"Future Local Leaders Meet in Türkiye"

International Local Authorities Training Program (LOCALINTERNational) has been annually organized by the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye since 2012 with the aim of providing local governance training to the participants through instructions, practical examples and field visits including social activities and trips to various cities in Türkiye. Since the first program, LOCALINTERNational has been providing an international training environment to a wide range of participants from European, Asian and Middle Eastern countries to learn, socialize and see the good practices along with the examples of municipal work.

LOCALINTERNational program is held with the participation of new graduates and last year students of universities. The Program facilitates trainings, field visits and social-cultural activities for future local leaders. Our Union always looks forward to hosting valuable young participants and to provide them with a beneficial local governance experience. In addition to objective criteria such as grade point average and English level, applicants are subjected to a detailed selection and evaluation process based on their motivation letters.

All expenses of the participants (except visa costs) such as travel, accommodation and other expenses stemming from the participation to the Program are covered by the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye and a certificate is given to the participants at the end of the program.

The program adresses subjects such as the Turkish local government system, basic principles of local governments, global and regional organizations, local democracy and town twinnig. In addition, the program includes thematic contents such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), migration, smart cities, zero waste and renewable energy, which are among the most important items on the international agenda of local governments.

More than 300 students from nearly 60 different countries participated in the LOCALINTERNational Program between 2012-2022.

Learning Content:

• Basic Principles of Local Governments
• Local Democracy and Participation
• Social and Cultural Activities of Local Governments
• Global and Regional Organizations of Local Governments
• Local Governments and Sustainable Development Goals
• Comparative Local Governments
• Local Governments in Türkiye
• CV Preparation and Interview Techniques

Application requirements:

• Good command of English

Last year students or new graduates of,

-     Law

-     Economics

-     Urban/Regional Planning

-     Sociology

-     Statistics

-     Communication

-     Political Science

-     International Relations

-     Administrative sciences

-     Other related fields