Co-financed by the EU under the Transport Sectoral Operational
Programme (USOP) managed by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure,
the 5th Steering Committee Meeting for the Istanbul SUMP Phase II
Implementation Plan Project took place on 13 January 2025, with representatives
from the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, Department for EU
Investments of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, and Istanbul
Metropolitan Municipality and GIZ. Attendees on behalf
of the Contracting Authority included Tijen İğci (PhD), Head of Department for EU
Investments, Contract Manager Adem Koç, Chief of Contract Management Unit
Serdar Yılmaz, Financial Expert Emrah Baltacı, and Publicity Officer Alper
Kaya.
Under the agenda items, the current status of the project, progress made, and plans for the upcoming months were discussed. The goal was for stakeholders to share updates and assess the progress achieved since the previous meeting. The session was opened by Barış Yıldırım, Head of the Transportation Department, with his opening remarks.
Tijen İğci (PhD), Head of Department for EU Investments of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, expressed her satisfaction with the project's progress and emphasized the importance of timely delivery and regular coordination. In her speech, İğci underlined the need for the timely submission of reports, the completion of approval processes without delays, and adherence to quality standards.
Mr. Akif Türkel, EU Delegation’s Manager for Transport Projects, highlighted the significance of the project in enhancing Istanbul's transportation capacity and mitigating disaster risks. Başak İşbir Karaman, Project Director at GIZ, noted that the process was progressing positively overall but stressed the need to address delays in certain components. Other participants also shared their views and pledged continued support for the project.
Following the opening remarks, Shaleen Srivastava, the team leader, and other experts provided updates on project activities and outlined the planned efforts for the coming period. Participants reviewed progress in various components, offering suggestions and feedback.
During the meeting, the current status of the
project, ongoing activities, and future steps were discussed in detail.
Participants shared their insights and suggestions to advance the goal of
creating a sustainable, accessible, and integrated transportation system and focused
on the progress made during the project’s implementation, ongoing efforts
centered on transportation infrastructure, social accessibility, and sustainability,
as well as the roadmap to achieve long-term goals.