In Support of the December 15 World Turkic Language Family Day
Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA),
Turkish Women League of America (TWLA), and
Empowering the Turkish American Community (ETAC-USA)
Jointly Present a program on
Dil Kültürün Taşıyıcısıdır
Language Carries Cultural Identity
Celebrating December 15 World Turkic Language Family Day
Thursday, December 4, 2025
5pm-7pm
Turkish House, 821 United Nations Plaza #10017, New York, NY 10017
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND
https://forms.gle/GsyCoJ5cNME2AU7C7
Language: Turkish & English
Introduction
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), the Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA), and Empowering the Turkish American Community (ETAC-USA)—organizations officially associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC)—are jointly hosting an event titled “Language Carries Cultural Identity” to celebrate World Turkic Language Family Day.
This collaborative program highlights the unifying power of language as a cultural bridge that connects communities across borders, reflecting shared heritage, values, and identity among Turkic-speaking peoples around the world.
Background
World Turkic Language Family Day, proclaimed by UNESCO on December 15, is an important observance that celebrates the deep-rooted history, linguistic unity, and cultural connections among Turkic languages and the communities that speak them.
The day aims to honor the shared linguistic and cultural heritage of Turkic-speaking societies and to emphasize the importance of preserving and passing this heritage on to future generations.
Within the framework of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, language is recognized as one of the most vital carriers of identity, cultural memory, and social continuity. Languages are not only means of communication but also bridges that transmit a community’s history, values, wisdom, and aesthetic sensibilities from generation to generation.
Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Uzbek, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic languages share common origins and exhibit structural and lexical similarities. Beyond linguistics, they also embody a shared cultural identity expressed through folk traditions, literature, and the arts.
This December program, following the initial series launched in February and the event held on September 7, 2025, continues to highlight the unifying strength of Turkic languages and the importance of sustaining linguistic and cultural diversity in multicultural societies.
Through this gathering, we celebrate not only the beauty of linguistic diversity but also the universal power of language to connect people, communities, and cultures across the world.
Program
Opening Remarks & Introduction by
Berna Gürdal
President, Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA)
Alev Wieland
President, Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA)
Diplomatic Address by
H.E. Mr. Ahmet Yıldız
Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the United Nations
UNESCO Türkiye Speaker
Prof. Dr. M. Öcal Oğuz
Chairman of the Board of Directors of
the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO
Expert Speakers
Prof. Dr. Gregory Key
Department of Middle Eastern and
Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Binghamton University
Dr. Feride Hatiboğlu
Lecturer in Foreign Languages, University of Pennsylvania
Youth Speakers
Ceyda Güllü
Global Politics and International Relations Student
Middle East Technical University (METU) / Binghamton University
Berke Genç
International Relations and Global Politics Student
Binghamton University
Inspirations from Turkish Musical Instruments
Dr. Afsar Barlas
Senior Research Scientist
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Cultural Performances
Poem “Go’zal” by Abdulhamid Cho’lpon 1919 read by Lapasova Komila
Poem “Bana zamandan sӧz ediyorlar” by Murathan Mungan read Ömer Mungan
Tim Tim Dance and Butterfly Dance by Crimean Turks
Dance Performance by American Karachay-Kavkaz Benevolent Association (AKBA)
Moderator
Mine Yenigün
Secretary General, Turkish Women’s Association of America (TWLA)
Closing Remarks
(Refreshments will be served.)
Biographies
H.E. Mr. Ahmet Yıldız
Turkish politician and career diplomat currently serving as the 22nd Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the United Nations since 25 April 2024.
Ambassador Yıldız held office as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for two terms: from 22 June 2023 until 25 April 2024 and from 2016 to 2018.
He was a member of the Grand National Assembly from 7 July 2018 to 14 May 2023 and prior to that he served as a senior adviser to both the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic of Türkiye between 2014 and 2016.
