The world went through significant changes in 1991 with the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Many new nation-states emerged and these states, which we shared common historical and cultural values with, had great expectations from Turkey.

These countries had a long way to go before establishing market economies and during the transition period, they relied on the development cooperation offered by donor counties, the World Bank and IMF. In this context, TİKA was established in 1992 to develop strong collaborative ties especially in the Turkic Republics, and in the natural geography of our country, where we are historically and culturally attached.

TİKA was established with the Statutory Decree Law No. 480 under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 1999 it was entrusted to the Prime Ministry with a Presidential Order, and in 2001, the organization’s body of rules were put into force with the publication of the Law no 4668 on the “Organization and Tasks of Turkish Cooperation and Development Administration Directorate.”

In 2011, as a result of our country’s dynamic foreign policy initiatives and the driving force of the major global and regional shifts, in order to increase the effectiveness of the development cooperation process, the organizational structure of Turkish Cooperation and Development Administration Directorate was reviewed and TİKA was restructured.

With the Statutory Decree Law No. 656 dated October 24, 2011, the body of rules and the name of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) were updated and its flexible new structure that enabled much quicker decision-making helped its activities to continue in a more robust manner.

Meanwhile, TİKA continued its institutional growth, opened Offices in more and more countries each year, and produced high-quality projects on all issues concerning human life from the birth until the death, in an extensive geography from Central Asia and the Balkans to Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands.

Within the Article 521 titled “Establishment and Organization” of the Section 37 titled “Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency” in the “Presidential Decree Law on the Organization of Institutions and Organizations Under, Affiliated with, Linked to the Ministries, and Other Institutions and Organizations” published in the Official Gazette dated July 15, 2018, and numbered 30479, our Agency was described as having a public legal entity and a private budget and it carries out its activities under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In line with our country’s active and principled foreign policy, we are always increasing the number of countries where we work. Today, Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency implements projects in more than 170 countries with 63 Program Coordination Offices in 61 countries. Through TİKA, with its efforts, Turkey aims to establish a generation of peace.