Turkish woman to present Young Greens across Europe

Ece Çelik - ISTANBUL

A young Turkish woman has been elected as the secretary-general of The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) – the European umbrella organization for Young Green organizations from all over the continent.

This is the first time that a Turkish national has been chosen to the lead the federation.

Özgecan Kara, 31, was elected during the annual general assembly of the federation held between Aug. 14 and 18 in Istanbul.

‘Priority work will be climate change’

Hosted by the Turkish Young Greens, Genç Yeşiller, around 100 representatives of FYEG’s member organizations and other Green activists gathered to debate the political situation in Europe and make plans for the upcoming year.

Kara is looking forward to her new position in Brussels in September.

The Federation of Young European Greens is “a platform that makes the voice of the youth in green politics be heard in a powerful way and also conducts educational activities,” Kara told daily Hürriyet in an interview.

“Our priority work will be climate change. At this point, not only will we be a close follower of having an emergent action plan taken globally, but also of this plan to be executed,” said Kara.

“Secondly, we need to adjust to climate change and no longer use fossil fuels for the sustainability of the world’s future. We will develop projects towards green economy transformation. At this stage, the youth’s voice is very important. The reason why the Greens have received so many votes is the global climate protests spreading all over Europe,” she said.