Status change for local association
Güncelleme Tarihi:
ISTANBUL - Foundation status has been awarded to The Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Turkey, or OSIAF-Turkey, effective from Jan. 1.
The foundation will be comprised totally of local administrators from Turkey. The foundation will continue to support the institutions and people that work on scientific, social and cultural activities that aim to improve human rights, democracy and universal values in Turkey.
Can Paker, İshak Alaton and Murat Sungar are the administrators of the new Open Society Foundation. Paker, Alaton and Osman Kavala were founders of the Turkey branch of the institution. The administration body in 2009 will be composed of Suay Aksoy, Nurcan Baysal, Eyüp Can, Zülfü Dicleli, Melih Fereli, Temel İskit, Şebnem Karauçak, Can Paker and Murat Sungar, according to a written statement published by the foundation.
OSIAF-Turkey acts as a liaison office of George Soros’ network. It facilitates collaboration between Turkish civil society and the Soros foundation network, and makes funding recommendations. The institutes’ Turkey branch has supported social, economic, and European Union membership research, human rights initiatives and educational reforms.
OSIAF-Turkey's overall aim is to enhance current reform efforts by providing financial and technical assistance in five general areas: political reform and the EU, media, gender, regional disparities and civil society. Activities of the foundation can be viewed at the Web site www.aciktoplumenstitusu.org. The Open Society Institute supported a controversial study, "Being Different in Turkey: Those who are made to be like others based on religion and conservatism," that was conducted by a team of academics led by Binnaz Toprak and supported by Boğaziçi University.
The recent study said Kurds, Alevis and secularists were exposed to social pressures in Anatolia as they tried to conform to the unspoken rules of the communities they live in. Another report released by TESEV and supported by the Open Society Institute in 2006 drew criticism by the General Staff. The report said there had been no control exercised over the budget of the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK.