Strategic cooperation between public institutions and civil society organizations in the development of international relations: Turkey

Examining the historical process of the world, it has been observed that civil society organizations (CSO) and public institutions play a major role in maintaining and developing international relations. Public institutions and civil society organizations are responsible for engaging, in social, economic and cultural activities internationally, and are also considered the most important actor in the field of diplomacy in the countries in which they operate. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the social, economic and cultural activities undertaken by public and civil society organizations in the development of international relations in Turkey have a positive impact on Turkey's international reputation and diplomatic activities. In this study, by taking into account (considering) the actors such as state, international organizations, civil society organizations and private sector, the strategic cooperation of the public and civil society organizations is tried to determine with international interests of Turkey. In strategic collaborations, the existence (presence), identity, capacity, abilities, skills and functional structures of those organizations were analyzed as variables. In this study, the impact of factors such as democracy, diplomacy, economy, education and human rights on the activities of civil society organizations and public institutions in the international arena is examined, at the same time, the contribution of these factors to the social, economic and cultural fields of work of organizations were evaluated. In this context, the strategic actions, planning, activities, projects and performances of the following five public institutions and civil society organizations operating in Turkey between 2005 and 2019 were investigated. The 5 institutions examined are: Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Yunus Emre Institute, Foreign Economic Relations Board, Economic Development Foundation, Turkish Industry and Business Association. In this study, interviews were conducted with individuals specializing in the field to analyze the impact of public institutions and civil society organizations on social, economic and cultural activities. International membership of the examined institutions or their cooperation/partnership with other public institutions and CSO's has been seen to contribute to these activities. In addition, the challenges faced by organizations in the international arena have been observed. A few of these difficulties include: instability of the country's political climate, working conditions, needs, priorities, public institutions and a lack of infrastructure, regulatory mechanisms, lack of human resources in the organization the relationship of the wing system against the alliance and have negative thoughts and perceptions about Turkey in the EU and effective solutions and strategies for these problems are presented in the study. At the same time, analysis was conducted on the expectations of public institutions and civil society organizations in the international process and these organizations expressed their desire to increase Turkey's international diplomatic power and reputation. Analysis provided evidence that the public institutions and civil society organizations should have both high international cooperations, partnership and membership among themselves in order to increase their activities and maintain their work in international field in a healthy and sustainable manner. Civil society organizations should improve the quality of their activities and capacities, develop relations with CSOs with international cooperation, and produce long-term and sustainable projects. In addition, public institutions can achieve their goals by developing long-term strategies, including the private sector and CSOs in the process, better promoting the work done at home and abroad, and effectively using public diplomatic resources at the international level.