Turkish Army, EU eye long-term training of conscripts on rights

ANKARA

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The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the European Union are aiming to train 10,000 conscripts a year on issues such as human rights, gender equality and the protection of the environment during their compulsory military service following the success of an EU-sponsored that has already reached 2,000 soldiers.The education program, which puts democratic values and freedoms front and center, has been jointly developed by the EU and the TSK.“The project aims at ensuring young people, to whom we will entrust our future, become conscious and responsible individuals who respect the rights of others, who believe in gender equality, who are sensitive about the protection of the environment and who know their legal rights,” said Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler while hosting a ceremony late June 5 to mark the achievements of the project.For his part, Ambassador Stefano Manservisi, the head of the EU delegation to Turkey, voiced hope that the project would raise awareness concerning common values, while he also emphasized that this was the first joint project between the EU and the TSK.The 4.1 million-euro project is being implemented with the technical assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). At the initiative of the TSK, training modules have been designed in cooperation with the UNDP on issues at the heart of Turkey’s democratic progress and EU accession: human rights, gender equality and women’s rights, children’s rights, protection of the environment, healthcare and legal empowerment.The instruction is being delivered via a web-based broadcast (Internet Protocol TV) to conscripts in Turkey.The goal of the project is to further develop the educational content and to set up an infrastructure that will enable the training of 10,000 conscripts annually. The program aims to increase conscripts’ awareness of fundamental rights and freedoms, not only those of others, but also their own, as members of society.