Turkey and South Caucasus

Positioned at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have long shared links of trade, culture and been influenced by a number of powerful historical empires.

Today, all four are independent republics, striving to improve growth after periods of economic crisis and institutional instability.

In the case of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s brought many new freedoms but also severe economic difficulties. Many services and institutions in these former Soviet republics deteriorated sharply during the early years of independence. There have also been considerable changes to the population dynamics in these three countries. Territorial disputes, unemployment and new poverty have caused many people to leave their homes and migrate either to the cities or abroad. Yet reliable data on key development issues remain scarce.

In Turkey, past periods of economic crises and political instability also resulted in poverty and a large gap in wealth and development between the west and east of the country and between the urban and rural populations. In recent years, Turkey has enjoyed an economic upturn and political stability. Now, with its aim to join the European Union, Turkey is striving to fulfil the economic and political criteria for accession.

There are a number of population and development challenges which all four of these countries face for example reproductive health issues particularly regarding the needs of young people, and efforts to improve gender equality.

With years of experience in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, UNFPA is committed to helping the governments and people of the region address these challenges, both through individual country programmes and projects and through regional initiatives.

Printable Version