Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency

TIKA's objectives can be summarized as; • Assist in the development of Turkic countries and communities. • Develop economic, commercial, technical, social, cultural and educational cooperation among Turkic countries and communities. • Engage in social and cultural projects and activities aimed at preserving common cultural, social heritage and values among Turkic countries and communities. • Provide scholarships and assistance to public officials and other individuals from such countries for education and training in Turkey. • Provide technical assistance and humanitarian aid. • Act as the main facilitator for cooperation among Turkic state institutions and organisations, universities, non-profit organisations and the private sector • Cooperate with other International aid agencies through various project and programmes. == History ==

With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Turkic countries in Central Asia gained their independence (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). This paved the way for the resurgence of dual relations between Turkey and these countries. Sharing a common language, history, culture and ethnicity with these countries, developing these relations has been a permanent focus for Turkey. There was a need to establish an organization in order to fund, develop and coordinate activities and projects in a variety of different fields. The Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TCCA) in 1992 was established for this purpose. Early years 1992–2000 TCCA Program Coordination offices were set up in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Numerous projects in the fields of education, agriculture, industry and finance were undertaken. The main focus in these early years was on educational and social projects in Central Asia such as the construction of schools, universities, libraries and providing scholarships to students and public officials to study in Turkey. Expansion 2000–2010 In this era, TCCA was developed to become an integral part of Turkish Foreign Policy. More than 100 projects were implemented in 25 countries in 2010. By the end of the decade, the destination of the majority of aid and assistance had shifted from Turkic countries to Africa. As of 2015, TIKA has programme coordination offices in 42 countries. Top aid destinations have been Tunisia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Chad, North Macedonia and Kyrgyzstan. In South Africa, in April 2020, TCCA supported Kalafong Hospital in Pretoria with 10,000 N95 face masks to be used by frontline health workers to curb the spread of COVID-19 TCCA also provided protective gear in Lesotho to help the Southern African Kingdom curb the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The donated equipment was used in hospitals and clinics by medical staff and by community health workers in the remote rural areas of Lesotho. In order to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kingdom of Eswatini, TCCA assisted the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration by donating embroidery machines to be used in the production of face masks. In 2021, TCCA renovated the Duisi Mosque in Georgia which was originally built in 1901. ==References==