Ahmet Yatğın
After the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, Turkey explicitly incorporated the concept of sustainability into its 7th Development Plan for the first time. In 2021, Turkey became the 192nd country to join the Paris Agreement. President Erdoğan declared their aim to achieve net zero emissions by 2053. So, what does the 12th Development Plan propose within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals?
Key Elements of the Twelfth Development Plan
The government primarily addresses the development plan through five main axes. The strategy for the next 5 years will revolve around “stable growth, a robust economy,” “competitive production with green and digital transformation,” “qualified individuals, strong families, a healthy society,” “resilient living spaces against disasters, sustainable environment,” and “democratic good governance based on justice.” Well, how much space does sustainability occupy within this context?
Twelfth Development Plan in the Context of Sustainability
The word ‘sustainable’ numbers increased from 95 to 206.
Firstly, I prefer to approach such examinations through numbers. A small comparison might be appropriate to start. While the word “sustainable” appears only 95 times in the 11th development plan covering 2019 and 2023, we see it 206 times in the 12th development plan. Furthermore, while the 11th development plan limited Sustainable Development Goals to 7 items, the 12th development plan increases this number to 8.
The Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Strategy and Budget Directorate, addresses Sustainable Development Goals under the title of Law and Democracy in the last two development plans. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are considered a decisive strategic factor in the efficient use and increase of existing resources, directing them to areas that generate the most value economically and socially in the medium and long term.
The State Encourages Walking
By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. More than 60% of carbon emissions and 78% of energy consumption are city-sourced. The statistics provided in the Development Plan suggest a careful focus on urbanization in the new period. However, a surprising solution proposal stands out: “… efforts are being made to reduce car dependency and promote public transportation and walking.” The state is almost telling its citizens, “walk, my friend.”
Since the earthquake in February 2023, the government is taking this seriously. The Strategy and Budget Directorate sees the disasters are the biggest barrier in front of development. Additionally, the increase in health service budgets in the coming years is foreseen.
Efforts are being made to accelerate work on the legal infrastructure, taxonomy, measurement, verification, reporting, risk management, and data production related to the financing of green transformation. On the other hand, it is emphasized between the lines that preparations compatible with sustainable development goals should be made for companies producing technologies such as the Internet of Things, advanced robotics, or artificial intelligence to produce in Turkey. Essentially, green transformation in agriculture and manufacturing industries and digital transformation in the service sector are targeted.
Transformation Can Begin with Making the City Sustainable
Another frequently emphasized topic in the 12th Development Plan is resilient urbanization compatible with changing climate and sustainable development standards. Environmental legislation has been improved, technical infrastructure has been enhanced, and the protection status of areas with rich biological diversity in various parts of our country has been increased. In addition, the plan aims to increase the number of regulated storage areas needed for waste management under the responsibility of local governments. Furthermore, the more effective implementation of the local administration union model is decided to be ensured to use the time and financial resources of city administrations very efficiently.
Big Goals in Industry
Perhaps the most surprising claim in the file could be this: Turkey should have at least 5 brands among the world’s top 100 brands. In addition to the goal of our high-tech industrial production, which performs competitive and efficient production in line with sustainability criteria and exceeds OECD averages in manufacturing industry exports at the end of the period, the share of high-tech industries in manufacturing industry exports is aimed to be increased from around 3% to 17%. Moreover, it is aimed to be a powerful and qualified production capacity in defense industry exports among the top 5 countries. It is said that these goals will be achieved within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals. It is promising that a developing country can imagine both sustainable and rapid strides on the same ground, unlike some other countries.
Efforts are being made to increase the fight against the informal economy and employment, and social security policies are aimed to be simpler, more effective, and fair. Policies that are sustainable, low-emission, integrated with digital production techniques, and environmentally friendly, especially in energy, transportation, industry, and agriculture sectors, will be adopted. In addition to responsible production, increasing awareness of responsible consumption is also among the goals.
TURKSTAT’s created a platform
As known as TUIK created a portal for those who want to follow the process. Turkey submitted its first Voluntary Review Report, which includes the planned steps to implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to the UN in 2016, and its second report, which reveals the progress, in 2019. The goal of standardizing the presentation of sustainability and emission data is mentioned. In addition, a significant portal was shared in the Development Plan file for those who are curious. In this portal, you can examine all the statistics related to Sustainable Development Goals under 17 headings separately.
Turkey Must Be “Sustainable”
An interesting goal is mentioned in the development plan. The state sees raising individuals who can think critically and offer sustainable solutions to problems as one of its fundamental goals.
When we look at the evaluations of international relevant organizations, we see that the country is not where it should be in terms of democracy and justice. However, if Turkey wants to make a significant breakthrough, it must become an attractive place for international companies. From this perspective, the development plan clearly emphasizes the concept of “sustainability” more. Structural reforms required to improve rankings under titles such as law, justice, press freedom, and democracy among countries will take a bit more time compared to the legal responsibilities of the Paris Agreement. Perhaps, this is why the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, Strategy and Budget Directorate, highlights the concept of “sustainability” more in the development plan.
