Why Join ITS Türkiye?

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are non-profit organizations formed by individuals and institutions united around a specific purpose, operating independently from official institutions, and generating their income from donations and/or membership fees. The Intelligent Transportation Systems Association of Türkiye (ITS Türkiye) is also an NGO.

In democratic societies, NGOs are considered the fifth power after the legislature, executive, judiciary and media, and play an important role in the development of societies. They are also defined as the third sector after the public and private sectors. NGOs can be much more efficient and effective because they focus on a specific issue.

The effectiveness and strength of civil society is closely linked to the political, economic, cultural and social structure of a country. The strength of associations and foundations that make up civil society is not only related to the structures of the country in which they operate, but also to the quality and number of their members. The objectives of NGOs are also an influential factor in their strengthening.

ITS Türkiye was established in 2016 in line with the action of “Establishing an umbrella non-governmental organization (ITS Türkiye) in order to bring together stakeholders from different disciplines and sectors to coordinate and create recommendations in order to implement intelligent transportation systems in a healthy and correct way” included in the National Intelligent Transportation Systems Strategy Document (2014-2023) and Annex Action Plan (2014-2016), which is the first policy document in the field of ITS prepared by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. It is the first and only association in our country whose focus area is ITS and fulfills its activities in this direction.

WHY JOIN NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS?

NGOs are made up of individuals and organizations with the same goal in mind. NGOs play an important role in the development of countries through their open dialogue with all stakeholders, their ability to take into account different perspectives and their non-profit structure. The public sector focuses on its duties and responsibilities in line with legal regulations, the private sector carries out activities in line with its priorities related to its own business area, while NGOs can offer a more inclusive perspective in their field of interest, addressing issues from a broader perspective and presenting a more holistic picture. NGOs have the ability to more easily bring together the stakeholders of their respective sectors, whether public or private. From these perspectives, there are great benefits and opportunities for both individuals and legal entities to become members of or contribute to NGOs that match their interests and activities. Some of the following benefits demonstrate the importance of NGOs:

Contributing to the development of society through a participatory approach
To contribute to the effective and efficient use of public resources by producing more work with less resources
To contribute to the preparation of legal regulations by considering the interests of different segments of society
To have the ability to bring social problems to the agenda quickly and to develop solutions
To contribute to the increase and development of social consciousness and awareness in their respective fields through free trainings, workshops, conferences and events
Contributing to employment, developing and increasing vocational skills
Being part of a larger strategy in the field of work

Opportunities offered by NGOs
Opportunities	Description
Networking opportunities	When individuals, organizations and entities with the same goals come together, there is interaction on a wide range of issues. Given that NGOs typically engage in a large number of networking activities, both volunteers and staff can experience interacting with different people and hearing different views and perspectives. There can be sharing of lessons and experiences, such as success stories, mistakes made by others and what to do in emergencies. People or organizations that NGO members, volunteers, employees or those who support them in any way meet are potential contacts. Connecting with philanthropists, senior managers and the like can help individuals or organizations to develop and progress.
Contribution to social impact	Volunteering programs can take various forms. It can be training and seminar activities, tree planting or many other things. Volunteering as a participant, staff member or supporter of these programs leads to improved social interaction. NGOs have an advantage over government programs in that they are inherently part of the local community and have the ability to engage in multiple projects designed to support positive change in the lives of local people.
Knowledge increase	NGOs are often invited to participate in valuable educational and training events, both locally and internationally, in their areas of interest. Participation in such events trains NGOs in various fields and helps them to increase their knowledge and skills.
Academic remediation	For effective NGO management, many academic institutions have been offering courses on NGO project management and development studies in recent years. NGO staff and volunteers have the privilege of taking these courses to further develop their knowledge in this field.
Training	NGOs that fulfill a specific mandate focus on training to support the development of qualified and dedicated human resources in their field of work. Easy access to quality training programs is a privilege that saves both cost and time.
Adaptation	A NGO can easily adapt to local environmental conditions and thus offer customized support (tailored to the individual, institution, issue, etc.).
Execution speed	One of the most important advantages of NGOs is their ability to take action without getting bogged down in time-consuming bureaucratic processes, their flexibility and their potential for rapid decision-making. In this way, they can take quick action in the field they are interested in, and take quick action in solving problems or implementing solutions.
Intermediatory	The ability of NGOs to network internationally, and thus mobilize for specific causes, significantly strengthens the weight of their campaigns and provides a kind of “world public opinion”. They serve as information conduits to demonstrate the benefits to beneficiaries of projects and cooperation in developing countries. A NGO has the ability to act as an intermediary in communicating with the highest levels of government administration.
Trust	NGOs are generally well supported by their supporters and donors and have a significant level of trust. They are often perceived as transparent, which builds trust.

WHY JOIN ITS TÜRKİYE?

ITS Türkiye is the first and only NGO in Türkiye operating in the field of ITS, covering issues related to the technology and digital foundations of transportation. ITS Türkiye continues its activities in line with the objectives and working methods clearly stated in the association's charter. These objectives are summarized below:

To contribute to the development and widespread use of intelligent transportation systems in our country
To support coordination among ITS stakeholders
To increase the level of knowledge, efficiency and effectiveness of human resources working in the ITS sector
To provide guidance on ITS related standards, terminology, training and legal regulations
To support competitive hardware and software production in accordance with international quality standards through scientific research and development (R&D) activities
Develop projects on intelligent transportation and mobility
To inform the ITS stakeholders in our country about the developments in the ITS sector in the national and international arena, R&D studies, and regulations related to the field of ITS
Representing our country among ITS associations in the world and participating in joint studies
Conducting activities such as online seminars, workshops, training, promotion and social responsibility

ITS Türkiye is interested in the membership of individuals and organizations that adopt the objectives in the association's charter. Membership is completely voluntary. However, after becoming a member of the association, individuals and organizations are expected to make material and moral contributions towards the association's objectives. While ITS Türkiye expects contributions from its members, it also aims to provide them with various benefits. Some of these benefits are summarized below:

Priority and discounted participation privilege to “SUMMITS International Intelligent Transportation Systems Summit”, the most important event of ITS Türkiye
Priority to be a speaker in sessions at SUMMITS Summit
Opportunities for mutual meetings at events organized by ITS Türkiye
In the ITS Türkiye Newsletter, which is published quarterly and shared with industry stakeholders, it is possible to publish the projects developed by its members, the activities carried out, the achievements gained and the innovations brought to the sector free of charge.
Support in being informed about national and international projects, tenders, financial support funds, regulations, sectoral trends, events in the fields of activity of the association members such as ITS, transportation, communication, mobility and reaching the right contact persons in the relevant institutions
Priority and free of charge participation to trainings and workshops organized within the scope of the ITS Academy program and presented by national and international experts
Ensuring direct and effective communication of its members with public institutions and relevant stakeholders
Discounted participation to national and international events related to ITS and transportation sector (ITS World Congress, World Smart Cities Congress, GoGreen Türkiye Fair, Rail Industry Show, etc.)
Opportunity to be a speaker at online seminars organized by ITS Türkiye and to promote the work of the institution in this medium
The opportunity to contribute to the incentive programs and policy documents prepared by the Ministries, to express opinions and to receive detailed information about the processes
Opportunity to communicate and network with national and international organizations (ERTICO, ITS Nationals, ITS America, ITS Asia Pacific, etc.) and ITS ecosystem in Türkiye and the world through ITS Türkiye
The privilege of being a member of Türkiye's first and only NGO in the field of ITS and benefiting from the association's public, private sector, academia, NGO network, expanding its business network, and communicating with relevant stakeholders