PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1st MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY ... · Objective defined by the COMCEC...
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1 st MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY ALLEVIATION WORKING GROUP Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member Countries: Improving Human Capital COMCEC COORDINATION OFFICE June 2013 Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)
Transcript of PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1st MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY ... · Objective defined by the COMCEC...
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1st MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY ALLEVIATION WORKING GROUP
Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member Countries: Improving Human Capital
COMCEC COORDINATION OFFICE June 2013
Standing Committee
for Economic and Commercial Cooperation
of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1st MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY
ALLEVIATION WORKING GROUP
ON
ENHANCING PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY OF THE POOR IN THE COMCEC MEMBER COUNTRIES: IMPROVING HUMAN CAPITAL
(June 27th, 2013, Ankara, Turkey)
COMCEC COORDINATION OFFICE June 2013
Standing Committee
for Economic and Commercial Cooperation
of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC)
For further information please contact:
Mr. Mehmet FİDAN
Expert
Mr. Mehmet Akif ALANBAY
Expert
COMCEC Coordination Office
Necatibey Caddesi No: 110/A
06100 Yücetepe
Ankara/TURKEY
Phone : 903122945710
Fax : 903122945777
Web : www.comcec.org
e-mail : [email protected]
Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1
1. Opening Session ................................................................................................................ 2
2. The COMCEC Strategy and Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger in the
Member Countries ................................................................................................................... 2
2.1. The COMCEC Strategy on Poverty Alleviation ......................................................... 2
2.2. Outlook of Poverty in the COMCEC Region .............................................................. 4
3. Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member Countries:
Improving Human Capital ...................................................................................................... 5
3.1. Analytical Study on "Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in theCOMCEC
Member Countries: Improving Human Capital" .................................................................... 5
3.2. Questions and Answers ............................................................................................... 8
4. The Role of NGOs and International Development Institutions in
EnhancingProductive Capacity of the Poor ........................................................................... 8
4.1. Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) ....................................................... 8
4.2. The Vocational Education and Training Programme (OIC-VET) .............................. 9
4.3. Experiences of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian
Relief (IHH) in the COMCEC Region ................................................................................. 10
5. Member State Presentations .......................................................................................... 12
5.1. Azerbaijan .................................................................................................................. 12
5.2. Cameroon ................................................................................................................... 13
5.3. Egypt .......................................................................................................................... 14
5.4. Gambia ....................................................................................................................... 15
5.5. Indonesia .................................................................................................................... 16
5.6. Suriname .................................................................................................................... 18
5.7. Turkey ........................................................................................................................ 19
6. Brainstorming Session: The Ways and Means of Enhancing Cooperation Among the
COMCEC Member Countries for Increasing Productive Capacity of the Poor Through
Improving Human Capital .................................................................................................... 20
7. The Way Forward: Utilizing the COMCEC Project Cycle Management (PCM) .... 26
8. Closing Remarks ............................................................................................................. 28
Annex 1: Agenda of the Meeting ........................................................................................... 30
Annex 2: Programme of the Meeting ................................................................................... 31
Annex 3: Possible Questions for Brainstorming Session .................................................... 34
Annex 4: List of Participants ................................................................................................. 35
1
Introduction
The First Meeting of the l Poverty Alleviation Working Group was held on June 27th, 2013 in
Ankara, Turkey with the theme of “Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC
Member Countries: Improving Human Capital”.
The Meeting was attended by the representatives of 13 Member States, which have previously
notified their focal points for the Poverty Alleviation Working Group namely, Afghanistan,
Azerbaijan, Benin, Cameroon, Egypt, Gambia, Indonesia, Jordan, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Suriname
and Turkey. The representatives of COMCEC Coordination Office, Statistical, Economic and Social
Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), Islamic Development Bank (IDB),
The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) and some other
guests also attended the Meeting.
During the Meeting, the representatives of the COMCEC Coordination Office briefed the
participants about the COMCEC Strategy on Poverty Alleviation and the Poverty Outlook in the
COMCEC Member States. The COMCEC Strategy defines Poverty Alleviation as one of the six
cooperation areas of the COMCEC. The Poverty Alleviation Working Group, being one of the
implementation instruments of the COMCEC Strategy aims at bringing together the technical
experts from the Member States for exchanging experiences, disseminating knowledge and
developing common understanding on the important issues.
The Meeting discussed enhancing productive capacity of the poor through improving human
capital and the Study namely “Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC
Member Countries: Improving Human Capital” which is considered as a valuable reference
document for enhancing productive capacity of the poor in the Member Countries.
Representatives of some of the Member States also made presentations on their experience in
enhancing productive capacity through improving human capital. The presentations depicted
the relevant laws, institutions, success stories and challenges in increasing productive capacity
of the poor in the concerned Member States. The Meeting also provided the opportunity to the
representatives from the international/non-governmental organizations to share their
experiences on the implementation of programs/projects aiming at augmenting productive
capacity.
The presentations and deliberations made during the meeting highlighted the fact that,
increasing productivity and the role of agriculture sector especially stronger extension programs
are crucial. Social safety net programs and conditional cash transfers are also important means
for poverty reduction. They also noted that, supporting labour intensive sectors is important to
help employment creation. Another significant point is the fact that technical and vocational
education and training (TVET) need to be given high priority with a greater involvement of the
private sector in the process. Furthermore, reducing the number of poor people should be on the
basis of the national poverty level definitions and national conditions for poverty.
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1. Opening Session
The Meeting was inaugurated with a recitation from the Holy Quran. At the outset, Mr. Mehmet
Metin EKER, Director General of the COMCEC Coordination Office briefed the participants on the
Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (COMCEC). COMCEC is the responsible platform within the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) for enhancing economic and commercial cooperation among its 57 Member
States. COMCEC meets annually at ministerial level under the chairmanship of the Turkish
President in İstanbul to review the cooperation efforts and adopts resolutions for enhancing
cooperation.
In his Statement, Mr. EKER gave background information on the COMCEC Strategy and the
establishment of the Working Groups. He underlined the importance of the COMCEC Strategy
which envisages a member driven COMCEC and establishes the working Groups in the
cooperation areas aiming at bringing together the relevant experts from the Member States
regularly together to exchange experiences, achievements, best practices and to consider
obstacles. He also added that, the COMCEC Project Cycle Management, the second
implementation instrument of the Strategy presents clearly identified procedures and financial
framework for implementation of the projects developed by the Member States to serve
reaching the objectives of the Strategy.
Afterwards, he mentioned the rationale of establishing poverty alleviation working group. He
stated that despite rapid economic growth in many member countries, poverty still remains as a
crucial problem in these countries’ agenda. Economic growth itself is not enough for
development and poverty, in addition to its economic dimension has various social, cultural,
political aspects. It deserves much more attention and energy by all the related parties.
Lastly, Mr. EKER introduced the programme of the Meeting and expressed his wishes for
successful deliberations.
In accordance with the traditions of the OIC, Head of Delegation of the host country, Mr.
Ercüment IŞIK, Advisor to the Minister of Family and Social Policies of the Republic of Turkey,
was elected as the chairman of the Meeting.
Mr. IŞIK welcomed the participants to the First Meeting of the COMCEC Poverty Alleviation
Working Group and expressed his thanks for electing him as the chairman. He expressed his
gratitude to the COMCEC for establishing the Poverty Alleviation Working Group which will
bring the relevant experts from the Member States.
2. The COMCEC Strategy and Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger in
the Member Countries
2.1. The COMCEC Strategy on Poverty Alleviation
Mr. Selçuk KOÇ, Director of the COMCEC Coordination Office made a presentation on the
COMCEC Strategy particularly focusing on its poverty alleviation section.
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In his presentation, Mr. KOÇ first briefed the participants on the COMCEC Strategy, namely its
background, mission and vision, principles and cooperation areas. Secondly, he highlighted some
common challenges faced by the Member Countries in the area of poverty alleviation and how
the Strategy would address them. Lastly, he mentioned the implementation mechanism
introduced by the COMCEC Strategy.
Mr. KOÇ informed the participants that the COMCEC Strategy has been built on three principles
namely Enhancing Mobility, Strengthening Solidarity and Improving Governance. These
principles addressed the core and persistent challenges of the Islamic World and guided the
COMCEC efforts in six cooperation areas defined by the COMCEC Strategy, namely trade,
transport and communications, tourism, agriculture, poverty alleviation and finance.
Mr. KOÇ highlighted some major challenges in the field of the poverty alleviation in the COMCEC
region. These are:
Lack of Institutional and Human Capacity
Lack of Efficiency, Transparency and Accountability in Public Services
Lack of Aid Effectiveness
Lack of Absorption Capacity of Aid Recipient Members
Neglect of Vulnerable Groups
Adverse Effects of Global Food and Finance Crises
Underdeveloped Agriculture Sector and Unfavorable Global Trade Conditions
Conflicts and Disaster-related Challenges
Lack of Accurate and Reliable Data for Monitoring Poverty
He also mentioned that the COMCEC Strategy will address these challenges through its guiding
principles, strategic objectives as well as output areas. It was underlined that the Strategic
Objective defined by the COMCEC Strategy was "Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger in the
member countries." Mr. KOÇ stated that in order to achieve this Strategic Objective, Strategy
envisages four output areas namely, Aid Effectiveness, Productive Capacity of the Poor, Effective
Utilization of Financial Resources and Monitoring Poverty.
Lastly, Mr. KOÇ informed the participants on the new instruments introduced by the COMCEC
Strategy to achieve its strategic objective on poverty alleviation. He stated that as one of the
instruments of the Strategy for its implementation, Poverty Alleviation Working Group will
convene at least twice a year in Ankara with the participation of relevant experts from the
voluntary Member Countries with a view to producing and disseminating knowledge, sharing
experience and good practices, creating a common understanding and approximating policies
among the member countries. Moreover, Mr. KOÇ stated that the Member Countries which have
registered to the Poverty Alleviation Working Group can propose multilateral cooperation
projects in the field of poverty alleviation under the new Project Cycle Management (PCM)
mechanism which is the second instrument envisaged by the Strategy.
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2.2. Outlook of Poverty in the COMCEC Region
Ms. Hande HACIMAHMUTOĞLU, Expert of the COMCEC Coordination Office has presented some
of the key findings of the COMCEC Poverty Outlook 2013, prepared by herself on behalf of the
COMCEC Coordination Office.