Throughout his career, he has been appointed to posts in various embassies and consulates of the Republic of Türkiye around the world. He served as Ambassador of Türkiye to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2011 to 2014; Consul General in Mosul, Iraq from 2009 to 2011; in Saudi Arabia from 2006 to 2008 and from 2004 to 2005; in Syria from 2005 to 2006 and from 2000 to 2002; in the United States from 1997 to 2000; in Germany from 1993 to 1995; and in Libya from 1991 to 1993.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from the School of International Relations in the Faculty of Political Science of Ankara University and speaks English and Arabic.
Prof. Dr. M. Öcal Oğuz
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO and Professor at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University
Dr. Oğuz graduated from Karadeniz Technical University’s Department of Turkish Language and Literature in 1984. He completed his master’s (1987) and Ph.D. (1991) at Gazi University, focusing on Turkish folk poetry. In 1992, he began his academic career at Hacettepe University, becoming Associate Professor in 1995 and Full Professor in 2002. Since 2005, he has served as Head of the Department of Turkish Folklore at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University.
Oğuz has taught and supervised theses at undergraduate and graduate levels in folklore, cultural studies, intangible cultural heritage, and teaching Turkish to foreigners. He has worked at several institutions in Türkiye and abroad, including Gazi University, Bilkent University, Ahmet Yesevi University, and universities in Tunisia and Kazakhstan.
He played a key role in establishing major folklore institutions and museums, such as the Turkish Folklore Research and Application Center and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum. As a cultural policy expert, he contributed to UNESCO conventions on intangible cultural heritage and cultural diversity, and served as one of six international experts evaluating applications for the UNESCO Representative List (2008–2010).
Oğuz has held leadership roles in various cultural organizations. He was founding president of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Association and has been active in ILESAM and the Turkish World Foundation. He served as Chairman of the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO (2011), following roles as Deputy Chairman (2010) and Board Member (2006).
He has authored 75 books, around 150 articles, and over 50 presentations, and has been editor-in-chief of National Folklore magazine since 1989.
Expert Speakers
Feride Hatiboğlu
Lecturer in Foreign Languages, University of Pennsylvania
Leading the Turkish Language Program in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Feride Hatiboglu has been teaching Turkish language and culture courses at Penn for twenty years.
Dr. Hatiboglu has been highly active in the field. She is the Past President of the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT) and the Immediate Past President of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL). She is also a member of the American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Dr. Hatiboglu has organized and participated in numerous national and international conferences and academic committees. She has received multiple grants and developed Turkish teaching materials for both online and in-person courses.
Currently, Dr. Hatiboglu teaches Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Turkish, as well as Ottoman Turkish, at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Gregory Key
Lecturer in Turkish and Linguistics at Binghamton University
Greg Key holds a PhD in linguistics from the University of Arizona. He is currently a lecturer in Turkish and Linguistics at Binghamton University. He teaches courses in Turkish language and culture, as well as Ottoman Turkish. His own research concentrates on the analysis of modern Turkish morphology and syntax as a coherent synchronic system.
His theoretical and pedagogical interests complement each other, as discoveries on the theoretical side suggest new approaches to teaching Turkish and Ottoman, and teaching frequently raises new issues for theoretical inquiry.
He has translated novels by Halikarnas Balıkçısı (The Fisherman of Halicarnassus) and İhsan Oktay Anar. His translation of Fatma Aliye’s work Nisvan-ı İslam (The Women of Islam) from Ottoman to English is scheduled for publication in November 2025.
Youth Speakers
Ceyda Güllü
Global Politics Student, Binghamton University
Ceyda is a student of Global Politics and International Relations in the Dual Degree Program of Middle East Technical University (METU) and Binghamton University. She has a strong interest in diplomacy, politics, and human rights.
So far, she has had the opportunity to attend many conferences and take active roles in various student organizations. Currently, she contributes to the organization of cultural projects as a member of the Organization and Events Group of the TURCA community.
Berke Genc
Global Politics Student, Binghamton University
Berke is a student of International Relations and Global Politics at Binghamton University.
