Top development aid agencies in Turkey: A primer
The world’s 15th-largest economy has been expanding development cooperation especially with Africa, while pushing to become a regional hub for multilateral aid agencies. Here’s a look at Turkey’s expanding international development landscape.
Turkey’s nascent international development sector is dominated by governmental and multilateral agencies, although some regional development agencies have also entered the mix. The Group of 20-member country’s growing development financing operations are helping to secure its place as a regional powerhouse. In 2009, Turkey provided $707.17 million in official development assistance, marking a significant rise from 2002, when it provided $72.97 million. Of the 2009 ODA contribution, $665.31 million came via bilateral aid and $41.86 million via multilateral aid. Despite this emergent role as a donor nation, Turkey continues to be listed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as an aid recipient. Central Asian Turkic countries have traditionally been the main beneficiaries of Turkey’s assistance as Turkish kinship plays an important role in assistance to the region. Indeed, the 15th-largest economy in the world ranks among the top aid donors in these countries, ranking among much larger donor countries such as the United States and Japan. In recent years, the scope of Turkish development cooperation has expanded, most notably in Africa. Not only has Turkey increased development assistance to African states, it has opened several new embassies in Africa and in 2008, it became a non-regional member of the African Development Bank. Turkey has also been pushing to become a home for multilateral agencies that support economic and development assistance cooperation regionally. Devex mapped out the expanding Turkish international development landscape, which can be divided into governmental development bodies providing assistance to other countries, multilateral agencies with operations in the country and regional development agencies. Turkish development agencies Turkey’s main development assistance agencies provide traditional ODA, export financing and humanitarian assistance around the world. Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency - Type: Governmental - Headquarters: Ankara, Turkey - Field Offices: Afghanistan (Kabul, Mazar-i Sherif, Wardak), Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Pakistan, Palestinian territories (Jerusalem, Ramallah), Senegal, Serbia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan - President: Musa Kulaklikaya - Number of Employees: 275 Established in 1992 by the Turkish government, TIKA is Turkey’s principal development aid agency and is responsible for collecting and reporting Turkish ODA data to the OECD. TIKA operates in more than one hundred countries around the world and has 26 field offices in 23 countries. TIKA’s main operational activities include building capacity, dispatching experts, providing equipment, financing infrastructure and construction projects and extending humanitarian assistance to developing countries. TIKA acts as a mediator in the delivery of project and program aid and technical assistance in various fields, especially education, global health, economic infrastructure and services provided by Turkish public sector institutions and enterprises to developing countries. Turk Eximbank - Type: Governmental - Headquarters: Ankara, Turkey - CEO: Hayrettin Kaplan Turk Eximbank, a fully state-owned bank, is an export credit agency. The bank is involved in the financial and investment dimensions of Turkey’s aid programs and provides low interest and long-term loans to developing countries. In 2009, the bank provided loans for the Khartoum Emergency Water Supply and the Al Haiffa Bridge Construction projects in Sudan. Turkish Red Crescent Society - Type: National relief and humanitarian aid organization - Headquarters: Ankara, Turkey - President: Tekin Kucukali The Turkish Red Crescent Society, or Kizilay, evolved from a late Ottoman-period relief organization, Hilali Ahmer Cemiyeti, established in 1868. Its branches in the Balkans and across the Middle East comprise the present-day Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in these regions. In recent decades, the Society has increased its international relief activities and has provided humanitarian aid mainly to countries in the Balkans, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Pakistan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Sudan and Haiti. It also builds and runs hospitals in disaster-affected areas. Multilateral development agencies based in Turkey As Turkey looks to boost international development cooperation, it has become home to some multilateral development bodies. Economic Cooperation Organization Trade and Development Bank - Type: Multilateral - Headquarters: Istanbul, Turkey - Regional offices: Iran, Pakistan - President: Murat Ulus - Authorized capital: 1 billion SDR - Paid-up capital: $230 million (as of 2010) - Members: Iran, Pakistan, Turkey The three founding members of the Economic Cooperation Organization, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, established the bank in 2005. It provides soft loans for development programs in member countries. Other ECO members such as Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Iraq have expressed interest in joining the bank. ECO is also entering into partnerships with the Islamic Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank. In October 2010, the ECO bank signed a memorandum of understanding with the IsDB to establish a mutually beneficial partnership and it is pursuing investment projects with the ADB and the International Finance Corp. Developing 8 - Type: Multilateral - Headquarters: Istanbul, Turkey - Secretary General: Widi Agoes Pratikto - Members: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey D-8 was established in 1997 by Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey to foster development cooperation among member states. The group collaborates on various sectors, including trade, finance, banking and privatization, rural development and poverty alleviation. Association of National Development Finance Institutions in Member Countries of the Islamic Development Bank - Type: Multilateral - Headquarters: Istanbul, Turkey - Secretary General: Nuri Birtek - Members: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cameroun, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan, Tunusia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Yemen ADFIMI, established in 1987, conducts research, provides training and capacity building programs for member institutions and acts as a forum for development. Regional development agencies While extreme poverty does not exist in Turkey, internal income disparities do. As a candidate country for ascension to the European Union, Turkey is implementing new policies to reach EU standards and various regional development agencies have arisen to address regional disparities. The Development Bank of Turkey and the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) Regional Development Administration are the most experienced Turkish developmental agencies in regional development. Development Bank of Turkey - Type: Governmental - Headquarters: Ankara, Turkey - CEO: Abdullah Celik - Capital: $102 million (as of 2009) This state-backed financial institution provides funding support mainly to environmental investments and the energy sector. The bank lends out the resources it secures from the European Investment Bank, Council of Europe Development Bank, World Bank, French Development Agency, Islamic Development Bank and the Clean Technology Fund on a project basis. Southeastern Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration - Type: Governmental - Headquarters: Sanliurfa, Turkey - President: Sadrettin Karahocagil - Provinces: Adiyaman, Batman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Sanliurfa, Sirnak The Southeastern Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration, established in 2006, is responsible for coordination of implementation of what is called the GAP Plan. The Southeastern Anatolia Project, or GAP, was planned in 1970s for irrigation and hydraulic energy production on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The project is estimated to cost $32 billion. It has received loans and grants totaling $2.1 billion from multilateral and bilateral donors, including the World Bank, EU, France, Sweden, the United States and Canada. Upon completion of the project, facilities on the Euphrates and the Tigris will provide 28 percent of the total water potential of Turkey. The project also encompasses the agriculture, rural and urban infrastructure, forestry, education and health sectors.
Turkey’s nascent international development sector is dominated by governmental and multilateral agencies, although some regional development agencies have also entered the mix. The Group of 20-member country’s growing development financing operations are helping to secure its place as a regional powerhouse.
In 2009, Turkey provided $707.17 million in official development assistance, marking a significant rise from 2002, when it provided $72.97 million. Of the 2009 ODA contribution, $665.31 million came via bilateral aid and $41.86 million via multilateral aid. Despite this emergent role as a donor nation, Turkey continues to be listed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development as an aid recipient.
Central Asian Turkic countries have traditionally been the main beneficiaries of Turkey’s assistance as Turkish kinship plays an important role in assistance to the region. Indeed, the 15th-largest economy in the world ranks among the top aid donors in these countries, ranking among much larger donor countries such as the United States and Japan.
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Derya Deniz is an independent international relations analyst who has worked with several Turkish NGOs and international organizations, including as a research officer for the Permanent Observer Mission of the OIC to the United Nations. She holds a bachelor's degree in political sciences and international relations, and speaks Turkish, English and Arabic.