In her presentation, Ms. HACIMAHMUTOGLU focused on the concept of poverty, the state of
poverty in the world and in the COMCEC Region, the global efforts on poverty alleviation and the
efforts on poverty alleviation in the COMCEC Region.
With regards to poverty, Ms. HACIMAHMUTOĞLU stated that since the perception of poverty
might change depending on the time and the place, it is needed to use a certain method to
investigate the situation of poverty. In this regard, she briefly explained the very frequently used
methods both in monetary and non-monetary terms, and she mentioned that in the poverty
outlook, for the monetary terms US$1.25 a day poverty line and as for the non-monetary terms
the Human Development Index, the Multidimensional Poverty Index and its indicators have been
utilized in order to analyze the state of poverty.
In her presentation, she shared some figures that she had developed by using the data from the
World Bank and the UNDP to reveal the state of poverty in the World and in the COMCEC Region.
She demonstrated the similarity between the progress of the monetary and the non-monetary
poverty indicators. Related to the global poverty situation, she explained poverty headcount
ratios at US$1.25 a day (PPP) and the income levels of the different types of human
development. As for the COMCEC Region, she explained GDP per capita PPP of some COMCEC
countries, the share of the low income COMCEC Countries’ total GDP in COMCEC Regions’ total
GDP, share of Human Development categories among the COMCEC member countries, Multi
Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) values of the COMCEC member countries and Global Hunger
Index values for some of the COMCEC member countries.
Giving the figures related to global poverty situation, Ms. HACIMAHMUTOĞLU indicated that, for
the period of 1990-2010, poverty levels decreased both in monetary and non-monetary terms
for most of the countries. Afterwards, elaborating the above-mentioned indicators for the three
sub-regions of COMCEC region, she demonstrated that monetary and non-monetary poverty
situations vary significantly between the Arab, the African and the Asian regions, while the most
serious poverty situation exists in the African region.
Ms. HACIMAHMUTOĞLU explicated the most prevalent two perspectives in poverty alleviations
efforts, namely pro-poor growth and human development approach. She briefly defined that
pro-poor growth refers to creating the conditions for the poor to enable their participation in
the growth process, and remove the obstacles on this process. On the other hand, human
development approach relies on a view that poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon that is
less responsive to quick-fix solutions. As the major programs and the strategies toward poverty
alleviation, she enumerated the Millennium Development Goals, poverty Reduction Strategies of
the World Bank and the IMF, Social Protection and Labour Strategy, the Comprehensive
Development Framework, official Development Assistance and micro-finance activities.
Regarding the strategies and the programmes on poverty alleviation in the COMCEC region, she
briefly explained the COMCEC Strategy, Ten-Year Programme of Action, Islamic Solidarity Fund
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for Development and Special Programme for Development of Africa, OIC Cotton Programme and
Vocational Education and Training Programme.
Underlining the gradually increasing efforts on poverty alleviation in the COMCEC Region, Ms.
HACIMAHMUTOĞLU summarized some important remarks related to poverty alleviation in the
region as follows:
Poverty is devastating for a significant number of COMCEC countries
Poverty has irreversible effects on the children, since child poverty leads to a vicious
cycle of poverty
The poor have low skills and very low labour productivity
Efforts towards reducing poverty in the COMCEC region should focus on the regional and
national disparities
To conclude, Ms. HACIMAHMUTOĞLU stated that, poverty alleviation is going to be an
outstanding issue on the COMCEC’s agenda that will be worked on in the days ahead.
3. Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member
Countries: Improving Human Capital
3.1. Analytical Study on "Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the
COMCEC Member Countries: Improving Human Capital"
Mr. Gregory MCTAGGART, Consultant made a presentation on the analytical study titled
“Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member Countries through
Improving Human Capital” commissioned by the COMCEC Coordination Office to the United
Nations Development Program (UNDP) Turkey.
In his presentation, Mr. MCTAGGART mainly focused on the key areas concerning improvement
of the human capital namely, economic situation, poverty, education, health, labour market,
SME’s and micro-business, social safety nets and equality. At the beginning of his presentation,
Mr. MCTAGGART emphasized the multi-dimensional characteristic of the poverty, COMCEC
efforts for reducing poverty and outlook of the poverty headcount in the world.
Mr. MCTAGGART stated that poverty is multi-dimensional phenomena in many terms:
Deprivation in well-being such as inadequate income and education, poor health,
insecurity and low level of self-confidence,
Inequality and vulnerability showing person’s current economic status relative to others,
Addresses the future risk of falling into poverty due to economic shocks, drought and
crisis, even if not necessarily poor at present,
Poverty has a strong negative impact on productivity and employability.
In this context, Mr. MCTAGGART mentioned that rapid and sustainable economic growth is key
to success. However, the crucial point is that economic growth is not enough to take people out
of poverty. Economic growth will not help us in alleviating poverty unless it is socially inclusive.
And much of economic growth in the COMCEC region has not been socially inclusive. He further
stated that taking into consideration the role of employment policies in poverty reduction
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supporting labour intensive sectors will help reducing poverty by employment creation. Keeping
in mind the role of agriculture in economies of the COMCEC Member Countries, Mr. MCTAGGART
underlined that agriculture is a critical source of income for many member countries. However,
low agricultural productivity absorbs many workers but generates limited income. Thus,
improving agricultural productivity will provide additional income so the people can send their
children to school, improve nutrition and reduce health risks. Further, better extension services
and more productive agriculture are prerequisite for an improved agriculture sector.
Underlining the role of economic growth in alleviating poverty, Mr. MCTAGGART mentioned on
the economic development in the COMCEC region by the regional groups. In this connection he
informed that COMCEC Asian region countries’ economic growth has slowed due to global
economic crisis. We have witnessed the same situation in African region, economic growth
slowing down due to recent economic/financial crisis. On the other hand, despite financial crisis,
the economic growth in Arab region is above world average. However, there is a wide diversity
among Arab region countries.
Mr. MCTAGGART continued his presentation by explaining the role of education in taking people
out of poverty. In his presentation Mr. MCTAGGART emphasized that education is one of the
most critical aspect of taking people out of poverty by improving human capacity. Because in
many cases if a person have not got education, he/she is going to find very hard to get a job.
Mentioning the role of education in alleviating poverty, he informed that the percentage of GDP
spend on education varies widely among the COMCEC member countries. The quality of
education varies widely as well.
Regarding education, Mr. MCTAGGART underlined that education spending does not depend on
the economic power of the country. For instance, some extremely wealthy COMCEC member
countries spend only a small proportion on education. On the other hand, some poor member
countries spend a large proportion of their GDP on education. Mentioning the importance of
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET), he stated that education systems in
many countries are no longer relevant to the labour market. In COMCEC member countries there
are either inappropriate TVET or it does not exist. Thus, there is a need to prioritize TVET.
Another key issue that has been highlighted by Mr. MCTAGGART is health. Health is always a key
issue in terms of improving human capital. Access to healthy environments, health care
providers and facilities contribute to reduced poverty and improved human capacity. GDP spent
on healthcare range from 0.9 to 6% (world average 10.1%) in Asian region, from 1.9% to 8.4%
in Arab region and from 1.9% to 8% in African region.
Underlining that employment is a key to moving people out of poverty, Mr. MCTAGGART stated
that to create jobs, member countries need to have a well-functioning labour market and
particularly a business-friendly regulatory environment to facilitate employment. In this
connection, insufficiently skilled employees are seen as major obstacle to business activity.
Another big problem is informal economy. High portion of economic activity and the labor force
is outside government control and its economic and social policies. Managing informality is a
challenge almost in all member countries. Therefore, it is needed to encourage informal
economies to provide enticement to their workers. On the other hand, you should not put too
much burden on them that they go even further into informal economies and they totally run
away.
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In his presentation, Mr. MCTAGGART mentioned that small and medium sized enterprises
(SMEs) and micro-business have provided the engine of the growth in many countries all around
the world. In some countries the percentage of enterprises that described as SMEs is around 80-
90 percent of all business around the countries. However, the SME sector is underdeveloped in
many countries. Thus, it needs support policies. In this regard, governments have a central role
to play in making it easier for SMEs to flourish and enabling business environment for SMEs
activities. Access to finance is one of the main problems SMEs faced in many member countries.
Continuing his presentation he stated that social safety nets (SSN) are central to poverty
reduction and there is growing evidence that social safety positively impact poverty. Further,
they help poor people meet their basic needs, including food, healthcare and education. And
conditional cash transfer is most well-known modality. Social Safety Nets (SSN) are mostly
works for human capital, particularly education and health. The problem in social safety nets is
that they are often hard to manage. In Asian region, several member countries after the global
financial crisis are considering expanding their social safety net programs. In Arab region, non-
governmental social safety nets and private income redistribution (zakat) are more efficient
than official state-owned networks in delivering aid to those who need it the most. And lastly in
Africa region, social safety nets through cash transfers are working well in many countries.
Before concluding his presentation Mr. MCTAGGART highlighted some key issues and
requirements for alleviating poverty in the COMCEC member countries:
Economic growth is a must, but not sufficient alone.
Countries which prioritize social development boost access to basic education, health,
and employment and cover the population against disasters directly enhance individual
welfare and achieve higher average incomes over the long term.
Agriculture is significant in poverty alleviation. There is a need for increased
productivity and stronger extension programs in this sector.
Support to labour intensive sectors help employment creation.
Countries with rich natural resources need to develop other sectors, which can absorb
higher labour force.
Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) needs a high priority and
greater involvement of the private sector
Increased investments in health, particularly primary health services with easier access
for poor.
Equal access to all levels of education is key as well as the quality. The education level of
parents has a direct impact on the education levels of the children, hence their
employability.
Access to finance is a challenge for all, but more for the poor. Alternative mechanisms
can work.
Safety nets are key to protecting the poor against risks of poverty. Very good modalities
link with health and education services, well known conditional cash transfers. But there
is a need for good targeting.
Managing informal sector is important.
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3.2. Questions and Answers
Following presentations, the participants raised their questions. Some of them are given below.
Q: Social Safety Net Programs and Conditional Cash Transfers are basic policy instruments that
have been used in reducing poverty. What are your opinions on these instruments?
A: I myself support the Conditional Cash Transfer. If a country does not have social safety net
program/protection system, it would be better to use conditional cash transfer basis. For
instance, to provide sustainability in attending schools you can have a criterion that how many
days they have to attend school to get cash transfer. If they do not attend 20 percent of all classes
given in an education season, the benefits provided by the State will withhold.
