Turkish Press Tour of Göbekli Tepe (June 6, 2014)
The ONE Association organized a tour of the Göbekli Tepe archaeological site to explain the association’s structure, mission, projects, and goals to members of the Turkish press, as well as to introduce Göbekli Tepe and raise public awareness of it
Foreign Press Briefing (August 18, 2014)
A meeting was held at the Pera Palace Hotel to introduce the structure, mission, projects, and objectives of the ONE Association to foreign journalists based in Turkey, as well as to showcase Göbeklitepe.
Consular Reception (September 22, 2014)
A reception was held at the home of our Honorary President, Çiğdem Simavi, to introduce the structure, mission, projects, and goals of the ONE Association to foreign diplomatic representatives in Turkey, and to promote Göbeklitepe.
Meeting of Members of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (October 10–13, 2014)
The ONE Association hosted UNESCO World Heritage Centre Director Kishore Rao, along with the permanent representatives of Senegal, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Poland, Lebanon, Germany, Qatar, and Malaysia to UNESCO, as well as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Princess Feryal of Jordan, in Istanbul to introduce Göbekli Tepe. A dinner was held in their honor at the Zarif Mustafa Pasha Mansion and at the villa of our founding member Tilda Tezman. Rao and the delegation members participated in Bosphorus and Historic Peninsula tours organized by the ONE Association.
Visit to the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris (December 7–9, 2014)
ONE Association visited the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris as part of its application for an NGO partnership with UNESCO. Discussions were held with Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Botsalı, Turkey’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, as well as Kishore Rao, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Vesna Vujicic-Lugassy, Head of the UNESCO Culture Section; and other UNESCO representatives regarding the partnership and potential joint projects.
Invitation to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova (January 6, 2015)
The ONE Association hosted UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova at the Zarif Mustafa Paşa Mansion, the home of our Board Chair Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan, during her visit to Turkey. The event, where Bokova emphasized the importance of civil society organizations in the preservation of cultural and historical heritage, was attended by the ONE Association’s Board of Directors and members.
Announcement of the Partnership Between Europa Nostra and the ONE Association (January 17, 2015)
The ONE Association hosted a delegation consisting of Europa Nostra President Placido Domingo, Board Member Piet Jaspaert, Press Advisor Wolter Braamhorst, and Prof. Dr. Nuran Zeren Gülersoy, Chair of the Board of Directors of Bizim Avrupa Association (Europa Nostra’s Turkish affiliate), at the Zarif Mustafa Paşa Mansion. It was announced to the press that the ONE Association, Europa Nostra, and Europa Nostra-Turkey (Bizim Avrupa Association) have decided to collaborate and carry out joint initiatives regarding the preservation and international promotion of cultural heritage in Turkey.
UNESCO–Göbekli Tepe Presentation, Press Conference, and Cocktail Reception Hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Paris (January 21, 2015)
The ONE Association organized a conference titled “Göbekli Tepe—A Neolithic Settlement; The Birth of Religion and the Rise of Civilization” at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Speakers at the conference included Association President Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan, founding member Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Haluk Dursun, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, and Turkey’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Botsalı. Following the conference, a press conference was held at the Turkish Embassy in Paris, and a cocktail reception was hosted by the ONE Association and Turkish Ambassador to Paris Hakkı Akil. The reception was attended by Maria Böhmer, Germany’s State Minister for Education and Culture, as well as leading figures from the worlds of culture and archaeology.