White Paper Launched to Empower NEET Young Women in Türkiye

The “White Paper – Policy Recommendations for NEET Young Women in Türkiye” was officially launched in Ankara, marking a strategic milestone in supporting young women who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Prepared under the Young Women Building Their Future project, the White Paper draws from extensive research and pilot work carried out in collaboration with UNDP, the Sabancı Foundation, and Türkiye’s Ministries of Family and Social Services and Labor and Social Security.

This comprehensive document, based on the first phase of the project ending in March 2025, offers a roadmap for the project’s second phase (2025-2027), focusing on practical policies to increase NEET women’s participation in education, employment, and social life. It reflects the voices of NEET women themselves, alongside input from local authorities, NGOs, academia, the private sector, and international organizations.

At the launch event, key figures from the Sabancı Foundation, UNDP, and the relevant ministries emphasized the importance of this work. Mustafa Ali Yurdupak from UNDP highlighted the White Paper’s role in bringing NEET women’s perspectives into policy-making. Nevgül Bilsel Safkan of the Sabancı Foundation shared that the project has already empowered thousands of women, creating social impact valued at around 45 million TL annually.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Ministry of Family and Social Services reaffirmed their commitment to continue supporting NEET women, focusing on increasing employability and building inclusive policies to promote gender equality.

The first phase of the project reached over 6,000 NEET women in pilot provinces such as Adana, Diyarbakır, and İzmir. These women received vocational training in fields like fashion design and automotive repair, alongside psychological resilience and empowerment programs. More than 3,000 benefited from mentoring and training, and nearly 850 found employment through project support.

An Opportunities Map was also created to help NEET women access jobs, internships, and training opportunities more easily, strengthening their path to economic participation.

With cooperation from over 80 local and national partners, the project is creating a strong foundation for sustainable change. The White Paper will guide efforts to develop good practice examples and implement mechanisms to further empower young NEET women across Türkiye in the coming years.