Q: In your analytical study COMCEC member Countries were classified under three groups. Does
it help your analysis? Do you think the grouping can be based on HDI, GDP, etc.?
A: Regions are mentioned in the report are three OIC Groups, in all OIC foras this grouping is
used. It is a geographical one and not helps us in our analysis. This grouping created problems
for us to make analyses. We have to re-group the countries since enormous differences exist in
this grouping. Reducing the number of poor people should be on the basis of the national
poverty level definitions and national conditions for poverty.
Q: How do you consider the role of the agriculture sector and rural development in reducing
poverty?
A: Agricultural productivity should be increased. Agriculture sector will need young labour
force. Regarding this issue the programs should focus on agriculture and rural development.
Access to the market in many countries is a problem not only for rural areas but it is also a
problem for the whole agriculture sector.
4. The Role of NGOs and International Development Institutions in
Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor
4.1. Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD)
Dr. Azhari Gasim AHMED, Lead Economist at the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) made a
presentation on a special program, namely ISFD, developed to fight with poverty in the OIC
member Countries. Dr. AHMED commenced his presentation by informing the participants about
the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD). The Fund has been established in the form
of a Waqf (i.e. Trust), with a principal target capital of US$10 billion. As of 27 June 2013, the level
of announced capital contributions to the ISFD stands at US$2.68 billion, announced by 44
member countries (US$1.68 billion) and the IDB (US$1.0 billion).
In his presentation Dr. AHMED stated that the Fund is dedicated to reducing poverty in the IDB
member countries by promoting pro-poor growth, emphasizing human development, especially
improvements in health care and education, and providing financial support to enhance the
productive capacity and sustainable means of income for the poor, including
financing employment opportunities, providing market outlets especially for the rural poor, and
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improving basic rural and peri-urban infrastructure. He pointed out that these objectives are
linked directly to the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and are also
in line with the IDB 2020 Vision. The financing of the Fund is provided on concessional terms,
primarily for the 28 least developed member countries of the IDB.
Continuing his presentation Dr. AHMED informed the participants about the thematic programs
of the ISFD. Two thematic programs have been emphasized by the ISFD for implementation for
poverty reduction: Vocational Literacy Program (VOLIP) and Microfinance Support Program
(MFSP). He emphasized that the ratio of the mark-up of the credits is 0.75% per year. The total
cost of each of these two programs is estimated at US$500 million over a five-year period. The
amount is divided evenly over the five year period i.e. US$100.0 million annually. These
programs are targeting mainly women and people living in the rural areas. Although these
programs are formed separately, they are in fact going together during the implementation.
Dr. AHMED gave some information about Sustainable Villages Program (SVP). The ISFD has
launched this program in May 2011 to be initially implemented in six countries in Africa over the
first three years of its initiation. The program, which is partially inspired by the UN Millennium
Villages Project (MVP), is aimed to offer a multi-sector, integrated model of development for
addressing extreme poverty among the rural communities. Two SVPs have already been
launched in Chad and in West Darfur in Sudan. The amount approved for the program is US$120
million (an average of US$20.0 million per project). The Fund is currently working on the next
batch of countries in the program, including Kyrgyzstan and Mozambique. The program will be
implemented in collaboration with the Earth Institute of the University of Columbia, the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Centre in Nairobi, Arab Bank for Development in Africa
(BADEA), Qatar Red Crescent, and other partners.
Before concluding his presentation Dr. AHMED talked about some other projects/programs
under the framework of ISFD. As of the end of 2012, the ISFD has approved 44 projects and
programs with direct funding from its income, in addition to co-financing from IDB,
governments and other financiers. The cumulative project cost of these projects is estimated at
US$1.55 billion. The Fund contribution to these programs is US$232.6 million, while the
remaining amount of US$1.32 billion was leveraged from the IDB, national governments and
other financiers.
4.2. The Vocational Education and Training Programme (OIC-VET)
At the outset, Mr. Efe Kerem AYDIN from the Statistical Economic and Social Research and
Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) briefed the delegates on the state of poverty in
OIC Countries. The state of OIC in poverty would be summarized as 31% of OIC total population
are still living below the income poverty threshold of 1.25$ a day by remaining quite above the
world average of 14% and developing countries average of 17% during the period under
consideration. According to the 2012 UNDP Human Development Index, 24 OIC member
countries (out of a total of 46 countries) are placed in the category of Low Human Development
countries.
He mentioned on OIC-VET which is implemented under the umbrella of SESRIC. OIC-VET is a
programme originally designed and developed by SESRIC in order to improve the quality of
vocational education and training in the public and private sectors with the aim of supporting
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and enhancing the opportunities for individuals in the Member Countries to develop their
knowledge and skills and thus to contribute to the development and competitiveness of the
economies and to facilitate the sharing of knowledge between OIC Member Countries.
While explaining the OIC-VET Capacity Building Programmes (CaB), Mr. AYDIN demonstrated
some pictures from the meetings/trainings/seminars etc. These programs are as follows:
Statistical Capacity Building (StatCaB) Programme for National Statistical Organisations OIC Agriculture Capacity Building Programme (OIC-AgriCaB) OIC Cotton Training Programme (OIC-CTP) Environment Capacity Building (Environment-CaB) Water Resources Management Capacity Building Programme (Water-CaB) Capacity Building Programme for Central Banks (CB-CaB) Competition Authorities Capacity Building Programme (CA-CaB) Treasury Capacity Building Programme (T-CaB) IbnSina Programme for Health Capacity Building (IbnSina-HCaB) Information and Communications Technology Capacity Building Programme (ICT-CaB) OIC Postal Services Capacity Building Programme (OIC-PSCaB) Occupational Safety and Health Capacity Building (OSHCaB) Programme Peace and Security Capacity Building (OIC-PaSCaB) Programme
Continuing his presentation Mr. AYDIN informed the participants about A Master Trainer
Programme (IMTP) that SESRIC implemented in cooperation with the Centre for Art and
Vocational Training Courses of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (ISMEK) as a joint
programme between SESRIC and (İSMEK). The programme provides training courses to master
trainers in various institutions in OIC Member Countries, under nine different categories.
Mr. AYDIN also stated that OIC Network for Occupational Safety and Health (OIC-OSHNET). OIC-
OSHNET is a transnational networks project under the framework of OIC-VET. The vision of the
project is to establish an international network for systematic sharing of information and
experience in occupational safety and health issues among professionals, to build public
awareness of occupational safety and health in OIC Member Countries.
Skill Development for Youth Employment (SDYE) was another activity that Mr. AYDIN
mentioned. SDYE was organised in 2012. The main objectives are to develop and coordinate a
mechanism in transferring the knowledge and experience of the OIC Member Countries and to
take further steps towards enhancing cooperation in combating unemployment.
Before concluding his presentation Mr. AYDIN informed the participants about the OIC
International Student Internship Programme. OIC-ISIP is a special international internship
programme aiming to enhance the quality of workforce employed in OIC Member Countries and
strengthen integrity and convergence of labour markets, and promote competitiveness of OIC
economies through increasing knowledge and skills of university students about to enter into
the labour market.
4.3. Experiences of the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and
Humanitarian Relief (IHH) in the COMCEC Region
Mr. Serhat ORAKÇI, Director of Africa, IHH Foundation made a presentation on their experiences
on alleviating poverty. Mr. ORAKÇI commenced his words by introducing the Foundation for
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Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH). Establishment of the IHH backs to
the Bosnia war in 1992 and since that time it has been providing aid to neglected communities
and vulnerable groups. The Foundation has been currently working more than 100 countries all
over the world. It conducts its activities through regional offices and partner organizations. IHH
runs poor-oriented programs and reaches poor through emergency humanitarian aid,
development aid and advocacy activities.
In his presentation, Mr. ORAKÇI focused on the role of NGOs on development. He informed that
since 1970s, NGOs have played increasingly prominent role in development of societies and
poverty reduction activities. Number and size of registered NGOs showed rapid growth in recent
years. For instance, while Tanzania had only 41 registered NGOs in 1990 the country has more
than 10.000 registered NGOs today. Mr. ORAKÇI stated that NGOs are main service providers
where the government is unable to fulfill its role such as the case in Somalia. Then he added that,
as a development alternative, NGOs are also offering innovative and people-centered approaches
to service delivery, advocacy and empowerment.
Continuing his presentation Mr. ORAKÇI shared IHH’s experiences regarding the Sub-Saharan
Africa. The region displays the lowest indicators of economic and socio-economic development.
Sub-Saharan Africa is hit by extreme poverty, human resources weakness, brain drain and
economic vulnerability. The proportion of the poor in the region is 47% and 50 % of Africa who
is mostly rural and they have either no access to electricity or have very limited access . High
unemployment rates in the region have negative effects on people. Local and international NGOs
are important players in development of the region. Economies of the region have been showing
great improvement, growth rates in last decade have been over the world average. However,
some negative reasons such as corruption, unequal distribution of income, miss-management of
sources cause poverty to remain.
He highlighted the importance of human capacity and stated that human capacity is the key
factor in development efforts. Effectiveness and efficiency of poverty eradicating projects
depend highly on human factor. Since IHH is working with local NGOs, the foundation have paid
special attention to increase human capacity.
Mr. ORAKÇI informed the participants about IHH activities in Sub-Saharan Africa and some
projects and experiences in the region. The foundation is operating various skill/vocational or
technical training programs, improving education services, promoting small-scale farming,
running local NGO capacity building programs, and supporting local media.
As an example to the skill/vocational or technical training programs he demonstrated some
pictures from Africa Cataract Project of IHH. IHH is running in various countries such as Sudan,
Somalia, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger. He continued by explaining the
objectives of the project: to help poor with free eye surgery, to train local surgeons and
rehabilitate eye hospitals. By providing free eye surgery for poor, the project contributes to local
labour markets. People with eye problems usually drop from labour market and live dependent
on their relatives. After re-gaining sight patients are able to start working and providing income
to their families and they become independent again. The project has direct impact on blinds.
Training program in the project provide chance for surgeons to share experiences.
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Then he gave another example of vocational training in Burkina Faso. Since unemployment rate
is high in Burkina Faso, activities to make people gain some skills in order to have a job come
into prominence. Burkina Faso tailoring course for jobless women has been targeting to
generate income for families and empower housewives. And he showed some pictures from the
program.
