The annual report of 2015 activities and commitments for 2016

1. ONE YEAR AFTER LOCAL ELECTIONS
FOR LOCAL, PARTICIPATORY, TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE
ISTANBUL FOR ALL INITIATIVE
WHAT WE’VE DONE - WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO

2. Istanbul for All Intiative (IHG) - 3 Main Goals
• Support citizen participation in local government
• Facilitate citizen monitoring of local government
• Develop an understanding of the need to monitor; and create an
environment conducive to citizen monitoring of local government (its
institutions, bureaucrats and elected officials)
The “Istanbul for All İntiative” has 3 Main Goals

3. IHG - MISSION
• Guiding document is the “Istanbul Covenant”
• Independent of all political parties and governments
• Main goal is to create awareness around the concept of subsidiarity
• Supports initiatives and policies which promote citizen participation. Aims
to create knowledge around this topic and make it easily accessible for
public access
• Identifies initiatives which will strengthen local administrations and render
them sustainable; then develop these areas to the extent that İHG’s
resources permit

4. # Towards a new
understanding of
governance
# To redefine our rights in
Istanbul’s changing urban
climate
# To reestablish our ties
to the past
# To plan for the future
together
ISTANBUL COVENANT – “a civilian urban constitution”

5. Istanbul Covenant Brochure
I live in Istanbul
I am signing the Istanbul
Covenant so that I may live
in a better Istanbul.
With its its greenery, its waterfront, its culture and history my city is an important part of
the world heritage; I am responsible for its future and its development.
My neighborhood, with my neighbors and all its colors, is a shared space and I vow to hold
on to it.
We deserve honest and transparent governance: I want to partcicipate.

6. As signatories to this covenant, we want to assume responsibility and participate in the decision
making process focused on Istanbul’s development, administration and future. We take
responsibility for of our city and we ask that those who are candidates for administering our city
also take responsibility for it it. No matter which political party is in power, our expectation is that
our city will be governed in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity, participatory democracy
and transparency.
And we, both the governed and those who govern, promise to work together in keeping with the
principles outlined in the Covenant.
To read and sign the Istanbul Covenant click here.
ISTANBUL COVENANT – “a civilian urban Constitution”

7. ISTANBUL COVENANT PROCESS
Prior to the 30 March local elections:
• More than 20,000 citizens
• 3 İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidates, and
• more than 50 local mayoral candidates signed the İstanbul Covenant
• 6 other cities have developed covenants of their own modeled on the İstanbul
Covenant.
Following local elections:
• We are monitoring the progress made by the mayoral candidates who won the
elections, using the principles laid out in the Istanbul Covenant;
• we are working to increase the visibility of the Istanbul Covenant; and
• to get citizens to take ownership of the Istanbul Covenant.

8. We are signatories to the Istanbul
Covenant because each
signature is a pledge from one
citizen to the other to work
towards a better Istanbul. Every
pledge that we make is also an
open invitation to those who are
candidates to govern the city:
“We ask that you sign this
Covenant first as a citizen; then
as candidate, promising to
adhere to the principles laid out
in this document,” We citizens
are signing the Covenant and
with each signature we are saying
to those who administer our city,
“I’m watching you.“
Istanbul Covenant Brochure

9. 4 of the mayors elected on 30 March have
signed the Istanbul Covenant:
• Adalar Mayor Atilla Aytaç
• Beşiktaş Mayor Murat Hazinedar
• Kadıköy Mayor Aykurt Nuhoğlu
• Şişli Mayor Hayri İnönü
We have met with these Mayors and have
informed them that that we will be
monitoring and reporting on their
adherence to the principles laid out in the
Istanbul Covenant.
Our initiative in this area continues.
Istanbul Covenant Brochure

10. PROJECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN COMPLETED IN THE AREAS OF
STRENGTHENING LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND LOCAL
PARTICIPATION
When my neighborhood is governed well,
Istanbul is governed well.
“Meet your Muhtar” Project and the
Report on the Muhtarlik Institution
What You
Can/Should Do Right
Now
Public and local administration Expert
Local
Governance:
Stories of
Success

11. 7 ways to participate in your local government
1. Meet your muhtar (neighborhood official)
2. Become a member of your neighborhood council
3. Volunteer for municipal neighborhood duties
4. Participate in the development of the strategic plan for your
municipality
5. Monitor the workings of the municipal institutions dedicated to
gender equality
6. Monitor the workings of the City Council
7. Sign the İstanbul Covenant
Infographics and videos available; social media activity
Click here for the infographics
WHAT YOU CAN DO HERE AND NOW FOR TRANSPARENT
AND PARTİCİPATORY LOCAL GOVERNMENT

