I. FIRST STEP: THE FOUNDATION OF THE CIVIC INITIATIVE AND THE PREPARATION OF THE PETITION CAMPAIGN
../August 2005, İzmir: There are many troubles in conservation and restoration of cultural heritages in Turkiye. Some of the uneducated, unskilled and inexperienced contractors, experts and decision makers mostly damage our heritages during the restoration. On the other hand, TBMM (Turkish National Assembly) authorized regional municipalities on conservation and restoration of heritages with the law NO: 5226 dated July 14, 2004. Because the conservation of the cultural heritage generally need massive financial sources, academic and scientific background, local authorities and municipalities’ sources can not match/fulfill with the field of conservation and restoration enough. So, we are worried about all precious heritages and art works will be destroyed extensively as this new regulation applies.
August 2005, İzmir: Precious and more than 700 years old Turkish-Seljuk ceramics (çini) have been totally damaged by the unskilled contractor during the restoration works continued in Sahipata Kulliyesi, in Konya City. This terrible demolishing was the start point to found our Civic Initiative in internet and to prepare a petition campaign aiming at stopping the destructions continues all over of Turkey. We consider the start of Screening and Negotiation Process of Turkey to be the member of EU as the last change to protect our cultural heritage.
So, since we know the UNECO Conventions and other international agrements, conventions..etc. we started to reseach the legislation of EU about this subject and wrote our petition taking into consideration these conventions and legislations.
September 23 - October 15 2005, İzmir: Saadet GUNER (R) Economist and Project Consultant, İzmir Turkey, Aytaç GUNER (R) Financial Manager and Project Consultant, İzmir-Turkey, Research Assistant: A. Sultan KARAOGLU, Fine Arts Faculty of Atatürk University , Erzurum Turkey founded “Civic Initiative To Stop The Tears Of Cultural Heritage in Turkey “ on Internet and organized a petition campaign via e-mail. The petition were distributed via e-mail to individuals, experts and institutions that they serve to the protection of the cultural heritage.
The petition consists of the problems, destructions of the cultural heritage during the wrong restoration works, the reasons of these problems (the educational, tender system the qualification of the decision makers in Turkey), and the recommendations to solve these problems. Persons, institutions who wish to participate to our civic Initiative and support the petition campaign sent their e-mails to its e-mail address.
September 26, 2005, İzmir: Spokeswoman of Civic Initiative Mrs. Saadet Guner informed via e-mail to Marielle Richon (Ms), Programme Specialist, Focal Point for Universities, UNESCO World Heritage Centre” Paris France about the start of the petition campaign and the foundation of the civic initiative. She replied to her by sending the e-mail and she said that she forwarded the e-mail of Civic Initiative to her colleagues in charge within UNESCO. What a big honor for our Civic Initiative!
September 29, 2005, İzmir: Spokeswoman of Civic Initiative Mrs. Saadet Guner informed via e-mail to Jan Hladík, Programme Specialist, International Standards Section, Division of Cultural Heritage UNESCO Paris France, about the start of the petition campaign and the foundation of the civic initiative. He replied to her by sending the e-mail and he said that he took the petition due note of it. What a big honor for our Civic Initiative!
October 21-25, 2005, İzmir: Totally 158 persons including in students, experts, academicians and institutions were the member of the Civic Initiative and supported our petition campaign. We collected their names in the list and we distributed it together with the petition via e-mail and mail to the responsible institutions in the World and Turkey.
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II. STEP: AFTER THE FOUNDATION OF THE CIVIC INITIATIVE
October 27, 2005: Marielle Richon (Ms), Programme Specialist, Focal Point for Universities, UNESCO World Heritage Centre” Paris France send the e-mail to spokeswoman of Civic Initiative and stated that she transmitted the petition and the list of members of the Civic Initiative to her colleagues at the World Heritage Centre Europe Desk Unit. What a big honor four our Civic Initiative!