When it comes to small-scale farming, Mr. Orakçı informed the delegates about their courses
related to farming in Africa. Since 50 % of the total population in Africa live in rural and they
depend on agriculture. The activities aim to teach better farming in poor conditions. IHH is
implementing small-scale farming courses in Somalia, Chad, Sudan, and Gambia. Farming
activities promote income generation and create jobs. The courses under the program give
technical information and trainees cultivate vegetables while they work in implementation
garden. Another objective of the farming program is enhancing resilience to climate change.
Mr. ORAKÇI mentioned that capacity building is a long term operation which requires strict
monitoring and evaluation. Activities in the program provide organizational and financial
support for local African NGOs. IHH has been transferring knowledge, sharing experience and
serving people through its network with various local NGOs. Through periodic seminars and
discussions, IHH staffs train local NGOs’ staffs.
Before concluding his presentation, Mr. ORAKÇI underlined the importance of mass media as a
tool to convey messages, create awareness and reach neglected groups. For that reason IHH has
been providing financial support to a couple of programs in local radio stations.
5. Member State Presentations
5.1. Azerbaijan
Mr. Kanan ISGANDAROV, Advisor in Ministry of Economic Development made a presentation on
experiences of Azerbaijan on alleviating poverty. In his presentation, Mr. ISGANDAROV firstly
stated that Republic of Azerbaijan adhered to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000
and then he briefed the participants regarding the MDGs and what Azerbaijan did for to
achieving to the MDG. He mentioned that to achieving MDGs firstly Azerbaijan accepted State
Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development in the Republic of Azerbaijan for
2003-2005 which was approved by presidential decree on 2003. Mr. ISGANDAROV emphasized
that with implementation of this program, Poverty Index dropped from 44.7% in 2003 to 29.3%
in 2005. He stated that this was a great achievement for Azerbaijan so Government of Azerbaijan
accepted the second State Program on poverty reduction and sustainable development for 2008-
2015 in 2007.
Mr. ISGANDAROV continued his presentation by giving information about the second state
Program. This program identified 9 strategic goals:
1- Ensuring sustainable economic development through maintaining macroeconomic stability and balanced development of the non-oil sector;
2- Increasing income-generating opportunities and achieving substantial reduction in the poorest sections of the population;
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3- Reducing social risks for old age groups, low-income families and vulnerable groups of population by developing effective social protection system;
4- Continuing systematic implementation of activities aimed at improving the living conditions of refugees and IDPs;
5- Improving the quality of and ensuring equal access to affordable basic health and education services;
6- Developing social infrastructure, improving public utilities system; 7- Improving environmental situation and ensuring sustainable management of
environment; 8- Promoting and protecting gender equality 9- Continuing institutional reforms and improving good governance.
He informed that Poverty Index reduce to 6.0% in 2012 with implementing the second program
and the second program on reducing poverty has 4 functional groups and the main group of this
program is Human Development and Social Progress:
1- Macroeconomic Stability and Economic Growth 2- Employment Policy and Social Protection of the Population 3- Institutional Policy and Good Governance 4- Human Development and Social Progress
Mr. ISGANDAROV stated that Human Development and Social Progress group includes the
followings:
Gender policy Employment policy Development of medicine Environment policy Education and science policy
In his presentation, Mr. ISGANDAROV highlighted the investment needs of human development.
He stated that as an oil country the big part of Azerbaijan Government budget comes from oil
revenues. As a result of this fact Republic of Azerbaijan accepted the Long-Term Strategy on the
Management of Oil and Gas Revenues. He mentioned that this strategy is very important to
Azerbaijan and the main objective of this Strategy is “development of human capital (training
which includes foreign countries), highly qualified specialists and improving the professional
capacity of employees”.
Lastly, Mr. ISGANDAROV gave information about the policies which are included by Human
Development and Social Progress and the results of these policies.
5.2. Cameroon
The country presentation of Cameroon was made by Francis LEKU AZENAKU, Director of Local
and Community Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on
“Enhancing the Productive Capacity of the Poor in Cameroon”. At the outset, he gave information
about the geographical and economic characteristics of Cameroon. He stated that despite having
rich natural resources and high potential for development with a population of 20.1 million,
Cameroon suffers from low income and food deficit according to classification of World Bank
and FAO statistics. Moreover, according to UNDP statistics, Cameroon is classified as among
Countries with a low human development Index.
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Mr. AZENAKU also gave information about the poverty in Cameroon. Although the country is
experiencing positive growth rates with about 5% growth in 2012, this growth is not fully
transformed into social development. In Cameroon, an estimated 26% of population still suffers
undernourishment, only 26% do have access to potable drinking water and infant mortality was
59.7 per thousand and for children less than five years was 136 per thousand in 2012 which is
very high. Moreover, 39.9 % of the population lives below the poverty line.
Mr. AZENAKU informed the participants about some characteristics and current trends of
poverty and food security situation in the Country as following:
Agriculture contributes for 20% of the GDP and occupies 60% of the active labor force. In general, poverty has decreased in the Country over the recent years but has increased
in the rural areas; About 30.3% of the rural population is vulnerable to food insecurity and serious
malnutrition continue to persist and 7 out of the 10 regions of the Country; The average energy consumption is about 2300kcal/day/person which is less than the
average of 3100kcal/day/person in developing countries.
He also stated that in order to remedy the situation and develop the Country, the government
has come up with a vision called Vision 2035, to become an emerging nation. In order to achieve
this, a new strategy known as the Growth and Employment Strategy (GESP) is currently being
implemented with emphasis on economic growth and employment. In line with the GESP, some
actions are taken by the government to fight against poverty as following:
Reinforcing the agricultural extension system of the Country Redynamization of cooperatives to help vulnerable groups to better organize themselves
and develop their abilities to manage their own structures; Development of professional training in the agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry
sectors and vocational training in other sectors of the economy; The provision of support to income generating activities of the rural poor through a
number of programmes and projects; Providing support to some microfinance institutions to improve their services and bring
them nearer to the rural poor; Increased investments in the health sector with the assistance of donors and partner
institutions and Countries; At the level of Higher Education, there are efforts to professionalize training with
emphasis on skills development. Also free primary education is provided by the
government.
In conclusion, Mr. AZENAKU pointed out that a number of challenges must be overcome in order
to efficiently fight against poverty such as need for proper targeting for overcoming poverty,
necessity of well-organized and efficient management of poor groups, need for modernization of
rural areas to stabilize the active youths. Moreover, the promotion of adult capacity building
programmes and educational opportunities in rural areas are required in order to promote self-
reliant development and making the rural poor to have control over their own destiny.
5.3. Egypt
The country presentation of Egypt was made by Dr. Ibtissam EL GAAFARAWI on “Poverty
Reduction Strategies and Human Development in Egypt”. At the outset, Dr. EL GAAFARAWI
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informed the participants regarding the economic conditions of Egypt. According to her, Egypt is
a low middle income country facing many challenges at both economic and political arenas.
These challenges have worsened after the 25th of January revolution due to political instability.
She stated that the economic growth in Egypt has decreased from about 5 percent to about 2
percent in the last two years. Budget deficit has increased to reach insecure levels of 10.8
percent of GDP. According to national poverty line, one fourth of the populations lives in
absolute poverty and about another one forth is living in conditions near to poverty. Human
development index is estimated at 0.662 putting Egypt to the rank of 112 as a medium human
development country. Adjusted HDI to inequality even reduce the value to only 0.503.
In her presentation, Dr. EL GAAFARAWI also gave information about the Egypt Poverty
Reduction Strategy and its main pillars. Accordingly, Egypt’s strategy to reduce poverty and
improve human development situation is built on four pillars: economic development; human
development, social safety nets and the provision of high quality basic services.
She continued her presentation by giving information about the social safety net system which is
established for protecting vulnerable groups and guaranteeing basic survival needs of the
unemployed poor. Accordingly, social safety nets (SSN) cover wide range of programs which
include, cash transfers, food subsidies, energy subsidies and free/low price services. Cash
transfer programs support 1.3 million poor families through allocating assistance on monthly
bases. Moreover, she also stated that there are other forms of cash transfers such as school
allowance program and emergency program.
Dr. EL GAAFARAWI also expressed different kinds of technical and vocational programs offered
by various government agencies. Accordingly, the Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs
(MOISA) has special programs that target different categories of the poor. In this respect, MOISA
has more than 400 training centers to provide training to the members of poor families to help
them start their micro enterprises. She also mentioned training centers to provide training to
those who dropped out of schools. Many government agencies such as Social Fund for
Development, Nasser Social bank and MOISA provide different types of Micro and small credits
and technical support to the poor. Nevertheless, she stated that the efforts for reducing poverty
and supporting poor people have to be coordinated and consolidated.
Dr. EL GAAFARAWI continued her presentation by informing participants about the efforts to
improve education and health systems, and housing conditions to provide better services and
better protection for the poor. These include a new universal health insurance system which
provides free coverage to the poor and vulnerable, and subsidies for housing systems.
She finalized her presentation by emphasizing that Egypt needs to restore political stability and
enhance good governance in order to be able to achieve inclusive, equitable and sustainable
economic development.
5.4. Gambia
The country presentation of the Gambia was made by Mrs. Juldeh CEESAY from Ministry of
Finance and Economic Affairs regarding sharing experiences and knowledge on improving
human capital and enhancing productive capacity. At the outset, Mrs. CEESAY informed the
participants about the poverty status, trend and progress. She stated that poverty in the Gambia
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is a rural phenomenon, being much higher in the rural than urban areas. However, the Gambia
has made a modest progress in overcoming hunger. Over the period 1996 -2010, the proportion
of undernourished population t has decreased from 20.9 percent to 17.4 percent with wide
geographical divergences.
Mrs. CEESAY also gave brief information concerning the challenges faced in reducing poverty.
The most important challenges are that the Gambia needs to improve the education sector and
reduce the drop out ratio. Moreover, the government should support the rural poor who
depends on agriculture for their livelihoods particularly groundnut production and rice.
Mrs. CEESAY also gave brief information regarding strengthening human capital stock to
enhance employment opportunities. She informed the participants about the current
educational condition of the Gambia by presenting the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER).
