ATAA UN Related Announcement# 20
ATAA UN International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace Webinar
Peace in the World starts at Home, Sustained with Effective Diplomacy,
Through Facts and Mutual Respect
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), presenting a virtual event titled International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace Webinar. This program is organized in support of four of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development objectives #3 Good Health and Wellbeing, #4 Quality Education, #6, Clean Water and Sanitation, #16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and the April 24 International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.
Sunday, April 16, 2023
12:00PM-1:30PM ET, 11:00AM-12:30PM CT
9:00AM-10:30AM PT, 19:00-20:30 TR
Language: English
Online Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FH5rRkceRTSnjDo7c45Mxw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Background
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. Global partners were urgently called for action on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our program we are addresses following global targets relate to Multiliteracy and Diplomacy for Peace and Water Diplomacy. On this program ATAA UN Relations Program will focus on:
#3 Good Health and Wellbeing
Discrimination and violence pose danger to peace, health and well being of people within a diverse society
#4 Quality Education
Fact based education of historic events will help everyone to have better understanding of past and better to prepare for future. Myths causes conflict and create hardship within diverse society. Creating nurturing environment for all people to learn, grow and leave in peace will result in fulfilled society and harmony.
#6 Clean Water and Sanitation
Climate change is impacting water scarcity and water related disasters. Conflict over water will become more common without science-based water diplomacy.
#16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Peaceful and inclusive societies will promote an environment where people are free, safe and happy regardless of their ethnicity, faith or sexual orientation.
Program Details
The program aims to educate, first Turkish American Community and the public using social sciences and historical facts. Our desired outcome is to contribute world peace though education.
Program objectives are:
- When multinational dialogue and peace is implemented even under most difficult situations, the result is prosperity and security.
- Best laid plans do not go as anticipated and destruction is the consistent outcome of aggression and war.
- Turkey’s water diplomacy: Challenges and Prospects
- Start conversation about Water Diplomacy for Peace among ATAA UN Youth Forum Members
Keynote Speaker
Türkiye’s Water Diplomacy: Challenges and Prospects
Prof. Dr. Aysegül Kibaroglu is the Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at MEF University in Istanbul. She was a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, LBJ School of Public Affairs in 2016. Previously, she was a Faculty Member and the Vice Chair of the Department of International Relations at Middle East Technical University in Ankara (2003-2011). Prof. Kibaroglu was a post-Doctoral Fellow at the International Water Law Research Institute at the University of Dundee, Scotland in 2002. Her areas of research include Middle East transboundary water politics, international water law, Türkiye’s water policy, political geography, and environmental security. Prof. Kibaroglu teaches courses on public international law, international organizations,and water politics to undergraduate and graduate students, respectively. She has supervised several Master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations.
Prof. Kibaroglu regularly delivers conferences and seminars to diplomats, legal advisers, and government officials – both in Türkiye and abroad. She convenes extensive consultations with representatives of water bureaucracies by attending various expert committee meetings. Prof. Kibaroglu worked as theAdvisor to the President of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) Regional Development Administration (RDA) from 2001 to 2003. Her past advisory position at the GAP RDA gave her the opportunity to interact with water technocrats at both national and international levels. She has acted as the co-founder of an informal water diplomacy initiative, namely the Euphrates-Tigris Initiative for Cooperation (ETIC), together with her colleagues from Syria, Iraq, and Türkiye.
Prof. Kibaroglu has participated in a wide range of international research projects, such as “Cooperation on Turkey’s Transboundary Waters” led by the Berlin Technical University, Adelphi, German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, and German Development Institute-DIE (2004-2011); “Water Law and Cooperation in the Euphrates-Tigris Region: A Comparative and Interdisciplinary Approach” led by the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law, in Heidelberg (2011-2013); “Sustainability of Engineered Rivers in Arid Lands: Outlook to 2060,” led by the University of Texas at Austin, (2013-2021).Prof. Kibaroglu acts as the Consultant for the Horizon2020 project “CASCADES: Helping European Societies Address Cascading Climate Risks from outside Europe” led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU) (2019-2023).
