UCLG-MEWA organized another program within the scope of UCLG-MEWA Local Government Talks, with Mr. İsmail Gülal, Member of the Advisory Board of Istanbul Tulip Foundation. Framed around the relevant Sustainable Development Goals, the Talk was held with the theme “Green Space Sustainability in Metropolises,” and took place on 26 July 2018, at UCLG-MEWA General Secretariat, in Istanbul, Turkey.
Mr. Gülal: “Public Gardens is a project that is molded by our cultural values.”
During his remarks as the speaker of the Talk on Green Space Sustainability in Metropolises, Mr. Gülal referred to the importance of Public Gardens project, highlighting its importance for cultural values and future sustainability.
Talking about Istanbul Tulip Foundation’s tulip onion planting activities with students every year since 2013, in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education of Turkey;
Mr. Gülal also added that they are developing a sense of belonging to the environment among students, by giving their names to each tulip planted.
Mr. Gülal also underlined the historical adventure and cultural importance of the tulip, and mentioned one of the important figures in Turkish history, Matrakçı Nasuh, who was carrying the cultural codes from past to future with the miniature of Istanbul. With the same aim in our minds, the cultural values should be transferred to the future; he further added.
Speaking after the Q&A session, Mr. Mehmet Duman, UCLG-MEWA Secretary General, stated the importance of the landscaping works in Istanbul. Secretary General Duman also added that with the distance education system, the similar works will be shared with Gaza and the West Bank, with an aim to provide experience-sharing and knowledge dissemination among the local governments of the MEWA region.
At the end of the Talk, Secretary General Duman presented a plaque to Mr. Gülal, in memory of the day. The program was concluded after the souvenir photos taken with all participants.
Click here for photos from the program.