As a government agency in charge of planning and coordinating activities in relation to the Southeastern Anatolia Project, the Presidency of GAP Administration (GAP Administration) completed its 10^th year in service on 6 November 1999.

The GAP Administration is the only government agency in Turkey specifically mandated to conduct regional planning on the basis of sustainability. The three pillars of sustainable development are public investments, private investments and people’s participation. For the last ten years, the GAP Administration performed successfully in establishing the principles of sustainable development which is to be materialized through the joint contribution of above mentioned sectors.

In its mission to give effect to the human development aspect of the project, the GAP Administration has become the central point of reference for both national and international organizations as far as the coordination of various project activities are concerned.

It was first in the 60s that studies and preliminary projects were launched on the utilization of the waters of the Euphrates and the Tigris for irrigation and energy production purposes. These studies and projects were merged in 1997 under the heading “Southeastern Anatolia Project.”

Earlier, the GAP consisted of irrigation and hydraulic energy projects gathered in two groups (with respect to the basins of the Euphrates and Tigris) and conducted by the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ). The project, in this earlier form, was a mere water resources development effort envisaging the construction of 22 dams, 19 hydraulic power plants and irrigation schemes to cover an area of 1.7 million hectares. It was then transformed into an integrated regional development project with the GAP Master Plan completed in 1989. The basic development scenario of this Plan is to develop the region as an export center focusing on agriculture based industries.

Starting from the 90s, the GAP adopted universal norms in development and it is presently carried out as a regional development project based on sustainable human development.

As mentioned earlier, the conduct of the GAP is based on three pillars as public investments, private investments and people’s participation. While public investments target the establishment of necessary infrastructures for further development, private investments are expected to revitalize the economy. Meanwhile, both lines of investment will be consolidated by the participation of various sectors in the society.

The social projects of GAP give priority to the disadvantaged sections of the population who may be adversely affected by the process due to the specific structural characteristics of the region. Consequently, women, children in general , young people without jobs, street children, nomads, people whose settlements are affected by dam lakes and farmers living in non-irrigated areas constitute the specific target groups of these social projects. Potential entrepreneurs are considered as another target group. Many projects related to these sections of the population are carried out in cooperation with various non-governmental organizations.

In line with the policies and targets of sustainable development, the GAP Administration has since 1995 been establishing multi-purpose community centers (ÇATOM) for the development and training of women in the region. UNICEF was the first international organization to contribute to this project. Cooperation with various governmental and non-governmental organizations multiplied the number of these centers. There were 22 CATOMs in the region as of the end of 1999. The target is to give an institutionalized and semi-autonomous character to these centers with the support of voluntary organizations.

The GAP Entrepreneur Support and Guiding Centers (GAP-GİDEM) is another organizational form within the framework of a project package developed and implemented in cooperation with UNDP. The target is to give further momentum to the process of industrialization in the region. . The GAP-GİDEM is active in 5 provincial centers in the region since 1997 in extending consulting services to potential entrepreneurs. Presently, the GAP-GİDEM is one of the most successful outcomes of the triple cooperation involving the GAP Administration, UNDP and TOBB (Union of the Chambers and Stock Exchanges of Turkey).

The resettlement of the people affected by Birecik Dam is in progress again with a participatory approach. The project specifically related to this process (Project for the Resettlement of People Affected by Birecik Dam) is the first comprehensive effort in this field which is based on the active participation of the people concerned. The objective is to help these people decide on their new settlements, adapt to their new circumstances through various investments and employment generation and become productive and self-sufficient households. The GAP Administration and UNDP are the two partners of this project based on the principle of people’s participation in the process of decision making and implementation.

“Rehabilitation of Street Children in Diyarbakir” and “Youth to Youth Social Progress” (Mardin) are the two projects presently in implementation with the participation and active involvement of various partners.

