Taking the Pulse of Civil Society in Turkey

Conditions show signs of improvement as challenges persist, monitoring groups say.

Turkey's civil society is becoming more dynamic and open even as obstacles to its development remain, according to national and international experts.

The South Africa-based World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) gave Turkey moderate marks in a recent report on the state of civil society across the world. Its Enabling Environment Index looked at indicators such as media freedom, civil society infrastructure, and legal regulations to assess the relative openness of civil society activism in dozens of nations. New Zealand received the highest score with 0.85, while Turkey clocked in at 0.48.

Ayca Haykir, general coordinator of Ankara-based Civil Society Development Centre, which works to empower civil society organisations (CSOs), said the groups are becoming more active and professional, adding that better co-ordination with the government is still needed.

"Turkey has gone through major transformations in recent years. At the same time, society isn't able to debate key questions freely enough to create a basis for solutions," Haykir told SES Türkiye.

"There are several rich opportunities to redefine the relationship between the state and civil society in a positive way. At the same time, CSOs don't have enough human resources, financial capabilities or intellectual capacity to address the many problems that exist."

Semanur Karaman, project assistant at the Third Sector Foundation of Turkey, which works to empower civil society, agreed that authorities have shown greater willingness to engage with CSOs in recent years.

"Especially with the consultation meetings Constitutional Reconciliation Commission has been conducting, relations between CSOs and public sector flourished in 2012, providing an important opportunity for democratisation," Karaman told SES Türkiye.

The commission has held public consultations with professional associations, trade unions and CSOs all over the country to gather input for the new constitution. Experts emphasised the need for systematic consultation between the public sector and the civil society on a continuous basis, not only when the public sector deems it expedient.

The European Commission's 2012 progress report on Turkish accession said CSOs "continued to face fines, closure proceedings, and administrative obstacles to their operation." According to Haykir, greater freedom of expression and organisation would support Turkey's democratisation.

"This will also open more space for the civil society in the country and change the perception of the citizens, everyone from Kurdish people to the LGBT associations, regarding civil initiatives," Haykir said.

The CIVICUS report also said prosecutions of lawyers, journalists, and activists have hindered the work of civil society. Some have been brought to trial for "legitimate expression of views or peaceful activities in relation to Kurdish matters, including public statements, participation in a protest, or the provision of legal assistance," the report states.

AKP Deputy Chairman Ekrem Erdem said in a recent speech that the government supports an active and engaged civil society.

"Politics and civil society is intertwined. Civil society organisations are just as crucial to democracy as political parties. They're important sources of pressure," Erdem said, according to a transcript published on the AKP's website. "They create serious pressure on politicians as they work to fulfil their founding goals. Therefore, as someone who has come from that tradition, I consider civil society organisations important."

Turkey is currently revising its legislation on funding for CSOs. Fund-raising activities are tightly monitored, and donations cannot be deducted from corporate taxes. CSOs hope the occasion will be used as an opportunity to liberalise the system.

"We are proposing that, in line with many other countries' experiences, citizens should be entitled to transfer a small portion of their taxes for the benefit of a specific NGO in order to ensure financial sustainability and develop the capacity of CSOs," Haykir told SES Türkiye.

There are 95,897 registered CSOs in Turkey as of May 2013, an increase of about 6,400 from a year ago, according to the General Directorate of Associations. Meanwhile, 12 percent of citizens of Turkey are registered members of non-governmental associations, according to the Third Sector Foundation.

Kaynak: Menekse Tokyay/ SES Turkey