Prof. Kibaroglu has published extensively on the politics of water resources with an emphasis on the Euphrates Tigris river basin, including a book volume, Building a Regime for the Waters of the Euphrates-Tigris River Basin (Kluwer Law International, 2002), and co-edited volumes, Water Development and Poverty Reduction (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003),Turkey’s Water Policy (Springer, 2011), and Water Law and Cooperation in the Euphrates-Tigris Region (Brill, 2013).
Her recent publications include: “Water Management as a Tool for Conflict Prevention: The Case of MENA,” (with Vakur Sumer) Orient I/2023.https://orient-online.com/shop/full-issues/orient-i-2023-climate-change-and-climate-action-in-mena/; Turkey’s Water Diplomacy: Analysis of its Foundations, Challenges and Prospects, Anthem Press (Cambridge Core), 2021. https://anthempress.com/science-diplomacy-managing-food-energy-and-water-sustainably/turkey-s-water-diplomacy-pdf; Sustainability of Engineered Rivers in Arid Lands: Challenge and Response (with Jurgen Schmandt, Regina Buono and Sephra Thomas) (eds.) (Cambridge University of Press, 2021).https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/sustainability-of-engineered-rivers-in-arid-lands/AF0C17C0816FF83974753DD3B9FCD3E1 ;Water and ‘Imperfect Peace’ in the Euphrates-Tigris Basin”(with R. Caner Sayan) International Affairs, Vol. 97, Issue 1, 2021, pp. 139–155. https://academic.oup.com/ia/article/97/1/139/6041469?login=true; Barriers in Participative Water Governance: A Critical Analysis of Community Development Approaches,” (with Raghav Shunglu et al.) Water, Vol. 14, Issue 5, 2022,762. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/5/762; “The role of irrigation associations and privatization policies in irrigation management in Turkey,” Water International, Vol. 45, Issue 2, 2020, pp. 83-90; “State-of-the-art review of transboundary water governance in the Euphrates-Tigris river basin,” International Journal of Water Resources Development, Vol. 35, No. 1, 2019, pp. 4-29.
Guest Speaker
Social Science Historical Facts on Conflicts
Dr. Selim Erhan was born in Istanbul Turkey. After graduating with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Istanbul, he continued his studies at Western Michigan University with a Ph.D. in Polymer-Organic Chemistry. After teaching at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College and Lake Michigan College, he started a research career first at the USDA’s National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL. He continued his career in the private industry, working on application of bio-based products to industrial applications.
Dr. Erhan started actively working on introducing Turkey and the Turkish Culture in USA while studying at Western Michigan University in 1980. He joined the Turkish American Cultural Alliance in 2000 and became active in educational activities and in 2009. He was the co-founder of the highly successful TACA – Public Outreach Program, aiming at educating middle school, high school and university students on important issues. The Public Outreach Organization brought speakers like Prof. Justin McCarthy, Prof. Turkkaya Ataov, Emre Kongar and Lincoln McCurdy.
In 2013 he joined TACA’s Board of Directors and became the Director of the Ataturk School and the Adult Turkish School. Continued as the TACA Public Outreach Chair preparing seminars and conferences to reach out and enlighten the public in the Midwest region.
Dr. Erhan was elected as ATAA’s Midwest Region VP 2015 to 2019. He has continued working at ATAA, helped to form the UN Committee and was instrumental to form the highly successful Turkish American Presidents Group under ATAA, improving communications with the Component Associations in USA and pulling in similar Turkish organizations from Canada.
In 2022, he was elected to ATAA’s Board of Trustees.
Dr. Erhan is planning to continue working on bringing Turkish and American groups together using his organization skills, people skills, education skills and his passion for harmony and peace.
ATAA UN Youth Forum Collaborative Panel Discussion
Next Generation is Inherited the Problems, not Created Them
Canan Bulut is a law student at Istanbul University, one of the oldest universities in Turkey and even in the world, was born in Istanbul in 2001. Canan, who knows English at B2 level and French at A2 level, will graduate in July 2023. In addition to the trainings she has been learning in the field of law, she also attended seminars, trainings and information meetings on global issues such as “freedom of expression, refugee children, climate crisis, human rights” in recent years.
