Back Collaboration for change: fostering women’s rights through stronger local partnerships in Türkiye

Ankara 30 September 2025
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Collaboration for change: fostering women’s rights through stronger local partnerships in Türkiye

Commitment, collaboration, and solidarity were at the forefront in Ankara as civil society organisations working in the field of women’s rights, bar associations and municipalities from across Türkiye, and international partners convened for the Final Review Meeting: Collective Impact for Women’s Access to Justice.

The gathering marked the conclusion of the joint European Union and Council of Europe action “Fostering Women’s Access to Justice in Türkiye”, implemented with the partnership of Union of Turkish Bar Associations. However, far from being just a closing event, the meeting was a celebration of achievements, lessons learned, and new commitments for the future.

Over the past two years, three civil society organisations (CSOs), Hayat Sende Youth Association, İMDAT, and ASAM, received grants to work hand in hand with bar associations, they raised awareness of 1398 women in vulnerable positions and increased their legal literacy through local engagement and social media campaigns, trained 214 legal professionals on gender-sensitive provision of legal services, and fostered cooperation with municipalities. Thus, together with the project activities, a total of 2,049 women have increased their awareness of their rights, and 1,845 legal professionals have been trained.

Building on this important work, the meeting provided a forum for exchange. Grantee CSOs and local bar associations shared successes and challenges, while international and national experts showcased effective partnership models. Their reflections painted a vivid picture of what happens when civil society, bar associations, and local actors such as municipalities join forces: Women not only increase their awareness about their rights but also feel empowered to claim them.

Participants left with recommendations to sustain collaboration between CSOs, bar associations, and municipalities and a renewed commitment to keeping women’s needs at the centre of efforts to strengthen access to justice.

The action “Fostering women’s access to justice in Türkiye” is part of the European Union and Council of Europe’s joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.

Horizontal Facility III

The joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” (Horizontal Facility III) is a co-operation initiative, running from 2023 until 2026. The programme covers actions in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. It enables the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with European
standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process. 

The envelope of this facility amounts to ca. 41 million EUR (85% funded by the EU, 15% by the CoE).

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.