Accordingly, not only the enrolment ratio of lower basic education, upper basic education and
senior secondary education but also the completion rate has increased in recent years. She
pointed out that in the area of education, The Gambia made major strikes towards improving the
access to all levels of education and recognized it as key to national development; these efforts
include the improvement of teacher and learning material, content, knowledge and improving
in-service training opportunities and quality assurance measures.
Continuing her presentation, Mrs. CEESAY informed participants regarding the healthcare
services provided by the Gambian Government. She mentioned that health is one of the priority
sectors of government and has achieved notable progress. The Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare provides comprehensive healthcare and social welfare packages in partnership with all
relevant stakeholders. However, this sector still needed to expand its services and this
expansion has enormous implication for resources particularly human resources and increased
financial support to the sector.
Mrs. CEESAY also shared experiences of the Gambia regarding promoting gender equality and
women empowerment. The Gambian Government continues to support women empowerment
programmes through capacity building initiatives, microfinance support and promotion of girl’s
education. Moreover, during the past ten years, the Social Development Fund (SDF) has greatly
facilitated women’s access to micro-credit facilities.
At the end of her presentation, Mrs. CEESAY gave brief information about Post-2015
Development Agenda Consultations. She stated that the Post-2015 Development Agenda
Consultations conducted in the Gambia based on participatory and quantitative approach, which
led to a pro-poor growth strategy that will create decent jobs for the citizens especially the youth
employment. These consultations are very inclusive in targeting the vulnerable and less
privilege citizens in society and in leading to setting priorities in the areas of health, education
and food security.
5.5. Indonesia
Mr. HARAPAN LUMBAN GAOL from the Directorate of Poverty Alleviation for Rural Areas, in the
Ministry of Social Affairs also made a presentation. Mr. GAOL gave general outlook of Indonesia
and shared some socio-economic indicators on Indonesia. He informed participants that
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Indonesia’s population is 245.6 million. In 2009 19% of total population was living on $1.25 per
a day.
Mr. GAOL stated that Indonesia successfully reduced the poverty. The level of poverty in line
with MDGs in 1980 was 28.6% and it will be 7.5% in 2015 and total population of poor people
will be 8% of the total population. He indicated that to alleviate poverty Indonesia has Poverty
Cluster and Nationwide Programs. Mr. GAOL gave some information about Unified Data Base
which was collected in 2011 and will be updated every four year. According to this data base
total poor population dived in to the three clusters: very poor, poor and near poor/vulnerable.
Mr. GAOL mentioned that regarding these three clusters there are different programs. Mr. GAOL
further stated that Indonesia has four Nationwide Programs. Criteria regarding these programs
are stimulated by relevant Ministry to reduce poverty and he gave some information about these
programs:
1. Health Security for the Poor: The Ministry of Health 2. Subsidy for Poor Students: The Ministry of Education 3. Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT): The Ministry of Social Affairs 4. Rice for the Poor: Ministry of Social Affairs
Continuing his presentation Mr. GAOL stated that health insurance for the poor is delivered
through 8,917 community health centers and hospitals. Fund is channeled from central
district/city through social assistance mechanism so the local health center is free of charge for
the poor people. Mr. GAOL also gave some information about coverage of Health Insurance by
the year 2010. 43.98% percent of the total population does not have health insurance. He
indicated that the people who have health insurance are civil servant, formal workers and poor
people.
Mr. GAOL mentioned that Conditional Cash Transfer provides cash transfer to selected very poor
households who have to meet some specific conditions to improve human capital of children
especially in education and health. He mentioned that this program started in 2007. According to
Mr. GAOL, 2.4 million Households will be enrolled by the end of 2013 and the Indonesia
government is planning to increase the number of beneficiaries from this program to 3.2 million
Households by 2014.
In his presentation he shared some information about Cash Assistance for Poor Students (BSM).
He mentioned that the cash transfers for poor students are not in conditionality in Indonesia. He
indicated that in basic school cash amount transferred to students is 360$ in university this
amount is 1,200$ per annum.
Mr. GAOL stated that the biggest nationwide program is Community empowerment program and
it is called PNPM Mandiri( Self-Help Community-Based Empowerment). He emphasized that the
money given to sub-district community and this community made self-planning to distribute the
money. He also gave some information about the Soft Loan for SMEs (KUR) program. He
mentioned that this is very big program in Indonesia. The beneficiaries of this program are the
poor people in Cluster 3.
Lastly, Mr. GAOL stated that besides nationwide programs, many sectorial programs for the poor
are implemented by the line Ministers and gave three implementation examples.
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1- Social Assistance for Elderly and PWDs Conducted by MOSA 2- Indecent Housing for the Poor 3- Group-Based Economic Productive Scheme (KUBE)
5.6. Suriname
The country presentation of Suriname was made by Mrs. Drs. Soulamy LAURENS, Head Policy
Advisor for Research and Planning and Mrs. Cretia Weson BA, Coordinator of Immaterial Care
and Coaching, both representing the Ministry of Social affairs and housing from the Republic of
Suriname.
In her presentation, Mrs. LAURENS briefly informed the participants regarding the works of
Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. After giving brief information concerning the
geographical and cultural characteristics of Suriname, she explained the Vision of the
Government of Suriname regarding poverty reduction in order to create suitable conditions for
prosperity and well-being as well as equal opportunity and equal access to all basic needs. Main
executive body is the ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. The current social protection policy
of the ministry of Social Affairs and Housing is about Material and Immaterial services. She
described the services as follows:
The Material services which are being provided by the Ministry are: financial assistance;
medical assistance card (free medical provision), child allowance, old age pension, child
feeding programs, distribution of school supplies, subsidies to private care institutions,
rent subsidies.
The Immaterial services are: Day- care centre’s, Home for the elderly, Centre for boys
with behavioral problems, youth care, elderly care, community development program,
counseling of families and individuals.
Mrs. LAURENS stated further that the main program in Suriname now is about the Conditional
Cash Transfer Program (CCT). Suriname is now in the pilot phase of implementing the CCT. The
country is getting technical support from the IDB. This is based on the experiences of this
program in Brazil. Suriname will implement a program, which is called “Kraka U Srefi” (Back up
our selves), to empower and build the capacity of beneficiaries within the CCT. The
characteristics of this program are empowerment and capacity building, which enables the
beneficiaries to become skilled and able to provide sustenance for themselves, their families and
communities. This will lead breaking the vicious circle of poverty and deprivation. This program
also provides the Government with an exit strategy in making its citizen independent.
The NGO’s, CBO’s and Multinationals are carrying out programs on community base. For
example the Scholarship program for internal students was funded by the multinational
IAMGOLD/Rosebel Gold Mines N.V.. International NGO’s are also active in Suriname. We have for
example the IDB funding the Low Income Shelter Program and the Middle Income Shelter
Program; a housing program for lower income classes.
Mrs. LAURENS finally stated that Suriname also has a lot of challenges; just like the other
countries. She also explained that the President of Suriname introduced Working Groups (so
called “Presidential Committee”) which are used to monitor the government policy.
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5.7. Turkey
Mr. Ersin KAYA, the expert at Ministry of Family and Social Policies of Turkey, made a
presentation on the poverty alleviation as well as social assistance programs in Turkey.
At the beginning of his presentation, Mr. KAYA demonstrated a short film on the Social policy in
Turkey. He stated that Turkey has shown a great performance in social transfers especially since
2002 with its new social assistance programs. Having examined the poverty tendency by time,
while food poverty was 1.35% in 2002, this rate has diminished to 0.48% in 2009. While food
and non-food poverty rate in 2002 was 26.96%, this rate has decreased to 18.08% in 2009.
Within this period, serious improvements were achieved in the percentage of part of society
living under $4.3-a-day which is a criteria accepted throughout the world in the poverty
computation. Yet, this rate has decreased to 3.66% in 2010, while it was 30.30% in 2002. Use of
social transfers efficiently and intensely is an important factor in these improvements besides
developments achieved in economy. The rate of social assistance transfers to GDP has been
increased to 1.2% in 2010, while this rate was 0.3% in 2002.
Mr. KAYA informed participants on the Social Assistance Vision of Turkey 2023, which is
prepared by the General Directorate of Social Assistance. In this guideline, the General
Directorate aimed to decrease permanently the Poverty (food and non-food) rate to below 10%
and to eliminate the poor people who have to live with a 4.3 dollars income. In order to realize
these goals, the Ministry had four main objectives:
To establish a social support system in which social aids and services are provided as
«right-based».
To encourage the beneficiaries of social assistance to work.
To collaborate with NGOs on poverty alleviation
To complete The Scoring Formula Project in order to improve the eligibility criteria of
beneficiary.
According to Mr. KAYA, the success of Turkey in poverty alleviation is based on the decisive
political leadership, qualified staff and the integrated social assistance information system
developed by General Directorate of Social Assistance and TUBITAK together.
Integrated Social Assistance Services Information System is an information system on which all
activities are carried out in electronic environment such as receiving applications of poor and
needy citizens, creating household files, searching of personal information, socio-economic
condition and wealth of citizens from central databases, keeping report of progress realized in
site about socio-economic condition of the household, determining neediness of citizen, giving
bank order for assistance payments and automatic accounting regarding all assistances.
At the same time, it is a “poverty inventory” on which all socio-economic data of 4,1 million
households and 17,3 million citizens living in these households and information regarding the
assistances and payments that they receive from other institutions are being kept. The system
has been used since October 18, 2011 throughout the country.
Mr. KAYA continued his presentation by sharing experiences of Turkey on social assistance
support. Firstly, he gave detailed information about Conditional Education Assistance. He
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emphasized that in this social assistance program, for the families, who rank among the poorest
part of the population and who cannot send their children to school due to economic problems,
“Conditional Cash Transfer-Education Support” is provided on the condition that the children
should attend the school. Payments are directly transferred to the accounts of mothers by means
of Bank and Post Office. The amount given to girls is higher than amount given to boys.
Amount of payment:
Boys attending primary school/ 30 TL per month
Girls attending primary school/ 35 TL per month
Boys attending high school/ 45TL per month
Girls attending high school/ 55 TL per month
Mr. KAYA also gave information about the Project Supports of the Ministry. By these project
supports, General Directorate of Social Assistances (GDSA) is taking concrete steps in order to
adjust the social assistance policies by concentrating on permanent project supports which will
provide sustainable income and will make the citizens productive. This is in line with the
statement of 9th Development Plan and the Government Program as follows: “Services to reduce
poverty will be in a manner of preventing the emergence of a poverty culture and encouraging
the poor to become producers”.
