Country : Republic of Turkey

Committee : Social, Humanitarian, and

Cultural Affairs (SOCHUM)
Topic Area : Achieving Gender Equality,
Women’s Right and Women’s
Empowerment

Background

Most countries including Turkey recognize that equal rights should exist between men and
women. Many have produced regulations intended to fight discrimination and programs granting
women access to health, education, and economic rights such as land ownership. However, the fact
remains that women have fewer opportunities than men to benefit from economic development, with
lower participation in the labor force. The inequality of gender itself has become a main affair, that
happens not only in Turkey but also the other UN’s members country. The inequality of gender on one
country, could make the poverty in that country got increased. Thus, affecting the economy in that
country and it citizens, furthermore it affecting other countries’ economy too. International programs
such as the Millennium Development Goals even point out the benefits of addressing gender inequality
and the positive impact this can have on poverty reduction. That is why the Social, Humanitarian, and
Cultural Affairs Committee has an ultimate objective to stabilizing the equality of gender on women.
Turkey believes that the committee while stabilizing the equality of gender on women in general, the UN
also has to promote literacy for women and girls.

Several actions that have been taken by Republic of Turkey

In the last decade Turkey’s per capita income more than doubled and the country has ranked
among the top 20 economies in the world. Yet Turkey currently ranks close to the bottom of the 135
countries evaluated by the World Economic Forum on gender gap. As Turkey aspires to become the
world’s 10th largest economy by 2023, the country has an opportunity to achieve this goal by
improving its gender equality.
One of efforts made by Turkey to promote equality on women is the Turkish campaign “Stop
domestic violence" was launched in October 2004 by the daily Hürriyet, in cooperation with the
Foundation of Contemporary Education and the Istanbul Governor’s Office, and has brought concrete
results since. Another successful project "Come on Girls, Let's Go to School" geared towards increasing
the school enrolment of girls in primary education. Most daily newspapers and TV channels extended
their support to this campaign.
Turkey also have made several dedicated projects against violence and inequality on women by
increasing public sensitivity on domestic violence and creating sustainable counseling centers and
shelters. Financial support was offered to reduce gender disparity in education and to promote girls'
literacy. Other projects provided support to women entrepreneurship through management training
and consultancy, including the creation of a Business Development Center in Istanbul. Improving the
socio-economic position of women in Turkey has been the objective of other initiatives to encourage
existing micro and small business in which women play a key role. For example, assistance was provided
to increase the vocational and entrepreneurial skills of women in traditional arts (gift box making,
traditional Antep embroidery, jewelry design).
Turkey also take the leading role on C20, an international organization that discuss about
governance, inclusive growth, gender equality, and sustainability. As a hosting country of the C20
Summit 2015, Turkey is trying to play a significant role to ensure the equality of women by making the
C20 Gender Equality Policy Paper.

Republic of Turkey Perspective and Resolutions

Republic of Turkey believes that in order to solve the inequality on women and increasing
women’s empowerment, the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Affairs Committee and the UN members
country have to cooperate with other relevant international organizations and work together to
implement regulations about the gender equality and improving the women’s empowerment. These are
the following actions that could be taken:
 Strengthen and democratize unions through achieving gender equality in unions, with full
participation of women in unions and in union leadership; full participation of men in promoting
gender equality; support for the work of Women’s Networks; and ensure that EI policies and
structures effectively support programmes and action that address gender justice and
empowerment of girls and women;
 Ensure inclusive gender-sensitive quality public education, with focus on the education of girls
and women, from early childhood through to higher and further education; impediments such
as child labour, stereotyping and gender based violence; the necessity for good educational
programmes; and on the centrality of the role of the teacher;
 Mobilize Member Organizations to advocate for and hold governments to account to meet
MDG and EFA goals, ratify, implement and monitor treaties and conventions, improve the
application of standards and enforce existing legal frameworks in order to advance gender
equality in education and society at large;
 Build and maintain partnerships, alliances and coalitions that address public policy issues,
working with Global Unions, relevant international organizations including UN Women, UNESCO,
ILO and nongovernmental organizations, at national and global levels, with emphasis on political
and economic empowerment of women, through addressing pay equity, social protection and
structural salary discrimination; an end to violence against women; and lead roles for women in
building peace and security;
 Organize to increase membership, particularly of women, within member organizations in order
to provide more voice and strength of advocacy in issues critical to education and gender equity.
 Develop a communication and research strategy to support the plan by making visible trade
union practices that address gender discrimination, sharing knowledge through the use of
 information and communication technologies (ICT), enabling women’s networks to improve
communication and networking skills, and undertaking a study to identify gains and gaps, in
access to and participation in a quality education for girls and training leading to full
employment and decent work for decent lives for women.
REFERENCES:

ATAA Summer Interns Niki Iskarpatyoti and Yarden Hodes. “A Report Card on Gender Equality in
Turkey”.

Vladimír Špidla. “EMPOWERING WOMEN IN TURKEY:

A PRIORITY IN THE PRE-ACCESSION PROCESS”.

C20 Turkey Summit 2015

http://www.c20turkey.org/page/dynamic/38. Accessed on September 30, 2015

UNDP on Women Empowerment and Gender Equality in Turkey

http://www.tr.undp.org/content/turkey/en/home/ourwork/democraticgovernance/in_depth/WomenE
mpowermentandGenderEquality.html. Accessed on September 30, 2015

The 6th World Congress of Education International (EI) meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, from 22-26
July Journal