Restoration, conservation and salvation of cultural properties; environmental re-arrangements; and introduction of infrastructural facilities for tourism are other activities going on under a specific project. Documentation of Immovable Cultural Properties in the Townships of Birecik, Halfeti and Suruc; Excavation and Salvation in Hasankeyf Historical Site; and Acirli (Midyat-Mardin) Environmental Re-arrangement are some projects presently carried out in this category.

The present status attained by GAP distinguishes it from other projects also related to the development of water and land resources. The following are some projects exemplifying that international interest in the Project has been translated into practical action:

• The “Project Package for the Program of Sustainable Development” involves 29 sub-projects and has a budget of 5.2 million US dollars. This umbrella program is in implementation since 1997 in cooperation with UNDP to reduce socio-economic disparities in the GAP region.
• “Sanliurfa-Harran Plains On Farm and Village Development Services” and “GAP Urban Planning and Sanitation Projects” are two projects for which the World Bank has extended its financial support through a grant.
• The contact between the GAP Administration and FAO resulted with the commencement of preliminary work to develop a series of projects under the title of “GAP-FAO Rural Development Program” to investigate the possibilities of the two organizations and sharing the experience of GAP with the international community including the Turkic Republics.

Cooperation with international organizations in the field of training has a wide spectrum. The GAP Administration is presently preparing to communicate its specific experience to other similar organizations in the world within the framework of an International Training Program.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Arizona State University (ASU) and San Diego University (SDSU) are among these organizations. Also, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in June 1998 with Aleppo (Syria) based ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas). Training and technological cooperation activities are in progress with the Israeli Center for International Cooperation and Training (MASHAV).

Another important aspect of the international relations of the GAP Administration is its participation to international water organizations. The GAP Administration is a member of and in close contact with such water related organizations as the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), World Water Council (WWC), Global Water Partnership (GWP), International Hydraulics Association (IHA) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Relations with such influential water organizations bring along the following benefits to the GAP Administration:

• To publicize GAP in international platforms as a sustainable development project based on water resources,
• To create an environment in which experiences and opinions are exchanged with other parties,
• To take part in the managerial boards of various organizations to have a say in their decisions,
• To carry the Turkish experience in regional development to a global dimension.

The GAP Administration is mandated to carry out all coordination and planning works to ensure the completion of the project by 2010. Consequently, the GAP Administration has started the revision of the GAP Master Plan so as to lay down annual plans and incorporate newly emerging concepts and approaches.

As such, the new GAP Master Plan will include all policy variables, as well as standard development tools, pertaining to such headings as the role of the private sector including the financing of development, introduction of development programs to eliminate poverty, generation of new employment opportunities, strengthening of women in social and economic terms, protection of the environment, effects of arrangements entailed by the Customs Union.

The GAP Administration has completed its tenth year in service by;

• Opening the project to international cooperation,
• Ensuring GAP’s active participation to various international organizations,
• Securing a place in implementation for the sustainable human development dimension of the project,
• Assigning due importance to the culture and environment dimensions of the project,
• Developing plans and programs for regional development, and by
• Ensuring the participation of all relevant sections of the population to its project activities.

For this giant project to be managed as efficiently as it deserves, there is need to consolidate the institutional structure of the GAP Administration. This, in turn, requires legislative action to replace the Government Decree in Force of Law which presently constitutes the legal basis of the organization. Such a legislation will contribute to the project by;

• Enabling the Administration to get organized in other provinces of the region besides Sanliurfa,
• Feeding in the State Investment Program by specific GAP plans and programs, and
• Basing program implementation on reliable financial resources.

As a part of activities organized in the context of its tenth year in service, a team composed of the senior level staff of the Administration will be received by HE President Suleyman Demirel on 5 November 1999.

A delegation from the GAP Administration will visit Ataturk’s Mausoleum at 10.30 hours on 6 November 1999.

A workshop on “International Experience in Water Based Development Projects” will be held in Sanliurfa from 8 to 11 November 1999.