6. Brainstorming Session: The Ways and Means of Enhancing Cooperation
among the COMCEC Member Countries for Increasing Productive
Capacity of the Poor through Improving Human Capital
This session was moderated by Mr. Fatih ÜNLÜ, senior expert from the COMCEC Coordination
Office.
Mr. ÜNLÜ welcomed all the delegations to the brainstorming session and underlined that
poverty is, in essence, a humanitarian issue. He reminded participants one poem of a great
Islamic thinker Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi that “O Love / O pure, deep love / Be here/ Be now’’. If
there is no love, no dedication and intensive efforts, poverty will continue to exist. We should
put our hearts in the process. Mr. ÜNLÜ stated that, in fact, we all come from the same
descendent, from Hz. Adam and Hz. Eve and we are all brothers and sisters therefore we have to
help each other. In this context, it is a time tested reality that the best way to help the poor is to
enable them to help themselves especially to enhance their productive capacity. He underlined
that since our Creator Allah has created all of us capable of some good thing, if we explore, surely
we can actualize the potential in the people and we can see that even the disabled people have a
lot to do for the good of themselves as well as the society.
Mr. ÜNLÜ underlined the purpose of the brainstorming session as to collect the delegate’s
precious ideas that can be a basis for future cooperation projects and cooperative efforts. Then,
he floated various questions and topics in line with the list of questions (Annex 1) prepared by
the COMCEC Coordination Office and opened the floor for discussion. These questions were
specifically about the lessons learnt from the country experiences, ways and means of enhancing
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cooperation among member countries including experience sharing and how the COMCEC
Project Cycle Management (PCM) can be used to that end.
Turkish delegate Dr. Mustafa ÇÖPOĞLU, Undersecretary General of Kocaeli Metropolitan
Municipality, took the floor and explained a vocational training project which has been
implemented in Province of Kocaeli. He expressed that in 2008, Global Economic Crisis has also
impeded access to employment and caused employment losses in Turkey. Kocaeli is a city
receiving immigrants on a regular basis due to its intensive industrialization and hosting a
population of 1.7 million people mostly working class. This project addressed adverse effects of
global economic crisis on Turkish economy and employment. The project titled ‘’A Local Solution
for Unemployment: Model in Province of Kocaeli’’ drawn up and put into practice in
consideration of economic and demographic structures of Kocaeli.
Stakeholders of the project are Governor’s Office in Kocaeli, Vocational Course of the
Metropolitan Municipality of Kocaeli, Turkish Labor Institution Provincial Directorate and
Industrial Vocational High Schools and Public Training Centers.
The justification, objectives and the scope of the Project are as follows:
Unemployment is not a concern to be dealt with only by central government,
Former studies suggest that the unemployment and the lack of qualification are
closely connected with each other,
The labor supply and the labor demand do not exactly match with each other in
labor markets,
The most strategic investment is the one made in human capacity,
The vast sums of infrastructural and super structural investment do not suffice to
satisfy people who are lacking a qualified job.
To benefit from the Project facilities, one needs to be unemployed and registered in Turkish
Employment Agency. Various benefits provided to trainees free of charge throughout the course
such as high quality vocational training ensuring future employment, 20 Turkish Lira(TL) of net
income per day, free transport via public transport facilities, lunch boxes and insurance of
occupational accident and diseases.
Dr. ÇÖPOĞLU informed that the Project started on December 2008 by a meeting chaired by the
Provincial Governor. The meeting introduced two concrete resolutions. The first one is to hold a
series of meetings with representatives of private sector for convincing them use not to fire their
workers or use firing as the last resort and make the best out of legal means (flexible working,
leave without pay, compensation, short-time working etc.). The second one is that laid-off
personnel will receive dole money on one hand in case layoff is imperative, and benefit from free
vocational training on the other.
Additionally, he mentioned that between 2009 and 2013, a total number of 46,975 people have
enrolled in the programs. Out of those 32,645 successfully graduated from the courses and
eventually 20,645 trainers had the opportunity for employment.
Dr. ÇÖPOĞLU highlighted some conclusions and lessons learned as follows;
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1. All stakeholders are required to be actively involved in the process
2. A certain level of awareness and publicity should be ensured for the success of program
3. There is no doubt that more investment is the key to unemployment and creating jobs.
However even with the present level of investments, more efficient employment could be
achieved. For that purpose, employment supply and demand should be efficiently matched
at the local level. Local agencies such as Municipalities, Chambers and other local
authorities need to be involved in this process since local agencies may know local
problems better and may find solutions through their practical decision making capacity.
After Dr. ÇÖPOĞLU’s presentation, Moderator commented that this project is a very good
example of local agencies’ and municipalities’ role and involvement in poverty alleviation. In
fact, high skilled workforce also attracts quality investments, therefore vocational training is
critical for both efficiency of available investments and attracting new investments.
Afghan representative took the floor and mentioned two core issues as two core lessons to be
learned from. The first one is leadership of the country which is very important for the poverty
reduction. The second one is the prevention corruption. Afghani representative stated that to
reduce the poverty first the corruption should be eliminated. He also informed that they have a
very comprehensive and effective policy about the poverty reduction at the scale of National
Strategy Program which is a five year plan to reduce the poverty and it has three main goals;
1. Poverty alleviation or poverty reduction,
2. Sustainable growth and development,
3. Security.
Lastly he underlined the significance of the security as the main issue in Afghanistan because of
the conflicts and war. He also gave some detailed information about the Strategy working as a
poverty reduction strategy paper in Afghanistan.
The representative of Benin highlighted the necessity of the dialogues and leadership of the
government in poverty alleviation process. He mentioned that we need to monitor and evaluate
any strategy or policy in order to get back the results and we have to assist financially and
technically all the local communities in that process.
Sharing his countries experiences in alleviating poverty, the representative of Cameroon stated
that many capacity building programs which were implemented regarding vocational training
didn’t yield expected results because of the job conditions in the country. He also stressed the
significance of the measurement of the indicators and the necessity of quality and effectiveness
of government’s goals and programmes on the subject of poverty alleviation. He stated that the
quantity of money is meaningless if it is not effective. Problems about management of resources
need to be solved. He further stated that social programs should be delegated to the villages as
well and in order to enhance productive efficiency, local authorities and traditional rulers who
are located in the rural areas of country should be given responsibilities. Moderator suggested
that apart from lessons learnt, participants may also convey proposals for regional cooperation
and dwell on their technical assistance requirements which could be the basis for future
cooperation projects.
23
Egyptian representative mentioned that although the Egypt’s experiences had many challenging
aspects, some successful stories could also be found at local level. It is a result of cooperation
between government officials and the local people and the volunteer workers. To build mutual
trust, the credibility is important. Regarding the significance of database about poverty, she
asserted that unified database which links several databases is important to be able to target the
poor correctly. Moderator also supported this idea and noted that databases are critical for
diagnosing the real poor and implementing targeted projects towards them. Otherwise the
people who are not poor may also try to benefit from the programs and may cause the loss of
trust.
The representative of Gambia shared her views related to the lessons learned in their country by
mentioning that firstly we should bring poverty issue in front of everybody . Although we have
programs about poverty alleviation because of limited finance and poor human capital we
cannot reach what we expected from the programs. So we need finance and increased human
capital. South-South programmes, exchange of experts, design of proper programmes, strong
accountability and transparency in terms of using public funds, putting an effective and efficient
framework and monitor the targets addressing the challenges within the time frame are
extremely important. Moderator underlined that PCM may also be instrumental for developing
and preparing feasible projects in order to enhance the access of the member countries to
various financing sources.
Indonesian representative mentioned three lessons learned in their country by firstly expressing
the fragmentation of the programs. He stated that there should be successful coordination
between the programs. Secondly, he stressed the importance of sustainability and added that we
sometimes failed to empower poor people through strengthening local wisdom, local initiative,
local genius etc. Lastly, he underlined the critical role of indicators relating to the poverty
alleviation. He suggested that we should try to augment the “gross national happiness” indicator.
He also stated that we should answer the critical question whether the programs are beneficial
to the beneficiaries or not.
The delegate from Niger took the floor and mentioned that Niger implemented the second phase
of the program about poverty alleviation and now they are managing the third phase. Their
challenge is to be able to cover all the related sectors. There are two paradoxes. The first one is
that although they have oil, gold, mineral resources, Niger is still poor. The problem is good
governance. The second paradox is that when we take the whole OIC Countries we have 57
countries and we are like a gold planet. Our resources are more than 35% of global resources of
the world but we are not in the situation as we desired. Lastly he emphasized the importance of
Solidarity among OIC member countries. In that context, Moderator underlined the importance
of enhancing intra-OIC investments.
Omani representative emphasized that agricultural programs are really instrumental for poverty
reduction but Oman is facing water scarcity. He stated we should create alternative solutions for
countries which are using agriculture as an instrument. He further mentioned a database which
is planned to be actively used this year through which poor people will be able to apply online
concerning employment and other related issues. He underlined that they are ready to
cooperate with other member countries.
24
Moderator also contributed this issue stressing the significance of employment, pro-poor
economic growth and in that context, development of international brands in the member
countries. As a case point, he has also mentioned famous perfume brand from Oman.
The delegate of Suriname expressed that throughout this meeting they have learned many things
and claimed that being part of the informal sector does not mean you are poor. Moderator while
agreeing with the statement, also emphasized the risks of informal sector for poor people. In an
unregistered economy, the wages can be very low and the unemployed people can go to informal
sector to work even for lower wages than the minimum wages. The unregistered economy
causes the loss of tax collection, and real data on the economy and so it has the potential to
worsen poverty situation.
The delegate from Turkey shared his views with participants concerning the specific lessons
learned in Turkey. He underlined that untargeted social transfers removed the poor people, who
are able to work, from the labor market. So as Ministry of Family and Social Policies they signed
a protocol with Turkish Labor Institution and after the signing of the protocol this institution
have started to find jobs for beneficiaries according to their skills and experiences.
Experts from the COMCEC Coordination Office thanked all participants for sharing their valuable
experiences and knowledge in poverty alleviation and stated that in order to realize the issues
mentioned by participants, PCM can be benefited by member states. Then they mentioned the
importance of this working group meeting as a crucial platform for elaborating important issues.
