“Turkey and Somalia: Making Aid Work for Peace”

cordially invites you to the launch of the report on
“Turkey and Somalia: Making Aid Work for Peace”
Friday, 20 March 2015
10.00 – 12.00
Istanbul Policy Center
(Minerva Han, Bankalar Caddesi No: 2, Ground Floor, Karaköy)
The activities of Turkish state agencies and NGOs in Somalia since 2011 have become a hallmark
of Turkey's foreign policy and underpinned its global image as an emerging power. The candor
and effectiveness of Turkish aid organizations in the Somali context have challenged the
conventional thinking and practice in the discourse of humanitarian relief and development
assistance. From health care to education, infrastructure construction to the provision of basic
services, Turkish engagement in Somalia makes an interesting case not only from a practical but
also from a methodological standpoint.
Within the past year, Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) and SaferWorld joined forces to shed light on
Turkey’s involvement in Somali relief and development efforts. Interviews and workshops with
professionals, academics, NGO staff, and civil society groups were conducted in Turkey, London,
Nairobi, and across Somalia. Among the major findings of the research are the practices and
methods of Turkish organizations as well as their robust divergence from the traditional donor
attitudes vis-à-vis principles on deployment and fieldwork. The two think tanks compiled their
findings and policy recommendations in a report entitled “Turkey and Somalia: Making Aid
Work for Peace.”
On Friday, March 20, 2015, IPC and Saferworld will host an event to launch the “Turkey and
Somalia: Making Aid Work for Peace” report at IPC (Minerva Han, Bankalar Caddesi No: 2, Ground
Floor, Karaköy). The event will commence at 10.00 with IPC Director Fuat Keyman’s welcoming
address and proceed with the remarks by the authors Thomas Wheeler (SaferWorld), Onur
Sazak (IPC), and Auveen Woods (IPC). A Q&A session will follow. Light refreshments will be
served. The event will be in English. Please contact with Auveen Woods
(auveen@sabanciuniv.edu) to receive information pertaining to the event.