October 28, 2005, İzmir: We received Michael VOGELE ‘s e-mail, the First Secretary, Head of Section, Institution Building and Civil Society Delegation of the European Commission to Turkey. The subject of this e-mail was related to his courteous and valuable invitation to meet in Ankara. The appointment will be on 22 November 2005. What a big honor for our Civic Initiative!
October 29, 2005, İzmir: All the process concerning with the Civic Initiative and our campaign was informed to the members of the Civic Initiative via e-mail.
November 01, 2005, İzmir, On behalf of Mr. Ali Babacan, Minister of State and First Negotiator, Secretary General for EU Affairs in Ankara, sent to us the courteous and valuable invitation via e-mail to the meeting which gives the knowledge to the Non Govermental Organisations (NGOs) about the Screening Process of the Chapters on “Science–Research” and “Education-Culture” of Turkey. It was sent also the NGO Form to fulfill. What a big honor for our Civic Initiative!
November 17-18, 2005, Istanbul
a) Ms. Saadet Guner presented the paper titled “Conservation of Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Development: An Exemplary of Social Risk Reduction Project, Seferihisar – İzmir, July – September 2004” to the National Symposium organized by Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts (MSGSU) on the subject of “50 Years in Conservation”.
b) The panelists and audience attending to the symposium were aware of the civic initiative and campaign by Saadet Guner. Chairman of the Panel and all participants in symposium expressed that the initiative is a beneficial initiative and start and also stated their support and participation to the works. After hearing such speeches, we reaffirmed once more that our campaign and initiative progresses towards the true path.
November 19, 2005, Ms. Saadet Guner, Mrs. Celaleddin Küçük and Mr. Aytaç Güner, representatives of the Civic Initiative To Stop The Tears of Cultural Heritages in Turkey attended to the informative meeting of EU General Secretary of Turkey (ABGS) held at the technical level on November 19th 2005 with respect to the Screening Process for “Science – Research” and Education – Culture” issues at the process of participation of Turkey to the European Community.
November 22, 2005: Saadet Güner, Spokeswoman of Civic Initiative was received by Michael VOGELE ‘s the First Secretary, Head of Section, Institution Building and Civil Society Delegation of the European Commission to the meeting joint other staff of EC Delegation. The voluntary works of the civic initiative and their reasons were expressed to them by her.
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III. STEP: TO FOUND THE ASSOCIATION
November 21-30, 2005: After having feed back from the meetings of ABGS and EC Delegation to Turkey, seven representatives of Civic Initiative To Stop The Tears of Cultural Heritages in Turkey (Saadet Güner, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özdoğan, Mine Yar, Jale Velibeyoğlu, Aytaç Güner, Celaleddin Küçük, Mehmet Uğur) decided to found an association in order to continue the works of civic initiative in the legal statue. They started to write the statue of the FRIENDS OF CULTURAL HERITAGE and presented it İstanbul City Directorate of the Associations.
6 November 2005: FRIENDS OF CULTURAL HERITAGE was registered in İstanbul City Directorate of the Associations and founded legally.
PROCESS OF THE PETITION AND CONCLUSION 1
1 December 2005: General Directorate of Sites and Museums of the Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture and Tourism replied to the petition by mail.
3 April 2006: Committee of Petitions in EU Parliament in Brussels submitted the petition with reference number 995/2005 to investigate since the subject-matter of the petition falls within the sphere of activities of the European Union (Mail).
27 April 2006: Friends of Cultural Heritage-FOCUH decided to follow up the petition registered to Committee of Petitions in EU Parliament in Brussels on the name of the “Civic Initiative” and informed this decision to the Committee of Petition of EU Parliament.
15 September 2006: Committee of Petitions of EU Parliament sent the letter. It informed that Committee of Petitions examined the petition taking due account of the written information provided by European Commission at the meeting of 13/14.09.2006, decided to close the dossier and sent the written information of EU Commission. (Mail). (Written Information Provided by of EU Commission): [1] [2]
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