requirements for donor
reference.
We The Children
Landmark report by the UN SecretaryGeneral, Kofi Annan.
GOALS FOR 2005
the Infant Mortality
• ToRatereduce
from 42.7‰ to 20‰.
the Maternal Mortality
• ToRatereduce
by 50%.
increase the rates of exclusive
• Tobreastfeeding.
eliminate Iodine Deficiency
• ToDisorders
in children.
expand the Family and Child
• ToTraining
Programme (FACT) to
reach 3 million families.
reduce female illiteracy
• Toto half
of the 1999 rate.
improve the health and
• Todevelopment
of adolescents.
minimise the
• Toratiosignificantly
of children in need of
special protection.
build local capacity in social
• Tomonitoring
and planning for
children and women.
ensure that Turkey’s
• Tolegislation
is fully compliant with
CRC/CEDAW.
a sustainable, interactive
• ToChild,haveWomen
and Youth
Information Network.
respond to the needs of
• Tochildren
and women during and
after emergencies.
12
Say Yes, February 2002
First issue of this newsletter featuring
the ‘Say Yes for Children’ Campaign.
Say Yes, Spring 2002
A special issue of the UNICEF Turkey
newsletter in honour of the UN Special
Session on Children. Featuring an
interview with Minister Responsible for
Women and Children, Hasan Gemici.
Turkey’s Children
General information about Turkey,
outlining progress made in healthcare,
education and children’s rights by
UNICEF and it’s partners.
UNICEF DONORS
UNICEF takes this opportunity to thank all of the donors who have generously
provided resources and financial support in the past. Special thanks are due
to the CDC Center, USA, the United States Fund for UNICEF, the Turkish
National Committee for UNIC, the United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF,
the European Economic Community, the Turkish National Committee for
UNICEF, the Canadian UNICEF Committee, the Hellenic National
Committee, the Spanish Committee for UNICEF, the Italian Committee for
UNICEF, the Netherlands Committee for UNICEF, the Swiss Committee for
UNICEF, le Comité Français pour l’UNICEF, the Hong Kong National
Committee and the Japanese Committee for UNICEF — your assistance is
greatly appreciated.
UNICEF works to both preserve and enhance the lives of children the world
over and the success of our programmes depends upon the partnership and
support of governments, non-governmental organisations, institutions and
individuals. To make a tax-deductible donation to any project or programme
please contact the UNICEF Turkey National Committee in Ankara or ‹stanbul
(see below). To help you make your choice(s) ask us for a copy of the Donor
Funding Catalogue (See Recent Publications above).
UNICEF Turkey Country Office:
Telephone: +90 (0) 312 454 1000
Facsimile: +90 (0) 312 496 1461
Email:
ankara@unicef.org
UNICEF Turkey National Committee: Telephone: +90 (0) 312 438 1745
Ankara
+90 (0) 312 438 0077
Facsimile: +90 (0) 312 439 0250
Email: unicef.natcom@unicefturk.org
UNICEF Turkey National Committee: Telephone: +90 (0) 212 252 5222
‹stanbul
+90 (0) 212 249 6686
Facsimile: +90 (0) 212 252 9727
Say Yes – the quarterly newsletter of UNICEF Turkey