Advocacy training for local NGO representatives in Turkey

Turkish Env.net partner TEMA foundation organised a three day comprehensive training in İstanbul, for 32 local NGO representatives from all around Turkey, on the weekend between 8 and 10 April 2016. The training covered a wide range of topics from fundraising and effective communication to nature conservation principles and legal advocacy. Saturday afternoon of the training was organised by the Env.net team in TEMA foundation and covered the topics on legal advocacy and effective local activism.

JpegAs part of the Env.net component of the training, Omer Aykul (the legal advisor of TEMA Foundation and expert in environmental law), talked about the constitutional right to the nature as a human right and how it can be used as a legal advocacy tool in local environmental struggles. He then gave a short presentation on the current EIA legislation and problems related to the current regulations. He emphasised the important points that can help local communities in their struggles, such as important deadlines.

JpegAfter Omer Aykul, the head of the environmental policy department of TEMA foundation, Ozgul Erdemli Mutlu gave a presentation on the strategies of effective activism. She talked about the non-legal advocacy tools such as how to organise an online campaign, how to mobilise local communities and neighbourhood, how to communicate effectively with local and national press.

 

Cem_LThe env.net session was concluded by the presentation of  the Env.net project coordinator Cem İskender Aydın, who talked briefly about the Env.net project and the recent works completed within the project. He also presented the new participative mapping tool for the “Map of threats to the water resources in Turkey” and how local communities can directly put their cases on the map.