İzmir– The Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) signed a cooperation agreement today with the Köy-Koop İzmir Union to convey the experiences and knowledge of cooperatives in Izmir. The agreement falls within the scope of the project “Building Resilience of Syrians Under Temporary Protection and Host Communities in Turkey through Supporting Socio-Economic Integration and Creating Livelihood Opportunities”, implemented by FAO and funded by the European Union.

Neptün Soyer, Chairman of the Board of the Köy-Koop Izmir Union, explained the background to the agreement: “The Köy-Koop Izmir Union has been working to ensure that agricultural development cooperatives act as a union since the early 1960s. We believe that women – who have been working in agriculture and in every field for thousands of years – should also take part in decision mechanisms, management, and inspection boards. By making women visible in cooperatives, we believe that we can contribute to gender equality in Turkey. The promotion of quality and equal representation in production will help to advance equality in every field.”

FAO Deputy Representative of Turkey, Ayşegül Selışık, provided information on FA’s involvement: “We have been working in the field for about three years to strengthen women’s cooperatives. We have implemented programmes that enable women to take part in management and supervision in different types of cooperatives. Today, these efforts enter a new phase with the Village-Koop İzmir Union. We plan to expand best practice examples among existing cooperatives while ensuring that Agricultural Development Cooperatives are strengthened under the leadership of women”. The Deputy Representative also conveyed her thanks to Neptün Soyer and the other board members for their support.