Marmara Municipalities Union
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Marmara Belediyeler Birliği | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | MBB |
|---|---|
| Formation | 25 April 1975 |
| Location | |
| Website | https://marmara.gov.tr/en |
The Marmara Municipalities Union (Turkish: Marmara Belediyeler Birliği; MBB) is a public institution formed in 1975 as a collaboration of municipalities in the Marmara region, Turkey. It works both locally and internationally with the mission of increasing the effectiveness of municipalities while addressing important problems arising from rapid changes in society and the world, and to research, raise awareness, share and support in this field.[1][2] MBB works on projects related to urbanization, migration,[3] social cohesion, local diplomacy, local economic development, resilience and innovation, and provides training, consultancy and organizes events in these areas.
In 1973, 45 municipalities in the Marmara Region came together to find solutions for the Marmara Sea, which was polluted by the increasing industry in the Marmara region. In this meeting, it was agreed that regional problems could not be solved on a city-by-city basis and required cooperation. The participating municipalities decided to act jointly in order to adopt a democratic local government approach, to carry out central-local relations within the framework of democratic principles, to expand the scope of local governments and to find solutions to environmental problems. At the end of 2 years of work, Turkey's first regional scale union of municipalities was officially established on April 25, 1975, under the name of "Union of Municipalities of Marmara and Straits".[4]
Logo
The MBB logo consists of many lines of different sizes, each representing the coming together of municipalities of different scales, each with different advantages. The lines of the logo, just like the MBB member municipalities, move side by side, supporting each other in the direction of the same goal. The gaps between the lines emphasize the independent structure of the cities, while at the same time, these gaps that connect them represent cooperation and solidarity between the cities. All these lines and cities of different scales come together to form Marmara, MBB, M. If one of them is missing, M is also missing. The blue color of the logo represents water and the Marmara Sea, while the green color represents nature and symbolizes cities existing in harmony with nature.
Organization structure
The organs of the Union consist of the Assembly,[5] the Council[5] and the President.[6] The decision-making center is the Union Assembly, while the President is in charge of managing the Union and protecting its rights and interests. Its administration is the responsibility of the Secretary General appointed by the President. There are Directorates and Coordinatorships under the General Secretariat in its structure. There are five centers where units and institutions can carry out joint work and projects, an academy to provide training, and 11 Platforms where municipal employees come together to exchange knowledge and experience.
Academy
- Local Government Academy[7]
Centers
- Center for Urban Policy[8]
- Migration Policy Center[9]
- Management Development Center[10]
- Center for Sustainability and Climate Change[11]
- Data and Technology Center[12]
Platforms
- Information Technology Platform[13]
- Environment Platform[14]
- Audit Platform[15]
- Migration Platform[16]
- Law Platform[17]
- Human Resources and Education Platform[18]
- Corporate Communication Platform[19]
- Culture and Art Platform[20]
- Library and Information Centers Platform[21]
- Financial Services Platform[21]
- City Planning Platform[22]
- Local Diplomacy Platform[23]