The closing event of WE ACT – Women’s Empowerment and Mobilisation in Politics and Media, implemented by ALDA and Daktilo1984 with the support of the EU Delegation to Turkey, was hosted by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Istanbul on 15 May 2025.
During the 2.5-year project period, more than 100 women politicians, including active candidates in the 2024 local elections of Turkey, and nearly 100 civil society organisations from all over Turkey participated in the project.
In addition, with the sub-grant support provided to 21 civil society organisations, many local projects in the field of gender equality and empowerment of women and LGBTI+ were also supported.
The event started with the opening speeches of Mr. Arjen Uijterlinde, Consul General of the Netherlands in Istanbul, Mr. Jean Barbe, Head of Fundamental Rights and Civil Society Section of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey, Ms. Giulia Sostero, ALDA Africa, SouthWest Asia and Türkiye Departments Coordinator, and Prof. İbrahim Enes Özkan, Co-Founder and Vice President of Daktilo1984. The representatives of these institutions that are contributing to the implementation of the project highlighted their support for advancing gender equality in Turkey and reaffirmed their commitment to fostering inclusive and democratic societies. Both ALDA and Daktilo1984 emphasised their dedication to furthering efforts in this field, building on the lessons learned and experiences gained throughout the project.
Following the presentation of the project results and its success by ALDA Turkey Representative and Project Coordinator Zuhal Önal, 6 locally elected women politicians, who are also WE ACT participants, were on stage in the panel session titled “Women in Politics and Media”. Karşıyaka (Izmir) Municipality Council Member Aysun Kuru, Şehitkamil (Gaziantep) Municipality Council Member Ceren Benli, Yüreğir (Adana) Municipality Council Member Cevahir Yıldız, Seyhan (Adana) Municipality Council Member Duygu Atikaslan Ayçe, Yeşiloba Neighborhood Mukhtar (Seyhan, Adana) Nazife Tuzlar Elaldı, and Şahinbey (Gaziantep) Municipality Council Member Nurgül Doğan shared their experiences as women politicians who act on the local level, the challenges they have faced throughout their election journeys and suggestions for the women who would like to run for local elections in the future. Semin Gümüşel Güner, communication expert and project trainer from Fayn Press moderated the session.
Then, the projects that received sub-grant support under the Financial Support Program for CSOs for the Promotion of Gender Equality in Turkey were shared with the participants by ALDA Project Officer Burcu Genç. The event, which was attended by 91 people, ended with the “Networking and Marketplace” session, which allowed participants to network with each other.
The final publication of the project, We Succeeded Together: WE ACT Project Results and Good Practices, which presents the results of the activities carried out throughout the 30-month project, is planned to be published and disseminated in June.
The WE ACT project stands out as a powerful initiative to amplify women’s voices in political decision-making and champion an equal future.
By empowering local actors and placing gender equality and participatory governance at its core, the project left a lasting mark on inclusive leadership and democratic transformation.
