The Second Phase of the Capacity Building Training on Town Twinning Concluded in Ankara
The TWIN Project, which aims to establish sustainable structures for knowledge and experience sharing between local administrations in Turkey and EU Member States, continues its “Capacity Building Trainings on Town Twinning.” The second phase of the training program was held in Ankara from 11–14 December 2018, hosted by the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (UMT).
The event brought together 52 participants from metropolitan, provincial, and district municipalities, provincial special administrations, governorships, and district governorates representing 33 different cities. The participants received an extensive training program covering topics such as the institutional framework of town twinning, thematic approaches, capacity development, and sustainability. The program opened with speeches by Cemal Baş, Head of the Projects and Financing Department of UMT, and Bülent Özcan, Head of Project Implementation at the Directorate for EU Affairs.
Following the opening remarks, the project framework was presented. Prof. Dr. Birgül Demirtaş provided an overview of the institutional framework of town twinning, while Fikret Toksöz discussed the shared values between local administrations in Turkey and the EU, as well as the roles of major institutions such as the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR). The session also addressed local government reform and contributions to the EU accession process within the framework of the Municipality Law and the Associations Law.
On the second day, Prof. Dr. Birgül Demirtaş delivered sessions on the history, theory, practical applications, and benefits of town twinning, followed by discussions on building mutual trust, effective communication, and intercultural dialogue.
On the third day, Sinan Özden presented key themes and thematic approaches in town twinning initiatives, emphasizing the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) and local stakeholders in enhancing international cooperation capacity.
The final day featured a session by Metehan Gültaşlı on democracy, good governance, and stakeholder engagement in town twinning initiatives. Subsequently, TWIN Project Team Leader Sadun Emrealp discussed sustainability strategies, strengths and weaknesses analysis, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for ongoing collaboration between Turkish and EU municipalities.
The training concluded with a closing speech by A. Hakan Atik on behalf of the Directorate for EU Affairs, followed by a certificate ceremony for all participants.
