User:Zeynepelfk/ULFED

International NGO Federation (ULFED) is an independent and non-profit association that operates in the fields of strengthening communication, capacity and legal environment development in order to support the adaptation process of Syrian-Turkish non-governmental organizations to Turkey. Founded in 2021 by the merger of the Union of Non-Governmental Organizations and the Federation of Syrian Associations, ULFED aims to improve cooperation between different channels and authorities in Turkey and Syrian NGOs. 

Federation Structure
Members elected at the meetings held periodically by the General Assembly, which includes ULFED member organizations, constitute the Board of Directors of ULFED. The General Manager and his team elected by the Board of Directors are responsible for carrying out the activities of ULFED. Muhammed Akta has been the General Manager of ULFED since 2023.

Activities

 * To support civil society projects that improve the social image of Syrians in Turkey and increase social cohesion. * To provide consultancy services, organize press releases and training workshops, and develop programs and projects to increase the adaptation of Syrian-origin non-governmental organizations to Turkey. * To contribute to humanitarian support, strategic vision and legal environment by producing various reports and policy documents on civil society and its fields of work.  * To establish relationships and improve communication between Turkish civil society and public institutions and Syrian non-governmental organizations.  * To contribute to the improvement of the legal and bureaucratic environment based on the principle of public interest and to present the needs of non-governmental organizations and the difficulties they face to the official authorities.


 * To provide consultancy services and organize training workshops and conferences that will contribute to increasing the capacities of non-governmental organizations, social peace, governance, development, transparency, cooperation, empowerment of women and youth and adoption of sustainability principles.


 * Establishing and strengthening communication and coordination channels between non-governmental organizations and all their stakeholders.
 * Developing a legal and bureaucratic environment that will positively reflect on the effectiveness of non-governmental organizations.
 * Developing the capacities of non-governmental organizations in line with society's expectations.
 * Improving the integration of Syrians in Turkey at institutional and social levels.
 * Increasing awareness of Turkish society and public institutions about Syrians.
 * Promoting the principles of social peace, governance, development, transparency, cooperation, empowerment of women and youth and sustainability in non-governmental organizations.

Syrians' Demand is to Return Voluntarily and with Dignity
In a press release issued on May 28, 2022 to express the opinion of Syrian NGOs, as a response to the increasing public debate on the return of Syrians, ULFED stated that it remains committed to exercising the right of Syrians to return to Syria when the necessary humanitarian, military and political conditions are met. In this statement, ULFED also called for Syrian refugees not to be used as election material and for the issue to be handled in accordance with human rights and the culture of the tolerant Turkish people, and invited the international community to find a solution to the ongoing humanitarian crises in Syria.

On Bringing Up the Issue of Syrian Refugees in Political Conflicts
ULFED published this press release on May 24, 2023, as a reaction to the fact that, in the atmosphere created by the 2023 general elections, various parties and politicians have separated the refugee problem in Turkey from its humanitarian and legal dimension and turned it into a tool for the manipulation of voters. In the statement, ULFED emphasized that instead of using Syrian refugees as a material for politics, politicians should fight to ensure the honorable and voluntary return of Syrian refugees with international guarantees, and stated that a return in this context would also be the desire and demand of Syrians.

Our Statement on the Gina Mercimek Case
ULFED, who attended the decision hearing of the case of 9-year-old Syrian refugee Gina Mercimek, who was found dead in her neighbor's house in Kilis, found it valuable that this crime, which injured the human conscience, went unpunished in terms of providing hope for social harmony in Turkey, while the acquittal of one of the defendants set an example to the contrary. He stated that it was worrying. In the statement, it was emphasized that the Gina Mercimek case, which caused great unrest in the society, once again revealed how important it is to fight against hate speech and hate crime for social peace.