100th Year Conference Hall Brand Award Ceremony

Within the scope of Altınbaş University's 100th anniversary of our Republic, the 100th Year Conference Hall was opened at the Gayrettepe Campus. The first event at the 100th Year Conference Hall was the Governance Excellence Mark ceremony. The holders of the Council of Europe's European Governance Excellence Mark (ELoGE) for 2023 were presented with their brands.

Under the leadership of the National Platform established by Altınbaş University and the European Association for Local Democracy in Turkey and coordinated by Argüden Governance AcademyThis year, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, Bağcılar, Gebze, Sultanbeyli and Şişli Municipalities were the owners of the right to use the Brand.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony of the Brand, which is seen as the symbol of good governance culture in local governments, which will be valid for a period of one year, Altınbaş University Rector Prof. Dr. Çağrı Erhan emphasized the importance of local governments. Prof. Dr. Çağrı Erhan emphasized the importance of local governments. Emphasizing that democracy starts from the local level, Prof. Dr. Çağrı Erhan said, "Municipalities exhibit good governance to the extent that they take into account the expectations and wishes of people who are part of urban life. In daily life, we all come into contact with streets, transportation vehicles, official buildings or schools. Any situation or negativity that occurs in these environments affects our lives. We have the opportunity to intervene in them, to make demands in a sense. As citizens, we are pleased to be with municipalities that touch us, listen to our voices, take their demands, wishes, desires, opinions into consideration and produce solutions."

Erhan also pointed out that an important awareness was raised with brand ownership and said, "In addition to the criteria for local governments established by the Council of Europe, each country, even each region, city and neighborhood has its own success criteria. Criteria created with the contribution of those who receive services lead to more accurate results. Elections are the biggest indicator of success. Citizens decide with their votes whether a local government is successful or not. But what about the 5 years after the election? Will the success of that local government not be evaluated in any way during these 5 years? I think this can best be done through city councils. City councils need to be operated, sustained, monitored and measured. We have seen that the practices of our award-winning municipalities today are exemplary in this sense."

Niall Sheerin, Vice President of the Council of Europe Center of Expertise on Good Governance, said: "ELoGE is a mirror for local governments. Today, we not only recognize the municipalities that have been awarded the Mark for one year, but also invite other municipalities to apply next year to improve quality of life through the development of local democracy."

Antonella Valmorbida, Secretary General of the European Association for Local Democracy, stated that the cooperation they have developed in Turkey is becoming more and more important every day and added: "We are very pleased to cooperate with Argüden Academy to recognize the work of municipalities on good governance at the local level and to award the ELoGE."

Dr. Yılmaz Argüden, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Argüden Governance Academy, authorized by the Council of Europe to award the European Governance Excellence Mark in Turkey, said. Yılmaz Argüden said: "A society in which institutions are trusted is critical for quality of life and a sustainable future. Adopting a culture of good governance in local governments, the cradle of democracy, will be the cornerstone of inclusive and participatory democracy and social trust in the 2nd century of our Republic. This Brand will also contribute to strategic and budget preparation processes."

Mayors shared their experiences in the panels organized after the brand presentation ceremony.

Mayor of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mansur Yavaş said, "My promise was to work closely with all segments of society for transparency and accountability. Ankara Municipality gains the trust of citizens with the meaningful information it provides. Receiving the ELoGE will encourage other municipalities in our country to implement good governance practices."

Mr. Hüseyin Keskin, Mayor of Sultanbeyli Municipality, stated that they are happy and proud to have been awarded the brand for the second time and said, "Encouraging the participation of all segments of citizens in decisions and making efforts in this regard increases citizen trust and satisfaction. Applying for the trademark every year is a good indication that we take continuous development as a basis." He said.

Mr. Muammer Keskin, Mayor of Şişli Municipality, said: "When we took office 5 years ago, we always said one thing. We will be participatory, we will be transparent and accountable, we will be inclusive. As one of the pioneering municipalities, the European Governance Mark we received paved the way for many of our projects such as Neighbor Table and Participatory Budget."