Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Foundation, drew attention to the importance of strengthening civil society and science diplomacy for regional peace at the 20th Anatolian Gatherings.
Speaking at the 20th Anatolian Gatherings program, held under the main theme of Türkiye’s Century and Civil Diplomacy, İlim Yayma Foundation Chairman of the Board of Trustees Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan shared his views on the initiatives Türkiye will undertake in the changing world order. Stating that the world is going through a period in which the guardianship of global civilization is changing hands, Erdoğan said that long-term strategies to be developed by civil society organizations and universities, beyond politics, will play a decisive role in the future of the country.
WE WILL PROVE THE EXPERTISE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
Referring to the development of civil society in recent years, Erdoğan emphasized that civil structures should work in a more organized manner along the paths opened by politics. Stating that they aim to increase the weight of civil initiatives in decision-making processes, Erdoğan said, “When there is a legislative effort on any issue in the Parliament, we will prove to society the expertise of our civil society to such an extent that it will become difficult to take a step on that issue without consulting civil society organizations specialized in that field and obtaining their ideas and opinions.”
LET US ESTABLISH LASTING ALLIANCES BETWEEN SOCIETY AND UNIVERSITIES
Placing the concept of “science diplomacy” at the center of his speech, Erdoğan pointed to the vision that academia should undertake in ensuring regional stability. Drawing attention to the civilizational crises in the world and the political deadlocks into which the West has fallen, Erdoğan continued: “The main goal we aim to achieve through the science diplomacy we need is to establish lasting alliances between societies and universities, independent of political developments in the world.”
THE IDEA OF THE UMMAH IS NOT A UTOPIA
Erdoğan stated that educational institutions and youth gatherings are a critical threshold in building awareness of the ummah. Noting that universities should increase their international academic cooperation, Erdoğan concluded his remarks by saying, “We must create mechanisms that will enable the idea of the ummah to cease being an unattainable utopia and become a reality in practice. Science diplomacy will be one of the most important instruments for achieving this.”
