Beşiktaş Qualifies as a European 12 Star City!

The Beşiktaş Municipality was awarded with the ’12 Star City’ title, one of the most prestigious awards granted to cities every year by the Council of Europe.

The European Local Democracy Week (ELDW), launched in 2007 as an initiative of the Council of Europe and its Congress, is held annually around October 15^th by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, with the purpose of commemorating the European Charter of Local Self-Government signed on October 15^th, 1985 and raising citizens' awareness of and participation in local democracy in Europe.

During the week, local elected representatives and citizens across the 47 member states of the Council of Europe are brought together at public events and discussions to meet and engage with their citizens on issues of current interest and are fostered to develop targeted programs and activities according to their own priorities. The local governments attending the event are awarded with the tittle of ’12 Star City’, which is the symbol of the European Union, by the Council of Europe. The organization also aims to promote and support democratic participation on local level.

The Beşiktaş Municipality participated in the European Local Democracy Week in 2016 together with the cities from 28 countries, organizing an event under the main theme of 2016, which is ‘Living together in multicultural societies: respect, dialogue, interaction’. Our municipality qualified as a ‘12 Star City’ on account of holding the session titled ‘The expectations of the LGBTI Associations in Istanbul from Local Governments’ at the Local Governments and LGBTI Rights Panel.

Certificate Ceremony was held in Strasbourg on January 30^th 

The Annual Coordination Meeting and the Certificate Ceremony for the European Local Democracy Week 2016 was held on Monday, January 30^th, 2017 in Strasbourg, France and attended by many local governments from Portugal, Belgium, France, Poland, Greece, Ukraine, Sweden, Romania, Italy, England and Turkey with the presentations of their own ’12 Star City’ projects.

The Turkish Ambassador to Strasbourg Erdoğan Şerif İşcan, who is also the Permanent Delegate to the Council of Europe, was among the attendees of the event.

Beşiktaş Municipality’s Foreign Affairs Director Ms. Özge Önsen Belen and Councillor Ms. Sedef Çakmak attended the Certificate Ceremony on behalf of the Beşiktaş Municipality.