“A Regional Follow-Up Monitoring Mechanism Should Be Set Up”

Covid-19 Izmir Civil Coalition General Coordinator Kemal Gülpınar states that a regional follow-up monitoring mechanism should be set up to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

For what purpose was Covid-19 Izmir Civil Coalition Network formed? Can you give us some information about your works?

Last week the President stated that Provincial Pandemic Boards will be started. We made a call in order to contribute to the implementation of the Pandemic Board formation process in terms of governance in our city. I can say that we’ve grounded on the problems faced by the especially fragile groups such as the elderly people meaning individuals over the age 60 and women, children, disabled people and refugees.

In total, up to 40 positive responses have come to our call from institutional and individual activists, and we plan to share this with the public soon with a joint declaration. Our network has two main objectives. These can be respectively summarized as:

To contribute to Izmir Provincial Pandemic Board in the context of a right-based civil society within the scope of “Fight Against Infectious Diseases” on the basis of the “Right to Health” secured by international conventions.

To carry out capacity building activities in order to reduce the negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic that we are facing among various areas such as economic, social, cultural etc. on students, freelancers, workers, retirees, employers in the city of Izmir. 

In order to realize goals above, we have chosen certain fields of activity. These fields of activity are flexibly designed to serve two main objectives. These are:

To create an ‘information center’ supported by transparent, reliable and comparable data in order to guide the public opinion in line with the protective and preventive measures,

To set up an ‘online incubation center’ that develops innovative ideas and suggestions for the use of remote online and offline digital channels, for education and business life to be affected at the least.

Through the mechanisms to be created during and after the pandemic, a ‘City Pandemic Action Plan’ will be created as a ‘city solidarity’ that would be in accordance with the universal standards based on city dynamics and across the city.

The number of cases began to be announced by the Ministry of Health specific to the province and to the district. How do you evaluate this process? What approach do you foresee at the provincial level in the next period? At what level will your contributions to this process be?

First, I would like to mention that as a citizen I appreciate the current periodic data statements made by the Minister of Health. Secondly, as it can easily be seen in the tables, after Istanbul, İzmir is on the list as the city with the most cases and deaths across Turkey. I think, Izmir’s current international mobility and the mentioned virus being international are directly proportional to each other, therefore I am not surprised by the figures.

I believe that the measures will increase further with the recommendations of the Scientific Committee and if the President deems necessary, as stated continuously. Nevertheless, I should also state that I do not expect a curfew to cover everyone in any way in the short or medium term, based on the declarations made by the decision-making mechanisms for the production to keep on going. I can say that Turkey is cautious in the international arena in terms of the most efficient use of resources. In this respect, I am one of those who think that we should focus on the global impact of the virus and how we can reduce it, rather than the number of cases or death rates in the coming periods. At this point, “the incubation project idea which aims to develop innovative solutions” gains more meaning.

As Covid-19 Izmir Civil Coalition, you emphasize that provincial pandemic boards should be open to civil society’s participation and that these boards should act with a governance approach. As a representative of a non-governmental organization, what are your suggestions especially to İzmir Provincial Pandemic Board?

As you know, İzmir Provincial Pandemic Board was founded last week and held its first meeting. I would like to thank all the members of the board as a citizen and their fellow townsmen for taking responsibility in such a period and wish them success. In addition, we will briefly state the pandemic board our views that we agree on every week.

Although it is not very valid to give such an opinion on behalf of the network since we have not yet completed a declaration yet, I have some questions and suggestions as an individual who has been carefully following the Pandemic process in China since December 2019. According to this;

We emphasize that, the Provincial Pandemic Board should regularly share information with the city public about the number of cases, the number of deaths, the number of recoveries and the available materials, etc. like the Minister of Health does.

Secondly, it is being said that the work of activists or non-governmental organizations working in the rights-based fields and trying to contribute should be coordinated, especially non-governmental organizations working in the field of patient rights in İzmir.

In the city, each district has its own distinct dynamics. For this reason, similar measures should not be taken for one region where the cases are experienced the most, and for regions where there are only 1-2 cases. For this reason, I think it would be meaningful for the board to establish “a regional follow-up monitoring mechanism” within its work.

It is stated that the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations will gain more importance in the post-corona period and all actors have a duty to spread the determined goals locally and nationally. How do you position yourself in the future when we evaluate the situation in terms of development goals?

I believe that in the post-corona period, radical changes will be experienced not only in the field of health, but also in local administrations, primarily in the business world, and in the social and cultural area. I consider the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in which Turkey is also a signatory as an important leverage to adapt to these changes. If all stakeholders at local, regional, national and international scale design customized policies and action plans for these purposes, if we follow them meticulously and report their experiences, we can gain a preventive intervention approach not only for infectious diseases but for all problem areas facing humanity. In such a situation, not only Western countries gain prosperity in the use of general resources, but we can also make humanely progress in the right to access opportunities arising from the North-South distinction and from income inequality in the global arena.

The pandemic has profoundly affected the civil society sector as well as many others, and has made changes in many areas ranging from business conduct to revision of organizational goals. How do you position the civil society field in the corona and post corona processes?

The post-Corona process will of course bring about comprehensive changes for the civil society sector which is called the third sector. While the business world has been talking about Industry 4.0 for a long time, such a situation may be considered as an “opportunity window” for civil society to take shape according to the needs of the day. Because civil society which has been acting analog for years, “does not have protocols and action plans” for extraordinary periods, it is in a state of “immobility”.

When I say immobility, I am not saying that they are not taking any action. Of course, many organizations are producing “palliative / instant solutions” for those in need today. I am of the opinion that such solutions are in good faith, however, they are ‘suitable for make-up’. Because non-governmental organizations in our country position their attitudes towards fragile groups only on the axis of ‘charity, philanthropy or good will’.

Nevertheless, the ruptures in the production and consumption value chains on a global scale and the increasing discussions on freedom and security along with the advancing technology require the civil field to renew itself. At this point, there is an intense debate on the concept of ‘Universal Basic Income’ in the public opinions of Western countries. I am one of those who think that the flexible structures in which Generation Y volunteers and digital literacy activists begin to emerge, this will accelerate and find its own area in accordance with the trends of the day.