Clinton Foundation's Istanbul visit

Gila Benmayor for TDN

Saturday, September 2, 2006

Istanbul is attracting a lot of visitors these days. Apart from the six republican senators and their wives who spent the last weekend in Istanbul, there were the multitudes, which came to watch the Formula 1 races, and some members of the Clinton Foundation. The foundation members, unlike the rest, came to Istanbul on business, not pleasure. Before writing about who they met with, I would like to provide some information on what this foundation does.
As you all know, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, after leaving the White House, did not lose his interest in what was happening around the world. Through his foundation, he takes a keen interest in various issues around the world, especially those involving education and health. The Clinton Foundation initiated a campaign, “Clinton Climate Initiative,” in early August. The initiative, known as CCI, aims to combat global warming. There are various causes behind global warming. However, the main cause is the greenhouse emissions from large cities. According to statistics, 75 percent of the harmful greenhouse emissions come from these large cities. One of those who first noted this danger and emphasized the importance of taking measures to prevent it was London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Livingstone founded the “Large Cities Climate Leadership Group.” The group, which wants to cooperate with the 22 large cities around the world including Istanbul, signed an agreement with the Clinton Foundation. The third partner of this cooperation agreement is the U.S. Green Building Council.
The concept of “Green Building” is not well known in Turkey. Buildings that are built on proper land and use the minimum amount of water and electricity are categorized and environmentally-friendly and in other words “green.”
This council has a member in Istanbul. She is civil engineer Dr. Duygu Erten who returned to Turkey after working in the United States for 17 years. A “green building” Erten built in Los Angeles came first in a competition. Consequently, the first person the Clinton Foundation and the Green Building Council visit when they came to Istanbul was naturally Erten. So, what did the Clinton foundation do in Istanbul? Who did they speak to?
They first asked for a meeting with Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş. However, his schedule was too busy and the meeting didn't happen. Istanbul Greater Municipality Environmental Protection Bureau Director İbrahim Demir agreed to meet with representatives of the Clinton Foundation and the Green Building Council. We don't exactly know what was discussed behind closed doors. We don't know whether Istanbul will join this global initiative to combat greenhouse emissions. I personally expect the Istanbul Greater Municipality to release a statement on the matter.
One must note one fact.
Turkey, just like the United States, did not sign the Kyoto Protocol.
According to my information, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is a little confused about the protocol and has no clear strategy. I wonder whether the Istanbul Greater Municipality can join such an initiative without Ankara. If it can, it will prove it is truly a global city.