Incumbent First Lady of Turkey
Emine Erdo?an
(
nee
Gulbaran
;
Turkish pronunciation:
[emine
?æ?doan]
nee
[?ylba?an]
; born 16 February 1955) is the current
first lady of Turkey
, and the wife of
Recep Tayyip Erdo?an
.
Early and personal life
[
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]
Early life
[
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]
Emine Erdo?an
[1]
was born as Cemal and Hayriye Gulbaran’s fifth child and only daughter in
Uskudar
,
Istanbul
. Her family is originally from the southeastern
province of Siirt
[2]
and of
Arab
descent.
[3]
She was educated at Istanbul Mithatpa?a Vocational Evening School for Girls. She did not graduate, however. She has been actively involved in social activities since her youth. Erdo?an was among the founding members of the "Idealist Women’s Association", which she named herself. She closely followed the events organized by the National Turkish Student Union and the Ladies Foundation for Science and Culture. During this period, she met Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and married him.
Personal life
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Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and Emine Gulbaran married on 4 July 1978. The couple has four children:
Ahmet Burak
,
Necmettin Bilal
,
Esra
,
[4]
and
Sumeyye
.
[5]
Political career
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Erdo?an served as a founding member of the Provincial Women's Branch Administrative Board of the
Welfare Party
when Recep Tayyip Erdo?an was elected the Istanbul Provincial Head and she pioneered an era that paved the way for women's active participation in
politics in Turkey
. She launched a women's movement, which contributed to the success of the Refah Party in the
1994 elections
.
After her husband Recep Tayyip Erdo?an was elected
Mayor of Istanbul
, she took part in various social responsibility projects. She contributed to the establishment of an aid corridor between different social groups by initiating the "
iftar
tables where the poor and the rich meet" tradition, which is still carried on by the mayoralties of
Justice and Development Party
.
[6]
Erdo?an led the foundation of the "Center for Social Development" (TOGEM) in 2005 and has supported projects concerning the education of women and children.
With the wives of the governors from all
Turkish provinces
, she has led a campaign to improve the living conditions of the women, the elderly, the veterans and families of the martyrs. The project, which was awarded the "Golden Compass", the academy award of public relations, in the best public project category, has attracted interest among the projects cited by the
United Nations
. The project has continued under the auspices Erdo?an since 2012.
After the
attacks against Gaza in 2009
, she hosted the wives of the Western and Arab leaders and called the whole world to "stop the war." In 2012, Erdo?an personally went to
Myanmar
to observe the
situation
there despite the critical security threats and provided humanitarian aid to the region.
Emine Erdo?an has played an active role in opposing
child marriage
, stating clearly that "Forced child marriage is clearly unacceptable under any conditions".
[7]
Projects under Emine Erdo?an's aegis
[
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Voluntary Envoys
[
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"The Voluntary Envoys in Social Development Project" (
Turkish
:
Gonul Elcileri
), implemented by the
Ministry of Family and Social Policies
and supported by Emine Erdo?an, is a
social responsibility
project focused on raising awareness about and promoting "volunteering", and tending to the human resource needs that will contribute to social development. The venture, running since 2012, has subfields such as “Protective Family Service” and “Vocational Training for Women”.
[8]
[9]
Come On Girls, Let's Go To School
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With the
Ministry of National Education
, Erdo?an launched a country-wide campaign to resolve the issue of the girls who were not allowed to go to school by their families. "Come on Girls, Let's Go to School" (
Turkish
:
Haydi Kızlar Okula
) is a project carried out in coordination with the Ministry of National Education and
UNICEF
with support and commitments of relevant public institutions, NGOs and local administrations. The goal of the project is to provide 100% schooling and gender equality in education for primary-school-age girls (6-14 years) who are out of the education system, who have left or are absent from school.
[8]
[10]
Mothers and Daughters at School
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Erdo?an continued her efforts in education with "Mothers and Daughters at School" campaign (
Turkish
:
Ana-Kız Okuldayız
), which she named herself. The campaign, launched by the
Ministry of National Education
, was initiated in 2008. The target audience of the project are young girls and women who are in poverty from a socio-economic perspective, who have not had access to educational opportunities, and are over the
compulsory education age
.
[8]
7 Is Too Late
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The "7 is too late" campaign (
Turkish
:
7 Cok Gec
) is carried out by the Mother Child Education Foundation (ACEV) with the objective of raising awareness and bolster on the significance of early childhood education, which children ought to get between the ages of 0-6, and making sure that every child in Turkey can benefit from pre-school education.
[8]
Prolific Forests
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On March 21, 2015, on the
International Day of Forests
, the project "Prolific Forests" (
Turkish
:
Bereket Ormanları
) was initiated by the
Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs
which aims to expand green areas in Turkey and to make effective use of
forests
.
[8]
[11]
I Protect My Future
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"I Protect My Future" project (
Turkish
:
Gelece?imi Koruyorum
), started with the cooperation of the
Ministry of National Education
and the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
, aims to raise awareness about the conservation of earth and water resources among the new generations. The project which has been launched in 30 cities aims to make children familiar with the earth, seed and plants.
[12]
[8]
African Handicrafts Market and Culture House
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"African Handicrafts Market and Culture House" project (
Turkish
:
Afrika El Sanatları Pazarı ve Kultur Evi
) strives to contribute to the solution of
African women
's problems concerning education and healthcare through profit-free marketing of products handmade by African women. Moreover, the project has the goal of functioning as a meeting point of
African cultures
and contributing to the deepening of Turkey-Africa relations.
[8]
Zero Waste
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The "Zero Waste" Project (
Turkish
:
Sıfır Atık
), directed by the
Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning
, has the objective to prevent squandering, to reduce the waste amount and to encourage
waste recycling
. It also aims for the installation of an effective collection system.
[8]
[13]
Erdo?an is the first chair of the United Nations Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, which shares good practices internationally, including
reducing methane emissions from waste management.
[14]
Hermes controversy
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In June 2020, a court ordered to block access to the
Ek?i Sozluk
webpages that focus on Emine Erdo?an wearing an
Hermes
handbag.
[15]
In the same month,
Evrensel
journalist Ender ?mrek had to appear in court to face an accusation for not reporting positively on her while criticizing her for wearing a
Hermes
bag worth
$
50,000.
[16]
Honours and accolades
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On 7 December 2010, Prime Minister of Pakistan
Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
conferred the Pakistani
Nishan-e-Pakistan
on Emine Erdo?an, in recognition of her efforts for the flood-stricken people of
Pakistan
. In October 2010, Erdo?an visited Pakistan and the
flood hit areas
to witness the devastation caused by the floods and contributed significantly in the fund-raising campaign to help the country's flood victims.
[17]
On 16 February 2011, Emine Erdo?an was presented with the "Prix de la Fondation" by the Crans Montana Forum at a ceremony in
Brussels
.
[18]
References
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External links
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