She is a member of the Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association (TURMEPA) as she is interested in environmental and sustainability issues. Particularly interested in international diplomacy and law, democracy, human rights and environmental issues, She aims to work in international organizations such as the UN in global areas. She loves going to movie readings, playing the violin and walking in the nature.
Water Diplomacy- Peaceful Strategies to Make Positive and Sustainable Impact
Ece Yenigün is currently in her second year of university, studying as a Political Science major at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Throughout her elementary, middle, and high school years, Ece attended the United Nations International School where she successfully completed the International Baccalaureate Program and earned her IB Diploma; studying biology and socio-cultural anthropology as her Higher Level subjects, as well as composing an extended essay in the French language. Her proficiency in four languages (English, Turkish, French, and Spanish) has allowed her to become the aspiring communicator she is today. In addition to academic excellence, Ece was the Captain of both the Girl’s Varsity Basketball and Volleyball Team during her high school years. Within her fourteen years of experience as a violinist, Ece has performed at Carnegie Hall twice and continues to portray her commitment and aspiration for the instrument by playing with the Union College String Orchestra. Moreover, Ece has also pursued her interest in humanitarian work through internship opportunities such as The New Neighbors Partnership at Columbia University, along with volunteer work with the Turkish Red Crescent Community (Turk Kizilay) at ‘Nizip 2’ and ‘Elbeyli’ Temporary Refugee Accommodation Centers in Gaziantep, Turkey. During her days of volunteering services, Ece had the opportunity of mentoring Syrian refugee children whereby she assisted in aid and food distribution, taught English and Turkish classes, as well as participated in arts and sports activities, such as the implementation of a ceramics course under the framework of a juvenile rehabilitation program.
Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) is a fast-growing umbrella organization of Turkish American associations throughout the United States, and Turkey, dedicated to pursuing the interests of Turkish Americans and friends of Turkey in Washington and beyond.
July 14, 2020, Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) “Association” with United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN-DGC) was approved and ATAA Committee on UN Relations was formed.
Established in 1979 to fight defamation and attacks on Turkish Americans, ATAA has evolved to be the most influential grassroots umbrella organization for the Turkish American community in the United States, Canada and Turkey.
The strength of ATAA not only comes from its ability to unite many local Turkish-American organizations but also its ability to empower them. The ATAA Board of Directors, representing 13 different geographical regions within the U.S., brings the voice of many Turkish Americans to this organization. This representation, creating a network of communities, enables transference of ideas, brings about new solutions to existing problems, and in turn empowers the communities during the process. Since 1979, to this date, the Assembly has managed to serve this purpose only through the “volunteerism” of its Board of Directors. As a non-faith-based organization, ATAA is open to people of diverse backgrounds. ATAA is governed by the Board of Directors with executive responsibility and a Board of Trustees that provides financial guidance and oversight. ATAA is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization that relies on membership dues, private donations, as well as private and public grants.
Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA) established on September 17, 1958 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in New York, Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA) aims to preserve and teach Turkish language and culture to the future generations. The association is one of the oldest active Turkish-American organizations in the USA and it also hosts the New York TWLA Atatürk School, which has been a pride since 1971. TWLA carries out is the activities that will enable friendship and understanding between American and Turkish women and works devotedly with institutions and non-governmental organization to achieve and preserve the deserved respected place of women in the society.
For inquire or question please email to: soutwestvp@ataa.org (Alev Wieland) or midwesttvp@ataa.org (Yucel Burdurlu).
Website: www.ataa.org | https://www.ataa.org/u-n
References:
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
https://sdg.iisd.org/events/international-day-of-multilateralism-and-diplomacy-for-peace-2022/
Related: ATAA BECOMES ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF THE UNDGC
https://www.ataa.org/newsletter/ataa-becomes-associate-member-of-the-un-dgc
