The National Summit of the Erasmus+ KA154-YOU (Youth Engagement) project “The Role of Youth in Türkiye’s Marine Climate Strategy”, implemented by Ankara University National Center for the Sea and Maritime Law (DEHUKAM) and funded by the Turkish National Agency, was held at Ankara EBS Hotel between 2-5 December 2024.
The project aims to contribute to the sustainable future of Türkiye by making young people an active part of this process with the innovative ideas and contributions of young people in shaping the marine climate strategies of our country and raising awareness on the law of the sea, started with the Central Anatolia Regional Workshop and was completed with the National Summit Program in Ankara on 2-5 December 2024 after the Aegean, Marmara, Black Sea and Mediterranean Regional Workshops.
On 5 December 2024, Mr Ahmet Aydın, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and Member od DEHUKAM Advisory Board who attended the Closing Ceremony, emphasized the critical role of young people in the protection of marine ecosystems and the fight against climate change and that the protection of the seas is vital for all living things and invited young people to be more active. “It will be possible to strengthen Türkiye’s strategic plans in areas such as the protection of biodiversity in our seas, combating climate change, sustainable fisheries and marine tourism with the contributions of our young people.” In the continuation of his speech, Aydın stated that the protection of the seas is critical not only for natural ecosystems but also for the future of the country and the world and said, “The protection of our seas is not only to protect our nature but also the future of our country and the world. Türkiye’s climate strategy will be strengthened with the determination and efforts of our youth, and our seas will have a healthier future.”
“Our seas are the continuation of our homeland lands. Our continental shelf and exclusive economic zones, which we call ‘Blue Homeland’ministry of labo, express not only our economic interests but also our responsibility to sustainably protect the ecosystem and natural resources of the seas.” he added.
In his speech, Orhan Solak, Deputy President of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, emphasized that climate change has become one of the biggest crises on a global scale. Solak stated that climate change is not only limited to disasters but also has wide-ranging impacts that lead to disruption of global supply chains, shrinkage of production areas, water and food crises and climate migration.
Alim Sarıaslan, Youth Coordinator of the Turkish National Agency, explained Erasmus+ Youth Opportunities to the young people and explained the opportunities for young people to gain international experience and participate in projects with the support of the European Union, emphasizing that the experiences that young people will gain in the international arena will strengthen Türkiye’s strategic goals in the fight against climate change.
Dr. Mustafa Başkara, CEO of DEHUKAM, said “We set out to receive the contributions, opinions and suggestions of young people” and emphasized that it is impossible to ignore the effects of climate change, which is strongly felt in all areas of life, on the seas, and that the sustainability of the seas and the method of leaving a clean and prosperous life to future generations is possible by protecting the environment and minimizing the effects of the climate.