12. In the spirit of participatory local government, the aim of this project is to:
• encourage the citizens of Istanbul to get to know the muhtars responsible for their own
neighborhood;
• through visits with muhtars, develop an understanding of the current situation on the
ground
Sample findings:
• Political parties are taking over the services provided by (-or- responsibilities of) muhtars.
• The influence of muhtars over their neighborhoods is being weakened (by the central
government.)
• Muhtars have little confidence in participatory democracy.
• Neighborhoods are becoming increasingly politicized and polarized.
(Infographics and videos, social media activity, local visits and reports.)
To read the report on the findings from the muhtar visits, click here (Turkish).
** Muhtar: elected official with primary responsibility for the neighborhood: a non political
position unique to Turkey
GET TO KNOW YOUR MUHTAR**

13. We have collected success stories on local government and
citizen participation from Istanbul and other provinces to help
spread the word.
Success stories from:
• Antalya City Council
• Bursa Nilüfer Municipality Neighborhood Committees
• Çanakkale Fevzipaşa Neighborhood Initiative
• Sahrayıcedit Neighborhood Parliament
• Silivri Neighborhood Council
(Video, social media activity, and visits with local officials.)
Click here to watch the videos of these success stories.
LOCAL GOVERNANCE: STORIES OF SUCCESS

14. To promote understanding of the responsibilities of local municipalities and
increase citizen participation, we interviewed subject matter expert Fikret
Toksöz (academic, governance specialist.)
Sample Questions:
• Why should citizens participate in local government?
• Where are the decisions regarding my neighborhood taken?
• Where do I direct my complaints regarding zoning plans on my street?
Videos and social media activity
Click here to watch the Fikret Bey videos
ASK FİKRET BEY: WHAT EXACTLY IS
LOCAL GOVERNMENT?

15. AUDITING THE MUNICIPALITY BUDGET
• Working with the group Kamu Harcamalarını İzleme Platformu
(Platform for Monitoring Public Spending) we have begun a fiscal
review of the the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
• This fiscal review of the Istanbul municipalities encompasses the 7-
year period from 2006 to 2013. The final report will provide the
public with easy access to a comparison of the budget with actual
spending; sources of income; and a breakdown of the long term debt
for their local municipality.
Click here to access the “Kamu Harcamalarını İzleme Platformu"
website:

16. PHOTO CONTEST: ISTANBUL FOR NO ONE

17. • Everyday Istanbulites are witnesses to bulldozers and cars polluting our air and seas;
and stealing (appropriating) our green spaces resulting in the loss of our quality of
life. We want to put a stop to this.
• To document the losses and the damage being done to our city; and to encourage
Istanbulites to reflect on their relationship with their city, IHG organized a photo
contest the theme of which was “ISTANBUL FOR NO ONE”
• To ensure maximum participation and make it easy for people to participate in the
contest, contestants were asked to submit their entries via Instagram.
• The jury, comprised of world famous photogapher Ara Güler, Murat Germen, Selva
Gürdoğan, İpek Akpınar and Levent Erden, selected the top 3 photographs from
among the more than 1200 entries received. An additional 7 photographs were
deemed worthy of an honourable mention and 100 were selected to be exhibited.
IN A CHANGİNG İSTANBUL, WHAT IS THERE THAT YOU
DON’T WANT TO LOSE?
Done

18. • Municipalities are legally bound to develop their strategic plans
within the 6-month period following local elections. We
informed all the municipalities of our desire to participate in the
strategic plan development process.
• We received a positive response from 3 of the municipalities. We
have shared our thoughts and recommendations on participatory,
local and transparent governance with these municipalities.
Click here to read our evaluation of the Şişli Municipality Strategic Plan.
PARTICIPATING in the DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL
MUNICIPAL STRATEGIC PLANS

19. WHAT WE WEREN’T ABLE TO ACHIEVE THIS PAST YEAR
• We have not achieved our target for increasing citizen awareness of
participatory local government.
• We have been less than successful in promoting our initiatives. The
intensity of the national agenda and lack of interest on the part of the
media are two important reasons for this. We need to develop creative
solutions to overcome these obstacles.
• While we have faced serious challenges promoting our initiatives and
our goals locally, our work on strengthening local democracy has
resonated with a variety of EU institutions.

20. OUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT TERM
• During the 2015 general elections, we asked the Istanbul MP candidates
to sign the Istanbul Covenant. Furthermore, we will ask them to put the
major issues facing Istanbul on the Parliamentary agenda. We will also
be evaluating their performance vis-a-vis their commitment to the
principles outlined in the Istanbul Covenant.
• Focus on the effective use of social media to promote awareness of
subsidiarity.
• Continue to promote citizen awareness of and increase knowledge on
citizen participation in local government. All of our initiatives will be
presented in an easy to access “Guide to Participating in Local
Government.”

21. istanbulhepimizin.org
info@istanbulhepimizin.org
youtube.com/istanbulhepimiz
facebook - isthepimizin
twitter - @isthepimizin
instagram - istanbulhepimizin
ONE YEAR AFTER LOCAL ELECTIONS
FOR LOCAL, PARTICIPATORY, TRANSPARENT GOVERNANCE
ISTANBUL FOR ALL INITIATIVE
WHAT WE’VE DONE - WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO