Adana Child-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction Workshops
26 May 2025 - 27 May 2025
Adana
The Child-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction Action Plans for Municipalities Project, implemented by TESEV with the support of UNICEF and in cooperation with the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, aims to support municipalities in Türkiye in developing data-driven, child-centered disaster risk reduction actions. To this end, a full-day internal and external stakeholder workshop was held in Adana, one of the project’s pilot provinces, on May 23, 2025. Experts and personnel from Adana Metropolitan Municipality, representatives from CSOs operating in Adana, academics, and central government representatives participated in the event. Following the opening remarks by Görkem Güner, UNICEF Social Policy Officer, Ayten Dolançay, Head of the ABB Women and Family Services Department, presented on Child Services, Child Studies, and Data in the field of Disaster and Emergency. After Gökçen Yılmaz Tokgöz, UNICEF Program Specialist, presented on fundamental concepts of disaster risk reduction, Görkem Güner, UNICEF Social Policy Officer, delivered a presentation on municipalities’ legal obligations regarding disasters in light of relevant legislation. After the lunch break, Gizem Fidan Kaya, TESEV Project Manager, delivered a presentation on Child-Centered Disaster Policies and Data. Finally, Prof. Dr. Murat Güvenç introduced participants to the Child-Centered Disaster Risk Maps he prepared using age and market price data for Adana’s neighborhoods. Following the presentations, during the afternoon sessions, participants were divided into groups and developed action proposals on topics such as children’s and families’ disaster awareness, a child protection-centered approach in the post-disaster recovery phase, and disaster governance. The event concluded with each group presenting their action proposals and a Q&A session.
A full-day Adana Child-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction Children’s Workshop was held on May 27, with the participation of children and young people living in Adana. Through sessions led by the UNICEF team, children were briefly informed about disaster risks and the duties and responsibilities of municipalities in this regard. The meeting continued with a workshop conducted by UNICEF experts. The workshop allowed children to contemplate potential disasters in Adana, exchange ideas on measures that could be taken against them and share their experiences after February 6 earthquakes. Divided into groups, the children presented their child-centered risk reduction proposals, supported by their drawings, at the end of the day. The proposals developed by the children during the event will be compiled by TESEV to be included in the action plans.