He has a strong interest in diplomacy, international security, and global politics. He has had the opportunity to visit the parliaments, embassies, consulates, and diplomatic receptions of various countries.
Currently, he serves as the Secretary General of the TURCA organization at his university, contributing to the organization of cultural events.
Inspirations from Turkish Musical Instruments
Dr. Afsar Barlas
After completing his General Surgery residency at the Faculty of Medicine of Marmara University in Istanbul, he began working as a Senior Research Scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in 2006, where he continues to serve to this day.
Due to his interest in musical instruments, he began collecting and teaching various instruments as a hobby and now owns a collection of approximately 80 musical instruments.
He will introduce examples of traditional Turkish instruments such as the Ney, Kaval, Mey/Balaban, Bağlama, Cura, and Mouth Kopuz.
Cultural Performances
Kamila Lapasova
Spouse of the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United Nations
Komila Lapasova holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Political Science from Sorbonne University, as well as a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Lyon 3 University in France. She is the mother of four children.
As part of the program, Mrs. Lapasova will contribute by reading the poem “Go’zal” (“Beautiful”) written by Abdulhamid Cho’lpon (1919), sharing a voice from Uzbek literary heritage that beautifully reflects the cultural theme of the event.
Ömer Mungan
Global Politics Student, Binghamton University
Ömer Mungan is studying Global Politics and International Relations in the joint program between Middle East Technical University (METU) and Binghamton University.
He enjoys working on topics related to international politics, global security, and state-society relations. Throughout his university years, he has participated in various conferences, panels, and diplomacy-related events.
On campus, he serves as the Human Resources Officer of the TURCA community, contributing to member management, communication, and event organization processes.
Gulzar Gabman
Award-winning singer of the Global Music Awards, model, and songwriter
Gulzar Gabman – an award-winning singer of the Global Music Awards, model, and songwriter originally from Kazakhstan. She is the winner of numerous international music competitions and song contests held in Kazakhstan, Moscow, London, and New York.
Gulzar is the CEO of the Gulzar Jazz and Music School. She won the Stars of the Albion – 2019 International Song Contest in London and holds a Master of Arts degree from the Moscow State Institute of Culture.
She had the honor of performing twice at the legendary Carnegie Hall: as the 1st Prize Winner of the Viva Music Carnegie Hall – 2022 International Competition and at the Global Artists Debut Concert – 2025. Gulzar is also the Grand Prix Winner representing Kazakhstan at the West Park International Festival – 2022, competing among 20 American participants.
Project Team
Alev Wieland
President, Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA)
Alev Wieland has Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Cincinnati, OH. Worked for Balcan Engineering at Proctor of Gamble as Project Engineer for 7 years. She retired from PepsiCo, Inc-AMEA Capability Director in 2012.
Alev has extensive experience in Lean Manufacturing, Lean Product Life Cycle Management, Equipment and Processes Development. Project Management, Construction Management, Food Manufacturing, Paper Converting, Cosmetics and Laundry Soap Industries. She has solid understanding of Engineering, Manufacturing and Operations Processes. She is an expert in ISO 9001 and GMP Certifications and Standards. Alev is the CEO of Manufacturing Excellence Technical Services and Alev Cosmetics.
Alev has been serving as the President-Elect of ATAA since May 2024. She served on the ATAA Board of Directors as the Southwest Region Vice President from 2020 to 2024 and as First Vice President from October 2023 to May 2024. Alev also serves as the co-Chair of the ATAA UN Relations Committee and Chair of the ATAA Newsletter Committee.
She is the Secretary General and NGO Relations Director Contemporary Education Foundation (COEDFO) since 2013, has been responsible for organizational communication, meetings management, documentation, website management. As the Trustee and active member of the Turkish American Association of Northern Texas (TURANT), she has been providing organizational operations support to its elected board members and helping with executions of projects since 2000.
