ILKE Science and Culture and Education Foundation (ILKE Foundation) has published the fourth report under its Field Monitoring Reports Project, the Field Monitoring Report on Civil Society (2010-2020). The report provides an extensive analysis of Turkish civil society and its developments from the last ten years.

The report chronologically discusses the developments that took place in the different dimensions of the civil society during the ten year including the Turkish civil society, civil society and state relations, statistics related to civil society, basic issues of non-governmental organizations and proposed solution, the 15 July coup attempt and epidemic, which are important events that deeply affected the civil society, as well as several other issues that may be important for non-governmental organizations.

ILKE Executive Board Chairman, Dr. Lutfi Sunar discussed some highlights from the report.

2000s were the Spring of Civil Society in Turkey

Stating that Turkey entered the 2000s with the political and economic crises created by the February 28 postmodern coup, Dr. Lütfi Sunar stated that two events transformed the state-society relations as the sector entered the 2000s. With the legal and structural reforms that took place after the Marmara Earthquake in 1999 and the start of the negotiations for membership of European Union, civil rights and freedoms greatly ​​expanded in the civil society hence making 2000s a spring for civil organizations both for Turkey and the region.

Gezi Events created a Divide in Civil Society in Turkey

The protests, which started in 2013 over the plans to rebuild the historical barracks in Istanbul, where the Gezi Park is located, soon turned into large-scale demonstrations both in Istanbul and Turkey. According to Sunar, this process distanced different segments of civil society from its mission with the Gezi events that unfolded.

July 15 Narrowed the Scope of Civil Society

Sunar stated that with the measures taken after the July 15 coup attempt, the domain for ​​bureaucracy in the country has expanded while for ​​civil society has shrunk. A significant number of the non-governmental organizations have been integrated into politics and have started to distance themselves from playing their original role.

The Need for Civil Society During the Pandemic Period Is More Than Ever

While the main activities of NGOs came to a halt during the pandemic period, the activities of various aid organizations were also restricted. The covid-19 epidemic, which emerged in 2019 and disrupted all life throughout 2020, very clearly demonstrated the need for social solidarity and increased role of non-governmental organizations.

To access the full report, click here.