The other expert from the CCO continued by saying that there are three main points that we can
work on;
1. Common programs between countries,
2. Civil participation especially NGOs,
3. Programs should be permanent and multifaceted.
The participant from The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief
(IHH) shared his views concerning the poverty issue by emphasizing that poverty alleviation
efforts have strong relation with development. Social and economic development is result of
combination between different factors and agencies such as private sector, government, local
NGOs, international NGOs and other international organizations. Institutions and other related
actors should work hand in hand to prevent poverty and they have to work in the same track.
Development programs should also support private investments and industries.
He further mentioned about a good example from Africa in which one NGO distributed mosquito
nets to protect people but at the same time brought these stuffs from the outside killing the
industry of mosquito nets inside the country. He continued that that’s why the programs and
projects should take the protection of the local industries into the consideration.
Although there are many differences among countries in all aspects, sharing experiences, not
repeating the same mistakes for shaping the strategies are very important. Here we think on
behalf of the poor, but the critical question is that what the poor think about themselves. For
that, field experiences, personal stories, interviews and details of fabric of social life in the
mentioned countries are important. NGO experiences are actually giving chance to reach these
25
stories and situations. For that reason, the governments should also communicate with other
actors during their planning and implementations.
The representative of UNDP, Turkey took the floor and drawn participant’s attention to how to
use technical assistance. He noted that according to 25-30 years of his experiences in different
issues and geographies, he noticed that first of all many donors will come to you offering to sell
you something, for that reason you have to ensure that what they are offering is what you want
to buy. Many technical assistance programs don’t actually deliver what the government wants to
receive. The second point, the hardest thing is getting access to key decision making officials.
The third thing, make sure the preconditions of technical assistance which are significant for
training component and skills transfer. The fourth point, the donor and recipient should act in
the same direction; there should be a parallelism between their actions.
At the end of the session, Mr. ÜNLÜ summarized the following points which were highlighted by
the participants:
1. Leadership, political commitment, involvement of all related government agencies and
other relevant stakeholders are crucial for the success of poverty alleviation programmes.
Furthermore, involvement of dedicated people who will put their hearts in the process is
extremely important.
2. A coordinated approach with a suitable macro framework is critical instead of fragmented
activities.
3. Several countries are in need of technical assistance. COMCEC Strategy and PCM may be
instrumental especially for capacity building projects in the member countries.
4. Access to financing and using it effectively are extremely important. For that purpose you
have to improve your project development and implementation capacity. COMCEC PCM
may also be instrumental for developing and preparing feasible, bankable projects in
order to enhance access of the member countries to various financing sources.
5. We have to develop expertise and train experts on poverty who can analyze the real
situation and train the local people concerning how to approach and solve the problems.
Again PCM may be utilized to train experts and benefit from the expertise of other
member countries.
6. Establishment of efficient databases is critical for understanding the real situation in the
field and to implement targeted programmes.
7. Corruption is something we have to avoid as it may spoil everything. Good governance,
accountability and monitoring are also important in this regard.
8. Role of NGOs are extremely important as they can deliver the services in a very cost
efficient manner due to their voluntary nature.
9. As most of the poor people live in rural areas, agriculture has a key role in poverty
alleviation.
10. A bottom-up approach, benefiting from local wisdom, field experiences, permanence and
continuity of the programs are crucial.
11. Skills transfer and training of trainees are crucial for sustainability.
12. The poor should decide themselves on what they need; they don’t have to be imposed by
other people on what they need. They should know/diagnose their problems and
approach the donors accordingly.
26
Lastly, Mr. ÜNLÜ repeated his invitation to the delegates to try to benefit at maximum level from
the facilities offered by COMCEC PCM.
7. The Way Forward: Utilizing the COMCEC Project Cycle Management
(PCM)
The last presentation of the Meeting was performed by Mr. Deniz GÖLE, an expert from the
COMCEC Coordination Office (CCO). His presentation was dedicated to the new Project Cycle
Management (PCM) mechanism introduced by the COMCEC Strategy.
The presentation consisted of nine sections. In the first section, Mr. GÖLE has explained “where
does PCM stand in the COMCEC Strategy” and how it would help to realize the objectives
determined in the Strategy. In the second section, the definition of the term PCM was elaborated
so that the audience would have a better understanding regarding the project funding process of
COMCEC.
After underlining the salient features of the COMCEC PCM which are “simple and clearly defined
procedures and financial framework”, potential project owners were identified. It was
emphasized that relevant ministries and other public institutions of the Member Countries and
OIC Institutions operating in the field of economic and commercial cooperation could submit
projects.
The presentation continued with the clarification of “Project Selection Criteria” namely,
compliance with Strategy’s Principles, targeting strategic objectives of the strategy, focusing on
output areas and pursuing multilateral cooperation among COMCEC Member Countries.
In the third and fourth sections, nature of the projects (Technical Cooperation and Capacity
Building) and several eligible activities were explained. Some eligible activities were
enumerated as research, analytical studies, guides, roadmaps, study visits, conferences,
workshops etc.
During the presentation, three key actors and their responsibilities under the PCM were
identified; the CCO (Program Management), the Intermediary Bank (Project Monitoring and
Financing) and Project Owner (Project Submission and Implementation). Moreover, steps and
roles of these key actors throughout the project application process were defined.
The fifth section put forward the timeline which begins with the Call for Project Proposals in
September 2013 and would end with the beginning of the project implementation period.
Regarding the details on project implementation and financing procedures, Mr. GÖLE clarified
that Project Owners must submit invoices to the Intermediary Bank (the Bank) in order to claim
payment during project implementation.
Monitoring of projects funded by the CCO was another issue explained in the presentation. The
Bank would be mainly responsible for financial and technical monitoring of projects while the
CCO would oversee the overall implementation of the PCM. Reporting procedures of project
activities were also explained to that end.
27
With respect to the financial framework, Mr. GÖLE emphasized that the funds were grant in
nature and would be provided by the Turkish Government for the 2013-2015 period. He also
cited that each cooperation area defined in the COMCEC Strategy would have a certain share
from those funds.
From the illustration of the indicative grant limits and co-finance rates for COMCEC projects, it
was seen that Member Countries could submit a project with a budget up to USD 250.000 on
condition that they have to cover at least ten percent of project’s total budget. This amount
would be USD 100.000 and at least twenty five percent should be covered by the project owner
if it would be an OIC Institution.
In the last section of the presentation, a case study was examined in order to give the audience a
clearer idea regarding the funding mechanism. In this respect, Mr. GÖLE showed how to define
an idea into a project from the first to the last step of the COMCEC PCM giving specific attention
to each stage through a sample project.
The presentation was concluded by putting forward the reference documents of the PCM
namely, Program Implementation Guidelines, Project Fiche, Logical Framework and Visibility
Manual which would be issued by COMCEC and be available for download through COMCEC web
site in the coming weeks.
Q: When would the payments be made, before or after service purchasing?
A: Our financing procedures are basically built upon ex-post payments. Besides, we consider
different options for different activities which require ex-ante payments. However we should see
the working of the system and if some problems occur we may make some adjustments to solve
them.
Q: How can the project proposals be done by the member countries?
A: In order to facilitate project submissions, we would like to have just one actor as project
owner. An institution in your country cannot bypass our focal point to submit a project proposal.
The project proposals can be submitted directly by the focal point or via the focal point.
Q: Is it possible for NGOs or local communities to make project proposals?
A: At the first stage we would like public institutions of the member countries build capacity to
promote cooperation among each other. Since the system is new we would like to see the results
of the implementation. At next stages the other actors such as NGOs, private sector,
municipalities etc. may take part in the system.
Q: Which criteria will be taken into account while project proposals will be appraised?
A: There are four criteria for the project proposal to be elected as eligible. These are: Compliance
with strategy’s principles, targeting “Strategic Objectives” of the strategy, focusing on output
areas and pursuing multilateral cooperation among COMCEC Member Countries.
Q: The year of 2013 will almost be passed when the call for project proposals will be done.
Therefore, is it possible to extend the period from 2015 to 2016?
28
A: The call for project proposals will be made in September each year and the beginning for
implementation of the project is April 1st of the next year. Therefore, we would like to give a
period of preparation for project proposal owner. That is why we launch the process in the
previous year.
Q: Will the expenses of the coordinator and staff of the project implementation be covered by
the CCO?
A: The grant provided by CCO will cover salaries of the coordinators and experts of the project.
Moreover, the grant will also cover some other expenses such as transportation, accommodation
etc.
Q: What are the responsibilities of the project owner (PO)?
A: There are three main responsibilities of the project owner. These are: submission of the
project proposal, implementation of the project and to a certain extent monitoring the results of
the project. The first main responsibility is submission of the project proposal directly to the
CCO. Secondly, although the project owner can have some partners either another country or an
OIC institution, the PO is the only responsible actor to the CCO in terms of implementation.
Regarding the monitoring, the responsibility of the project owner is submitting progress reports
in three months intervals to the Bank in order to claim payment.
8. Closing Remarks
After the presentations and deliberations of made on the agenda items, the Meeting ended with
closing remarks of Mr. Mehmet Metin EKER, Director General of the COMCEC Coordination Office
and Mr. Ercüment IŞIK, Chairman.
Mr. EKER started his remarks by mentioning that the delegates may have some further question
marks in their minds regarding the project funding mechanism of the CCO. He added that CCO
will organize a training session in August specifically devoted to the PCM and all the details of
this mechanism will be explained by experts from the CCO. So that all of responsible
representatives from COMCEC Member Countries which take part in Poverty Alleviation
Working Group will be able to master the subject.
He also stated that as being CCO they prepared two documents for the Meeting particularly the
analytical study which is directly related to the theme of the meeting. It will be appreciated if the
distinguished representatives will communicate their views, critical comments on these
documents in written form so that the CCO will be able to make even better studies for next
meetings.
Mr. EKER emphasized the importance of the PCM and requested the delegates to make use of
this mechanism in order to transform ideas into projects for enhancing cooperation among the
Member Countries. He also mentioned that they wish that the country representatives will
attend the meetings regularly to construct a common approach, a common understanding in the
long term.
29
Lastly, Mr. EKER stated that the proceedings of the meeting will be conveyed to the
representatives at the earliest convenience. And he thanked all the delegates particularly those
who made presentations during the meeting. At the end he concluded his words by wishing the
participants a good journey back to their countries.
Mr. IŞIK also thanked all the delegations for their active participation and contributions to the
Meeting. He underlined that a lot of crucial issues were highlighted by the participants during
the Meeting and through joint efforts it would be possible to address some of them effectively.
