Poverty, democracy at a dead-end and human rights abuses were discussed at the session titled “Democracy and Human Rights” which was held within the scope of Third International Living Together Summit, hosted by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality between December 7 and 10.

The Party Council (PM) Member of Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Aydın Member of Parliament Bülent Tezcan, Founder of Deep Poverty Network Hacer Foggo, Member of Founder’s and Ethical Committees of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) Prof Dr. Nilgün Toker, the initiator of Rome City Council and 2020 Rome Charter, Old Deputy Mayor On Cultural Development Luca Bergamo and Izmir Bar President Özkan Yücel attended the session at Ahmed Adnan Saygun Art Centre (AASSM).

The Party Council Member of CHP and Aydın Member of Parliament Bülent Tezcan stated that where there is no democracy, no right is secured and he said that “We will solve the problems with politics and by struggling.  Local administrations are the most important units in strengthening, sustaining and generalizing the democracy as usual.”  

Founder of Deep Poverty Network Hacer Foggo said that the poverty was deepening more and more and conveyed that there were diaper crises in the houses that had been visited. Foggo, who mentioned that climate crisis also affected the poor people differently like pandemic, said that a preventive, strengthening follow-up system was required within the borders of the provinces and districts in order that the poverty would not be passed down through the generations and opportunity inequality had to be focused on.
 
Member of Founder’s and Ethical Committees of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) Prof Dr. Nilgün Toker also emphasized that everyone needed to have the human rights to ensure the universality of them. Toker, who stated that the government in power and the state had been the same for the last 15 years, said that “There is a state, which lost its democratization capacity entirely and moved away from human rights completely. Look, I don’t say the government in power. The Republic of Turkey has been a regime where distinction between the government in power and the state disappeared for the last 15 years.”             
 
“Social harmony is vitally significant”
The initiator of Rome City Council and 2020 Rome Charter, Old Deputy Mayor on Cultural Development Luca Bergamo also emphasized that the states had a duty of removing all setbacks to access human rights.