Brussels, 22 August 2023 – CAN Europe welcomes the recent decision taken by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Türkiye to terminate its partnership with the Limak Foundation.
CAN Europe believes that UN agencies should be at the forefront of upholding the core commitments of the United Nations – namely, the principles of equality, human rights, and the Sustainable Development Goals. This responsibility becomes even more important when faced with situations that directly impact the well-being of local communities and the environment. The Akbelen forest protests exemplify the urgency of ensuring that development initiatives are consistent with the broader vision of a sustainable, equitable, and rights-based future, one that includes a fossil fuel phase out, and a just transition approach where fossil fuel is no longer an option and no one is left behind.
Moreover, and in light of the current circumstances in Akbelen where the Limak Foundation has continued to relentlessly carry a coal mine expansion project, CAN Europe calls upon the decision-makers of the United Nations Global Compact to similarly reevaluate their associations with the Limak Foundation, and abide to their 10 core principles in the implementation of their programs that are based, among others, on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and on the United Nations Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.
Contacts:
Özlem Katısöz – POLICY COORDINATOR FOR TURKEY
ozlem.katisoz@caneurope.org
Eleonora Allena – COMMUNICATION COORDINATOR FOR THE WESTERN BALKANS AND TURKEY
eleonora.allena@caneurope.org