30
Annex 1: Agenda of the Meeting
1st MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY ALLEVIATION WORKING GROUP
(June 27th
, 2013, Ankara)
“Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member Countries: Improving
Human Capital”
AGENDA
Opening Remarks
1. The COMCEC Strategy and Alleviating Poverty
- Presentation: The COMCEC Strategy on Poverty Alleviation
- Outlook of the Poverty in the COMCEC Region
- Discussion
2. Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor through Improving the Human Capital in
the COMCEC Region
- Presentation: Analytical Study on “Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the
COMCEC Member Countries: Improving Human Capital”
- Discussion
3. Sharing Experience and Good Practices in Poverty Alleviation
- Presentations by the Member States
- Discussion
4. The Role of NGOs and International Development Institutions in Enhancing
Productive Capacity of the Poor
5. The Way Forward: Utilizing the New COMCEC Project Cycle Management
Closing Remarks
31
Annex 2: Programme of the Meeting
PROGRAMME
1st MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY ALLEVIATION WORKING GROUP
(June 27th
, 2013, Ankara)
“Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member Countries: Improving Human Capital”
08.30-09.00 Registration
09.00-09.15 Opening Remarks
09.15-10.00 The COMCEC Strategy and Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger
in the Member Countries
- Presentation: The COMCEC Strategy on Poverty Alleviation
Mr. Selçuk Koç, Director
COMCEC Coordination Office
- Presentation: Outlook of Poverty in the COMCEC Region
Ms. Hande Hacımahmutoğlu, Expert
COMCEC Coordination Office
- Discussion
10.00-10.15 Coffee Break
10.15-12.15 Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the COMCEC Member
Countries: Improving Human Capital
- Presentation: Analytical Study on “Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor
in the COMCEC Member Countries: Improving Human Capital”
Guest: Mr. Gregory McTaggart, (Consultant)
- Questions for Discussion
What are the policies/programs implemented in your country in order to improve productive capacity of the poor through improving human capital?
32
12.15-13.30 Lunch
13.30-14.30 The Role of NGOs and International Development Institutions in
Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor
- Presentation by Dr. Azhari Gasim AHMED
Lead Economist
IDB Group (Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) Department)
- Presentation by Mr. Efe Kerem AYDIN
Expert
The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic
Countries (SESRIC)
- Presentation by Mr. Serhat ORAKÇI
Coordinator
The Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief
(IHH).
- Questions for Discussion
Does your country have specific programs/projects/activities (being)
implemented in collaboration with an international/non-governmental
organization with a view to improving productive capacity of the poor? What
are your experiences in these programmes/projects/activities?
14.30-14.45 Coffee Break
14.45-16.00 Member State Presentations
- Sharing Experiences and Good Practices in Enhancing Productive Capacity of
the Poor through Improving Human Capital
- Questions for Discussion
Does your country have a specific strategy, plan or program for enhancing productive capacity of the poor through improving the human capital?
16.00-17.30 Brainstorming Session: The Ways and Means of Enhancing Cooperation
Among the COMCEC Member Countries for Increasing Productive
Capacity of the Poor Through Improving Human Capital
- Moderator: Mr. Fatih ÜNLÜ
Senior Expert
COMCEC Coordination Office
What are the challenges that your country faces during the implementation of such programs?
How can these challenges be overcome and how can the cooperation among the Member States be constituted in order to handle these issues?
33
17.30-18.00 The Way Forward: Utilizing the New COMCEC Project Cycle
Management
- Presentation: The COMCEC Project Funding
Mr. Deniz Göle, Expert
COMCEC Coordination Office
- Questions and Answers
18.00-18.15 Closing Remarks
34
Annex 3: Possible Questions for Brainstorming Session
Possible Questions for Brainstorming Session
1st Meeting of the Poverty Alleviation Working Group
(June 27th
, 2013, Ankara)
1. What are the specific lessons learnt from your country's experiences in
programmes aimed at “enhancing productive capacity of the poor”?
2. How can we enhance the efficiency and number of capacity building
programmes for the poor in the COMCEC countries? In this process, what can
be the possible role of public sector, municipalities, religious authorities, NGOs,
private sector, financing agencies, international development institutions?
3. How can we enhance cooperation under the COMCEC umbrella for
“Enhancing Productive Capacity of the Poor in the Member Countries”? To that
end, how can we enhance cooperation among the poverty alleviation institutions
in the member countries? How can we utilize COMCEC PCM and grants in this
regard i.e. for capacity building projects, exchange of experts, networking,
sharing of best practices, technical assistance in preparing plans and
programmes for poverty alleviation?
35
Annex 4: List of Participants
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
OF 1ST
MEETING OF THE COMCEC POVERTY ALLEVIATION
WORKING GROUP
(June 27th
, 2013, Ankara)
A. INVITED STATES
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN
- Prof. HASIBULLAH MOWAHED
Deputy General President, Central Statistics Organization (CSO)
- Mr. ABDUL HASEEB ARABZAI
Manager, Poverty Analysis, Ministry of Economy
REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN
- Mr. KANAN ISGANDAROV
Advisor, Ministry of Economic Development
REPUBLIC OF BENIN
- Mr. RICHARD MEKPOH
Director of The Public Investments Programming,
Ministry of Development, Economic Analysis and Prospective
REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
- Mr. AHMAD MALAM
Research Officer, Ministry of Economy Planning and Regional Development
- Mr. FRANCIS LEKU AZENAKU
Director, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
36
ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
- Dr. IBTISSAM EL-GAAFARAWI
Professor, National Center for Social & Criminological Research,
Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs
- Ms. MONA EL-SHABRAWY
Head of Information and Research Department, Ministry of Social Affairs
REPUBLIC OF GAMBIA
- Ms. JULDEH CEESAY
Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs
- Mr. AMIE KOLLEH JENG
Principle Economist, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs
- Mr. OUSMAN MOMODOU NJIE
Senior Economist, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs
- Mr. SERING MODOU NJIE
Undersecretary, Embassy of Gambia in Ankara
REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
- Mr. HARAPAN LUMBAN GAOL
Directorate of Poverty Alleviation for Rural Areas, Ministry of Social Affairs
- Mr. MUHAMMAD NUR SOLEH
Director, Ministry of Social Affairs
- Ms. DYAH L. ASMARANI
First Secretary, Embassy of Indonesia in Ankara
37
HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN
- Mr. MUTAZZ ABED AL-RAHMAN TAHA
Counsellor, Embassy of Jordan in Ankara
REPUBLIC OF NIGER
- Mr. OUMAROU AMADOU SONRHAI
Head of Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ms. AISSATOU KAZA MOUSTAPHA
Coordinator, Ministry of Development, Land Management and Rural Development
SULTANATE OF OMAN
- Mr. AHMED SAID AL-MAQBALI
Deputy Director General at the General Directorate of Planning and Studies,
Ministry of Social Development
- Mr. YASIR MOHAMMED AL-KHALIDI
Economic Researcher, Secretary General of the Planning Higher Council
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN
- Mr. MIAN ATIF SHARIF
First Secretary, Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara
REPUBLIC OF SURINAME
- Ms. SOULAMY SOETE LAURENS
DRS, Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing
- Ms. CRETIA WESON
MA, Ministry of Social Affairs and Public Housing
38
REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
- Mr. ERCÜMENT IŞIK
Advisor of Minister, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Mr. RIDVAN KURTİPEK
Head of Department, Ministry of Development
- Mr. MUSTAFA ÇÖPOĞLU
Deputy General Secretary, Kocaeli Municipality
- Mr. ERSİN KAYA
Expert, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Mr. MURAT ERDEM
Attache, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Mr. NEVZAT FIRAT KUNDURACI
Expert, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Mr. OZAN İLTER
Expert, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Ms. PINAR ÇAĞLAYAN
Expert, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Mr. MUSTAFA SENCER KİREMİTÇİ
Expert, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Mr. KÜRŞAT ÖZDEMİR
Expert, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Ms. GAMZE TORUN
Expert, Ministry of Family and Social Policies
- Mr. GİRAY TEZEL
Expert, TİKA
39
B. INVITED INSTITUTIONS
ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK (IDB)
- Dr. AZHARI GASIM AHMED
Economist
THE FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS AND
HUMANITARIAN RELIEF (IHH)
- Mr. SERHAT ORAKÇI
Director of Africa, IHH
- Mr. VAHDETTİN KAYĞAN
Coordinator of Foreign Affairs, IHH
STATISTICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING CENTER
FOR ISLAMIC COUNTRIES (SESRIC)
- Mr. EFE KEREM AYDIN
Programme Coordinator
- Dr. KENAN BAĞCI
Researcher
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)
- Mr. GREGORY MCTAGGART
UNDP Consultant
- Mr. BERNA BAYAZIT BARAN
Programme Manager-UNDP Turkey
40
C. COMCEC COORDINATION OFFICE
General Directorate of Foreign Economic Relations,
Ministry of Development of the Republic of Turkey
- Mr. METİN EKER
Director General, Head of COMCEC Coordination Office
- Mr. EBUBEKİR MEMİŞ
Head of Department
- Mr. FATİH ÜNLÜ
Expert
- Mr. SELÇUK KOÇ
Head of Department
- Ms. HANDE HACIMAHMUTOĞLU
Expert
- Mr. MEHMET FİDAN
Assistant Expert
- Mr. MEHMET AKİF ALANBAY
Assistant Expert
- Mr. DENİZ GÖLE
Assistant Expert
- Ms. MÜKERREM ÖZKILIÇ
Coordinator of Registration Office
- Ms. GÜL SAYIN
- Assistant Coordinator of Documentation Center
- Mr. KEMAL ARSLAN
Coordinator of Meeting Rooms
- Mr. ERCAN İBİK
Assistant Coordinator of Meeting Rooms, Transportation
41
- Ms. NAZİFE GÜLGEN
Social Program
- Mr. AHMET OKUR
Assistant Expert
- Mr. MUSTAFA ADİL SAYAR
Assistant Expert
- Mr. OKAN POLAT
Assistant Expert
- Mr. NİHAT AKBALIK
Assistant Expert
- Mr. MEHMET C. AKTAŞ
Assistant Expert
- Mr. ENES YILDIRIM
Assistant Expert
- Mr. ALİ ORUÇ
Assistant Expert
