The opening ceremony of the Civil Society Dialogue project, which is under the programme bringing together civil society organizations from Turkey and the EU around common topics, to exchange knowledge and experience, and to build a sustained conversation between the organizations was held on 10 April 2019 in Ankara, Turkey. The event was supported by a large number of civil society representatives from the diverse group of organizations including public organizations, embassies and civil society organizations.
After welcoming the audience of around 300 people, the Ankara State Conservatory Alumni Association, also a grant beneficiary of the Civil Society Support Programme then turned the event into a musical ceremony with a mini concert. Just after the show, the event started with the opening remarks of Mehmet Selim Uslu, Director of Central Finance and Contracts Unit, Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of Delegation to European Union to Turkey, and Ambassador Faruk Kaymakçı, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs & Director for EU Affairs; continued with the panel “Introduction of Civil Society Dialogue and Civil Society Support Programme.
Speaking at the event, Christian Berger, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, said: “EU support to civil society is an important priority of financial assistance to Turkey. A dynamic civil society is one where citizens can freely associate and engage in a civil action.”
Summary of the Civil Society Dialogue Programme
The Programme is co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). The Ministry for European Union Affairs is the responsible institution for the technical implementation of the programme, while the Central Finance and Contracts Unit is the contracting authority.
Since its launch in 2008, the Civil Society Dialogue Programme has supported over 600 dialogue partnerships through 350 projects in many different fields, witnessing hundreds of activities to bring EU and Turkish communities closer together and create a greater mutual understanding amongst them. To date through the first three phases, a total of 42.5 million euros has funded these activities.
For more information, please visit www.civilsocietydialogue.org
