TİKA Organized a Capacity Building Program for NGOs in Azerbaijan

The International Council for Justice, Equality and Peace (COJEP International), the only Turkish non-governmental organization accredited to the UN in Europe, organized a Capacity Building Program for NGOs in Azerbaijan with the support of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA).

The opening ceremony of the program, which was organized in Baku, was attended by Cahit Bağcı, Turkey’s Ambassador to Baku; Ali Gedikoğlu, President of the COJEP International; Celil Yılmaz, Secretary-General of the COJEP International; Fatih Yılmaz, TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Baku; and representatives of NGOs.

In his speech at the ceremony, Ambassador Bağcı stressed the importance of cooperation between NGOs in global and regional issues. Stating that it is necessary to ensure cooperation between NGOs in the Turkic world, Bağcı said, “We need to increase our awareness about global issues. Today, the oppressed are able to defend their rights more strongly. It is clear that people need to come together and speak up in every field.”

Ali Gedikoğlu, President of the COJEP International, stated that they had previously carried out similar activities in Africa; that they came together with NGOs in Azerbaijan, a sister country, that day; and that they would hold a meeting with NGOs in Bangladesh in December. Gedikoğlu added that they aimed to create a culture of experience sharing and solidarity among NGOs. He said, “We need to develop new solidarity strategies among NGOs for the solution of global issues. We are trying to create synergy to bring NGOs in Africa and Eurasia together, focusing on fairness.”

Celil Yılmaz, Secretary-General of the COJEP International, stressed that NGOs in Turkey should be more active in that region and around the world. Noting that NGOs are the greatest driving forces in countries, Yılmaz said, “We should make more effective use of our potential for the development of our countries and for a fairer world. We believe that a fair world can be achieved through solidarity and cooperation between NGOs. For this purpose, we need to lay the foundation for close cooperation around the world.”

In the remainder of the event, presentations were given on “Place and Role of Civil Society,” “Turkey as a Role Model in Building a Fair World, and Institutional Cooperation,” “Access to International Funds and Project Techniques,” “Relations between the Media and Civil Society,” and “Lobbying in International Organizations.”