Turkish aid agency TİKA marks 28th anniversary of foundation

With thousands of projects realized since its establishment, Turkey's state-run aid and development agency TİKA is marking the 28th anniversary of its foundation this year.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) was founded on Jan. 24, 1992 as a government-run agency to help the countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus which gained independence following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Operating under the auspices of Foreign Ministry for seven years since its foundation, TİKA started in 1999 to carry out its projects under the now-defunct Prime Ministry.

The aid agency, which started its operations with offices in Turkic nations in Central Asia, expanded its coverage, launching news offices in various countries.

Since its establishment, TİKA has carried out approximately 30,000 projects in nearly 170 countries on five continents.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Serkan Kayalar, TİKA's acting head, said: "The development of TİKA has gone parallel with the development of Turkey. It is also directly related to the foreign policy of our country."

TİKA carried out almost 90% of its projects after 2002 when the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party came to power, and it has implemented more than 25,000 projects and activities since 2004.

The aid agency had 12 offices abroad in 2002, and the number rose to 33 in 2012, according to Kayalar. It is currently active in five continents with 62 offices in 60 countries.

In 2005, TİKA opened its first office in Africa and it currently has 22 offices in the continent, he added.

TİKA's activities and projects

TİKA has produced tangible, modern and highly sustainable projects in a wide area from Central Asia to the Balkans, from Africa to Latin America and South Asia, Kayalar said.

Its work area covers education, health, infrastructure, restoration, culture, and humanitarian aid.

Last year, TİKA implemented approximately 2,000 projects in more than 100 countries.

It enabled nearly 100,000 students to benefit from educational services with 346 projects.

In healthcare, it carried more than 140 projects to reach some 900,000 people, while providing vocational training for nearly 5,000 doctors, civil servants, and experts.

During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, TİKA organized dinners to break a fast (iftar) in 150 cities in more than 50 countries.

The agency restored 21 buildings in more than 10 countries and supported some 120 events, including symposiums, panels, scientific gatherings, and conferences.

The restoration of 11 buildings by TİKA in six countries are ongoing.

Since 2011, TİKA carried out restoration and renovation works of 90 historic structures, including mosques, tombs, madrasahs, clock towers, castles, Turkish baths, complexes, and fountains.

The aid agency launched its 62nd office in Nicosia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) last December. It plans to open the next office in Nigeria this year.

For the next three years, TİKA aims to realize 190 projects for the construction, equipment, and renovation of cultural facilities.

It also plans to carry out 51 restoration projects, including 20 in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, four in East and South Asia Pacific as well as Latin America, 17 in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and 10 in the Middle East and Africa.

Turkish-style development model

Turkey's approach in development cooperation is renowned internationally with its human-oriented, non-discriminatory, sincere, transparent, equal relationship and partnership.

Kayalar said it takes into account the priorities and needs of countries, respecting the environment, local culture and national values.

"The world is a place where inequality increases. There are serious difficulties in global development and especially in the field of aid abroad regarding access to the field," he said.

What differs TİKA from other equivalent organizations across the world is that the Turkish agency responds directly to demands of people and countries, Kayalar said.

TİKA uses almost all of the budget allocated for a project in the field, he added.

Prestige works

"We have nearly 120 prestige projects ready for launching in nearly 35 countries from Africa to Central Asia and the Americas continent," he said.

Among prestige projects ready to be launched is the construction of Palestine-Turkey friendship hospital in Palestine, Turkey Friendship Hospital in Niger, Somalia National Assembly building in the capital Mogadishu.

Also in Iraq, the restoration projects of Sheikh Abdulkadir Geylani Complex in the capital Baghdad, the historical Kayseri Bazaar -- devastated in a fire in Kirkuk city -- and the tombs of Abyssinian King Najashi -- who accepted the first Muslims fleeing Arabia -- and his companions in Ethiopia was completed and ready to open.

TİKA will start the restoration of the Imami Azam Complex in Baghdad, the construction of Tunyuquq the Wise Museum in Mongolia and the Center of Excellence in Pakistan's capital Islamabad as a prestige work.