Since 2008, Alev takes active role at her local Main Street Organization and International Community, helps with organizations of the major festivals that is proven to become the key events that provides income to the city. She served as President of Cincinnati Turkish American Association (CTAA) from 1994 to 1996.
Since 2023 Alev serves as the Trustee of the Turkish American Visual and Performing Arts (TAVPA).
Since March 2024, Alev is serving Dallas Turkish Businesswomen’s Network as the Advisor.
Association of Northern Texas (TURANT), she has been providing organizational operations support to its elected board members and helping with executions of projects since 2000.
Since 2008, Alev takes active role at her local Main Street Organization and International Community, helps with organizations of the major festivals that is proven to become the key events that provides income to the city. She served as President of Cincinnati Turkish American Association (CTAA) from 1994 to 1996.
Since 2023 Alev serves as the Trustee of the Turkish American Visual and Performing Arts (TAVPA).
Since March 2024, Alev is serving Dallas Turkish Businesswomen’s Network as the Advisor.
Berna Gürdal
President, Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA)
Berna Gürdal graduated as a dietitian from Hacettepe University’s Nutrition and Dietetics Department in 1997. From 1997 to 1999, she worked as a Corporate Dietitian at Panorama Catering Company. Between 1998 and 2005, she served as a clinical dietitian in the Internal Medicine Department of Uludağ University. During her tenure, she participated as a speaker in various conferences and presented posters at international congresses. In 2006, she contributed to the book Diabetes Mellitus Türkiye by writing on the topic of Nutrition and Diabetes Treatment.
Since 2005, she has been residing in New York, where she earned certificates from Stanford University’s Child Nutrition and Cooking program and Cornell University’s Nutrition and Healthy Living certificate program.
She has been a member of the board of directors at the American Turkish Women’s Association (ATKB) since 2017 and currently provides nutrition and diet consultancy services through BG Life Style. She is married and the mother of two children. Her son Onur graduated from Atatürk School in 2018, and her daughter Duygu graduated in 2023.
Berna Gürdal is serving as the president of ATKB for the 2023-2025 term.
Mine Yenigün
Secretary General, Turkish Women’s Association of America (TWLA)
Mine Yenigün joined the Turkish National Police under the Ministry of Interior in 1992 as Civilian Staff Assistant for human resource management of the Turkish National Police constituted 200,00 police personnel in 81 provinces within Turkey.
She is a first degree graduate from Eskişehir Açıköğretim İktisat Fakültesi. In 1995, she was posted as Staff Assistant, within the Department of Police Personnel for management health records and welfare provision of the Turkish National Police deployed around the country.
In addition, she had the responsibilities to manage duty shift record for personnel to manage safety and security of the National Police Headquarter.
She has obtained excellent performance during her service is currently retired from the Ministry of Interior. Mrs. Yenigun is married for 25 years and has two children whom of which are both graduates of Ataturk School .
In collaboration with The Light Millennium, we invite you to join the virtual event “Compulsory Peace & ICT Education” on September 13, 2025, in support of the International Day of Democracy.
📌 Featuring distinguished speakers, youth voices, and engaging discussions on peace and digital education for a better future. @lightmillennium
🗓Sep 13th 2025, Sunday
🕚 11:00 AM (EST)
Program recording this link you can reach: https://www.lmglobal.org/2025/09/19/the-outcome-of-the-compulsory-peace-ict-education-democracy-day-towards-human-centered-democracy/
In Support of language as the Cultural Heritage “https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention”
Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA),
Turkish Women League of America (TWLA), and
Empowering the Turkish American Community (ETAC-USA)
Jointly Present a Webinar on
“Dil Kültürün Taşıyıcısıdır
(Language Carries Cultural Identity)”
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Program recording reach this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqJKKxMeqg8
A Day Where Art Meets the Word: Celebrating Cultural Diversity through Art and Literature
In Honor of the United Nations World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and
Development – May 9, 2025
On the United Nations World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, the
Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA) and the Turkish House (Turkevi Center), is
organizing a special cultural program entitled:
“A Day Where Art Meets the Word.”
