Betül Türkeri is an international relations manager with a focus on water and environmental issues. 

She holds a BA in Intercultural Communication and Business Administration from the University of Saarland and an MA in European Studies from RWTH Aachen University. Having always been passionate about water and sustainability, she is currently pursuing an MSc degree in Water and Environmental Engineering from Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany.

In 2020, she joined the Centre for Turkey and EU Studies (CETEUS) at the University of Cologne, where she organized several panel discussions, international conferences, and workshops in the framework of the master’s program European and International Affairs at the Turkish-German University, Istanbul. Before her time at CETEUS, she promoted children’s rights and worked for UNICEF Germany in civil society engagement.

She has been involved in various practical projects empowering especially young people to become engaged in European politics and environmental protection. As a member of a zero-waste association, her interests also include ocean and forest protection, climate justice, and the circular economy.

Project: “Knowledge and Capacity Development in the Integrated Water Resources Management of Cologne and Istanbul”

The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) has become the main, paradigmatically significant implementation approach globally for achieving sustainable development goal (SDG) 6 “to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.” The interaction of surface waters, aquifers, and coastal waters is to be managed sustainably in terms of quantity and quality in order to promote social and economic development as well as to safeguard the functioning of ecosystems. In this context, ecological, economic, and social goals must be interlinked. In addition, sustainable management of water resources requires the active participation and cooperation of various social and private actors and stakeholders in the planning and decision-making processes. 

In the framework of Knowledge and Capacity Development, this project aims to analyze, compare, and assess the IWRM approach of Cologne and selected districts of Istanbul, bringing together local authorities, water sectors, and the public of both cities for mutual exchange and learning.