Selim Cerrah, Chairman of Cihannüma Association and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Turkish Maarif Foundation, stated that the "Turkey Report: Forecasts, Proposals and Solutions", prepared as a result of approximately 4 years of activities, is a road map that offers solutions to problems in different areas of society.
The launch of the "Turkey Report: Forecasts, Proposals and Solutions", which is made in cooperation with the Cihannüma Association and the Association of Academics and Writers of Islamic Countries (AYBİR), of which Anadolu Agency is the Global Communication Partner, will be held on July 17.
In his statement to AA correspondent, Selim Cerrah stated that the report is the product of approximately four years of activity.
Stating that they have organized 28 separate workshops so far with the contribution of approximately 600 academics working in different universities of Türkiye, Cerrah stated that they addressed the problems that concern different segments of society, from artificial intelligence to health, from agriculture to water management, from family to youth, from digitalization to higher education.
Explaining that they held the first workshop on migration in Gaziantep, Cerrah said that Türkiye faced an intense wave of migration after the civil war in Syria, and that the social risks posed by this process, adaptation policies and voluntary repatriation processes were comprehensively discussed in the workshop.
Cerrah said, "Our aim was to identify Türkiye's problems in different areas and develop solutions for them." he said.
Stating that they developed short, medium and long-term solution suggestions for the problems faced by both citizens in Türkiye and people who had to migrate in the prepared reports, Cerrah stated that they compiled the workshop results into a book and shared them with the relevant ministries and institutions.
Cerrah stated that they later brought together 28 reports prepared in different fields in a common text and said, "For the report prepared by 600 academics from different universities, we focused on issues that directly concern the daily life of the society and need solutions. With the joint report we prepared, we offer a road map to policy makers and practitioners." he said.
Stating that the report will be shared with the public at the launch to be held with the participation of Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Cerrah noted that they attach importance to the discussion and development of its suggestions.
Emphasizing that they carry out their work with an understanding of responsibility towards society, Cerrah said, "We grew up with the resources of this country. We think that we are indebted to these lands, not creditors of these lands. We see work as a means of fulfilling our debt to our state, our nation and humanity." he said.
Stating that the title of education has an important place in the report, Cerrah said that they attach importance to the Türkiye Century Education Model.
Arguing that the understanding of education applied from past to present has been shaped mainly on a materialist basis, Cerrah stated that they think that the new education approach will contribute to raising generations compatible with Türkiye's history and civilizational background.
"We propose the establishment of the Health Industry Presidency"
Stating that significant progress has been made in terms of infrastructure in the field of health, Cerrah noted that they have developed various suggestions on topics such as "health literacy", "prevention of violence against healthcare workers" and "more effective use of healthcare services".
Stating that they organized a separate workshop on the future of the health industry, Cerrah stated that they suggested the establishment of an integrated health industry organized zone and that they welcomed the implementation of this suggestion.
Stating that there is a need for a stronger and more coordinated structure in the field of health, Cerrah said, "In the report, we propose the establishment of the Health Industry Presidency. We believe that such a structure, which has its own budget and will coordinate health technologies, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other fields under one roof, will contribute to both reducing Türkiye's current account deficit and increasing its export capacity." he said.
"Knowledge production is one of the most fundamental issues of the future"
Explaining that they held two separate workshops on knowledge production and artificial intelligence in higher education, Cerrah stated that the activities prepared in this field were compiled into a book.
Expressing that knowledge production will be the determining factor in the world of the future, Cerrah stated that the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence should be evaluated, but it is important to maintain a critical approach.
Cerrah said, "We also included artificial intelligence in the report. We cannot ignore artificial intelligence, but we cannot see all the data it produces as absolute reality. How we will produce information and how we will present it for the benefit of humanity is one of the most fundamental issues of the future." he said.
Stating that agriculture, animal husbandry, water management and environmental policies are among the important topics of the report, Cerrah pointed out that especially the protection of water resources is of strategic importance for the future.
Cerrah, Chairman of Cihannüma Association, said that policies regarding water management, agricultural production and sustainable use of natural resources will gain more importance in the future, and that they are preparing comprehensive solution proposals in these areas.
Stating that the prepared report will not only be published on the Cihannüma Association's website, Cerrah added that it will also be printed in large numbers and shared with public institutions, decision makers and relevant stakeholders.