This year’s celebration highlights the power of cultural diversity as a cornerstone for dialogue, social cohesion, and inclusive development. By showcasing artistic and literary expressions of Turkish culture, the event aims to foster mutual understanding, peaceful coexistence, and cultural appreciation.
Held from May 9–12, 2025, at the Turkish House in New York, the event will feature:
- An exhibition by Turkish State Artist Almula İdil Kılıç, showcasing her fusion of traditional Turkish tile art with modern perspectives.
- Handcrafted patchwork designs by Olcay Seçilmiş, narrating stories through fabric and honoring cultural heritage.
- A book signing on May 9 featuring author Çağla Ural, whose novel “Mira’s Red Notebook” captures the essence of the contemporary Turkish woman.
Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of the Turkish Village Institutes:
A UNIQUE EDUCATIONAL MODEL
With CENGİZ ÖKSÜZ, President of the Istanbul Branch of the New Generations of the Turkish Village Institution
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM (EST) | 19:00 (TR)
Language: Turkish
REGISTER here (required):
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/CDjlJeCwRsm3ChTSAYlVJw#/registration
Join us for an exclusive one-on-one virtual session with Mr. Cengiz Öksüz, President of the Istanbul Branch of the New Generations of the Turkish Village Institution, organized by The Light Millennium and IşıkBinyılı.Org, in collaboration with, the Atatürk World Platform (ADDP) and Turkish Women League of America, along with the New York Atatürk School. This special event will provide insights into the legacy and impact of the Turkish Village Institutions.
Further, via this special session on the 85th Anniversary of the Turkish Village Institutions (17 April 1940), along with, it is a Turkish version of the “Compulsory Peace Education and Information Communication Technologies from Kindergarten to K-12, and Beyond” vision and campaign since the Turkish Village Institutions has been one of the core inspirational sources of the #CompulsoryPeaceICTEducation vision towards #OurCommonFuture and #PactForTheFuture.
TWLA UN Related Announcement #24
To support International Women’s Day on March 8th, it has been organized by the American Turkish Women’s Association, a member of the United Nations Global Communications Department(UN-DGC), in collaboration with The Bridge of Turkey, a member of ECOSOC.
Friday, March 8,2025 Time:16:00-18:00 pm
Language: English
RSVP: https://forms.gle/T8af1SGMTFZa2C4Y9
“Everything we see in the world is creative work of women”
MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK -Founding father of the Republic Türkiye
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Women’s Rights, Equality, and Empowerment
On March 8, 2025, we are organizing an important event to celebrate UN Women’s Day under the theme, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” This year’s program makes a strong call for the defense and empowerment of women’s and girls’ rights. Our event aims to create a future where women have equal rights and opportunities worldwide, with justice, equality, and equal opportunities ensured. The program will be held in collaboration with the Turkish Women League of America and The Bridge of Turkey.
Our goal is to raise awareness on gender equality and women’s rights and to inspire participants to take concrete steps toward these issues. The event will provide significant opportunities for developing more inclusive policies for gender equality, increasing the participation of women in leadership roles, and advocating for women’s rights. Encouraging women’s greater involvement in decision-making processes and empowering young women to take leadership roles will be among the primary objectives of this event.
This program, with leaders from various sectors, will create an important platform to advance women’s empowerment and equality. Our speakers will share strategies to overcome barriers that women face in business, leadership positions, social life, and politics, offering practical insights for the participants. Additionally, the event will provide an interactive platform to foster dialogue and collaboration among participants.
This event will provide participants with in-depth knowledge about women’s rights and equality, encourage concrete steps toward gender equality, and allow participants to discover their potential in this field. Moreover, it will create a platform where participants can engage with one another, learn different perspectives, and interact.
Our UN Women’s Day event will help take another step toward creating a better world for women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Press Release:
23 February 2025
Registration Link:
http://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZskuaE5NT-u_vvhuY-196Q
Press Release:
25 January 2025
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION DAY
COMPULSORY PEACE EDUCATION THROUGH ICTS
Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.
Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth, and adults behind.
Peace education should be a transformative process that empowers students with knowledge, values, attitudes, skills, and behaviors, making them catalysts for peace in their societies. Education lays the foundation for more peaceful, just, and sustainable societies and emerges as a powerful tool to address challenges such as climate change, inequality, discrimination, violence, and global conflicts. When effectively designed and implemented, education becomes a long-term investment that provides increasing returns.
To create peace, security, equality, and a sustainable world, it is essential to implement a Compulsory Peace Education curriculum from kindergarten to 12th grade. Through the development of empathy, critical thinking, and digital literacy, the goal is to empower youth as agents of change. This process will accelerate sustainable development by eliminating gender inequality, environmental crises, racism, and hatred. The commitment to universal access to ongoing education, particularly digital literacy, aims to equip all citizens for the digital age.
By investing in Compulsory Peace and ICT Education, the ultimate goal is to enable both current and future generations, including people with disabilities and disadvantaged individuals, to thrive in an interconnected and technologically democratized world. This holistic approach will accelerate human progress in both the short and long term. This program is taking place under the leadership of the TWLA organization and The Light Millennium Organization in support of the #UNGA79 Summit of the Future, #Our common agenda &#Pact For The Future to contribute to the creative and inspirational combination along with a need for compulsory digital literacy both to protect and prepare young and future generations along with to inter woven with Compulsory Peace Education as the backbone of compulsory peace education.
PAST EVENTS
5 October 2024
A newly Formed Coalition for Compulsory Peace Education &Information Telecommunication Technologies (ICTs) from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and Beyond
We are very excited to introduce you to our newly formed coalition for the above long -term vision , to support the 2024 #UNGA79 Summit Of The Future.
You are cordially invited to an Inaugural Event (virtual)with the Representatives of Coalition and Speakers to present you the married visions in diverse spectrum toward making a long term commitment to advocating the proposed vision , which is scheduled for Saturday October 5, 2024 at 11:00 am Eastern time.
PROGRAM FOR UN CIVIL SOCIETY CONFERENCE – May 7, 2024
How Can We Prevent Harmful Consequences from ICTs and Move Towards a Sustainable Future?
PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR ALL THROUGH MULTILATERAL DIALOGUE
April 28, 2024
March 8th – Panel on Theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY PROGRAM – March 8th-9th, 2024
March 8th – Panel on Theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”
March 9th – “Domestic Violence and Abuse”
INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY – Feb 25 2024
Click here for press release.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION
2023 YEARLY ACTIVITY REPORT
OUR UN EVENTS in 2023
-International Day of Education-January 24th, 2023
Mr. David Cuthell PhD,
Mr. Selçuk Şirin PhD,
Mrs. Buket Sahin,
Mrs. Gül Bahtiyar Md,
Mr. Korhan Beba
- International Women’s Day-March 8th 2023
-2023 Water Conference-March 23th, 2023
Turks in Action Now For Water in Future
Immediate Press Release: January 3rd 2022, New York
Organization: Turkish Women League of America
Email: Twlanewyork@gmail.com or Twla@atkb.org
TURKISH WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF AMERICA IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ITS ASSOCIATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS
Reference: United Nations Department of Global Communications Approves 19 Civil Society Organizations for Association https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/pi2297.doc.htm
With the full support of the board of directors of the Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA), unanimously decided to start the Association process with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UNDGC) on the 11th of August, 2020.
The Civil Society Association Committee at the United Nations Department of Global Communications (#UNDGC_CSO) met on 10th of December, 2021. At this particular meeting, TWLA’s application toward association has been officially approved, effective Immediately.
Turkish Women’s League of America established in New York, officially on 17 September,1958, by a group of secular Turkish women who adhere to the principles set by Ataturk and the values of the Turkish Republic. The TWLA is a non-profit organization with the status #501(c) (3).
The Organization mission is to unite Turkish Women living in the United States of America under one roof to provide solidarity and strength among them.
Further, The Turkish Women’s League of America has been working towards sharing Turkish customs and traditions with other cultures; regardless of language, religion, color or race to establish positive relationships through the organizing cultural events since 1958.
TWLA’s one of the core mission and visions has been to preserve and teach mother-tongue Turkish language and culture to the future generations since 1971.
New York Ataturk School operates as a week-end elementary school from October to June and has over 550 graduates. The school’s mandatory curriculum is to teach Turkish that includes Turkish language and rich and diverse culture. Annually the school educates between 100 and 130 students between the ages of 5 and 14 years old.
The TWLA is proud to form and operate NY ATATÜRK School (NY Atatürk Okulu) under the TWLA’s roof since its inception in 1971 and onward. In fact, TWLA celebrated NY Atatürk School’s 50th Anniversary in conjunction with the 2021 International Mother Language Day along with The Light Millennium and Assembly of Turkish American Associations organizations.
The Organization is one of the oldest and one of the most active Turkish American organizations in the United States of America.
Throughout Turkish Women’s League of America’s 63 year long history, it has been serving Turkish women in New York and other states by bringing families together through social and cultural events. These events are aligned with UNICEF (educating children in their mother tongue) & UNESCO programs since they support continuity of Turkish cultural heritage, customs, traditions as well as the Turkish language in the United States of America. In this context, TWLA’s and NY Ataturk School’s core programs are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goal #4 Equal and Quality Education & SDG-5 Gender Equality and equal educational opportunity along with, International Day of Education (24 January), International Day of Mother Language (21 February) , International Day of Families (15 May), World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (21 May), which also cross-cutting with many other SDGs and UN Days.
TWLA’s, being associated with the UN-DGC, which is a threshold for a new era in the TWLA’s history. TWLA is determined to actively engage with the UN programs and support the UN 2030 Development Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals through TWLA and New York Atatürk School’s programs.
With this newly gained capacity, Turkish Women’s League of America will be able to have a delegation which consist of six representatives at the premises of the headquarters of the United Nations in New York, including two youth representatives. These representatives will have the privilege to attend UN meetings and will be reflecting back from the UN to the TWLA’s members and Turkish community in the U.S.
The following extract from UN-DGC Press Release provides insight into how the UN-DGC works and why it is important for TWLA.
United Nations Department of Global Communications’-associated organizations are expected to join the global effort to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, promote and defend human rights, and promote peace and security. They also have the opportunity to network with other organizations and to share information about their activities during thematic briefings, capacity-building sessions and the United Nations Civil Society Conference.
As the preeminent and most impactful Turkish Women’s League of America organization in the United States, President Mrs. Sermin Özçilingir of TWLA, underlined the following: “We are very proud of this outcome and looking forward to work with the UN-DGC along with the Global NGO executive Committee (GNEC) toward in this important newly defined mission and vision. We will make sure toward aligning and presenting more programs in connection with the UN Charter, Universal Declaration Human Rights and the 2030 Development Agenda. In this framework, we also consider to developing an introductory level class for New York Atatürk School’s 4. And 5. Grade students. With that, our students, too, will be aware of the UN’s Vision and Programs toward engaging them with the UN Vision and Programs at an early stage of their lives .”
Turkish Women’s League of America’s
Website: https://atkb.org
NY Atatürk School’s
Website: https://atkb.org/ataturk-school/
UN
News Centre Press Release:
United Nations Department of Global Communications Approves 19 Civil Society
Organizations for Association https://www.un.org/press/en/2021/pi2297.doc.htm
About the United Nations Department of Global
Communications:
https://unic.un.org/aroundworld/unics/en/whoWeAre/aboutDPI/index.asp
Website of the UN Department of Global Communications: www.un.org/civilsociety
Turkish Women League of America is an organization formally affiliated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications.