UNESCO Declares 2021 as the Year of Ahi-Dr.İlhami Pektaş

UNESCO declared the year 2021 as the 850th anniversary of the birth of Ahi Evran, the founder of the Ahi Organization, as the year of commemoration and celebration. On this occasion, our President issued a circular to celebrate 2021 as “Ahi Evran Year”.

The Ahi Organization was established and implemented by Ahi Evran in Anatolia in the 1200s during the Seljuk period as a clustering model of today.

Today, clustering is defined as the geographical concentration of enterprises and institutions that are linked to each other in the same sector in certain places. This concentration usually occurs when the raw material is surplus, the market is large or the demand is high. The Ahi Organization is also organized as sectoral professional associations and has the same characteristics with today’s clusters.

The Ottomans further developed the clustered production model by institutionalizing it; thus, managed to remain the world’s most developed economy continuously for 250 years between 1500-1750.

The cluster model, which constitutes the updated version of the Ahi Evran model, started with Marshall in the UK in the 1900s, underwent various evolutions, and took its final form in the 1990s with Harvard University Professor Porter as part of the re-evaluation of international competition strategies; and it has started to be implemented all over the world by encouraging the enterprises to establish a network for the development of the industries.

The gathering of thousands of related high-tech companies in Silicon Valley in California can be given as the most beautiful clustering example of modern times.

In the EU’s Clustering Policy Document, clusters are stated as gathering institutionally for a common goal. The cluster structure includes not only companies but also institutions and organizations such as Universities, Standardization and Certification Institutions, Vocational Training Organizations, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Associations of Businessmen, Non-Governmental Organizations, SME Development Organizations, which are necessary for the growth and competitiveness in that region. Because today, competition is shifting from the competition between organizations to competition between clusters.

The basis of the European Clustering Policy was created by “European Cluster Mapping Project” carried out between 2004-2006, and the “Cluster Policy in Europe” report prepared within the scope of this project was published as a comprehensive study outlining Cluster Policies, Cluster Organizations and Cluster Programs in 31 European countries.

The first cluster activities in our country were planned in the 9th Five-Year Development Plan, with the aim of giving importance to joint R&D, joint procurement and marketing activities of enterprises, meeting their physical infrastructure needs, establishing networks and supporting clustering initiatives, establishing enterprises in designated industrial zones and encouraging the existing ones to move to these zones.

In the 2008 Government Program published in the Official Gazette dated 07.09.2007 and numbered 26636, it was decided to make analyzes in order to develop a Clustering Policy and determine the clustering potentials. Within the scope of Clustering Policy Development Project in 2008 “National Cluster Mapping” work was carried out.

It was planned to give importance to the activities of supporting inter-enterprise cooperation and clustering activities, especially in OIZs, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade was assigned as the responsible institution for the Development of the National Cluster Support Policy and Mechanism in the 2009 Government Program.

Under the coordination of Ministry of Industry and Trade; the working group, formed with the participation of the State Planning Organization, the Undersecretaries of Foreign Trade and Treasury, TOBB, OSBÜK, TESK, the relevant General Directorates of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and KOSGEB, agreed in their meetings and defined the concept of clustering for Turkey on 03.07.2009.

Within the scope of the measures included in the 60th Government Action Plan, paying efforts to establish clusters and supporting clusters are carried out by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Industry and Trade, in current name the Ministry of Industry and Technology.

The Clustering Support Program Regulation was prepared and entered into force by the Ministry of Industry and Technology in the Official Gazette dated 15.09.2012 and numbered 28412.

A Clustering Strategy Document was prepared within the scope of the National Clustering Policy Development Project. Among the main institutions and organizations cooperating in the National Clustering Policy Development Project, the public institutions are:

Ministry of Industry and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Undersecretary of SPO, Undersecretary of Treasury, KOSGEB, TUBITAK; the universities are: Middle East Technical University and Bilkent University; the private institutions are: TUSIAD, MUSIAD, TIM, Exporters’ Unions, TOBB and Chambers of Industry / Commerce, as well as TEPAV, TTGV, OSD, TAYSAD, TGSD, ETO.

Within the framework of the cluster model, this project aims the development of cooperation opportunities between companies, especially SMEs, development of innovation activities, attracting of foreign capital, creation of economies of scale, creating a policy that will contribute to the increase of competitiveness at regional and national level, and the cooperation of the public sector, private sector, universities and non-governmental organizations. In addition, our country has become a member of the European Cluster Alliance. In this context, it is aimed to provide cooperation between clusters on a global scale.

The Project, which was officially put into practice in March 2007 and completed in March 2009, was carried out on the components of Capacity Building for the establishment and implementation of the National Clustering Policy, the Formation of the National Clustering Policy and the Preparation of Clustering Map and Analysis.

In this context, road maps for 10 pilot industrial clusters determined within the framework of internationally accepted themes were prepared together with the Clustering Mapping Working Team.

As of today, many sectors in our country see clustering as the starting point in order to be resilient in crisis environments, to open up to new markets and to become a strong player in the international trade network.

In this environment, successful clusters have been activated in various regions of Turkey, especially in OSTIM. The state has also developed incentive mechanisms for these structures. As of 2019, 97 clusters have been established in different sectors in our country.

OSTIM Industrial Zone, which pioneered clustering efforts in Turkey, is our first pioneering industrial zone that succeeds by updating cluster-based production. In OSTIM, 7 clusters have been established in the sector since 2007 and continue their activities successfully.

Among these clusters, Turkey’s first sectorial leader cluster ARUS, operating in accordance with the Ahi model in the field of rail systems, was established in Ankara in 2012.

Today, ARUS has 175 members in 23 provinces of Turkey. Since the day ARUS was founded, the cluster has put signature under 10 domestic and national brands in accordance with the goal of “Cooperation, collaboration and national brands”. Our national brands serve successfully in the provinces of Istanbul, Bursa, Kayseri, Samsun and Kocaeli. In the near future, our national brands will be put into service for Antalya, Gaziantep, Gebze-Darica and Ankara-Sivas lines. Our members annually export an average of 750 million USD to 25 countries.

Behind this success of ARUS members, there is continuous development and work for goals with the understandings of teamwork, competence, reliability, quality, research and development, integrity, right and justice, conviction, self-sacrifice and helping each other in accordance with the principles of Ahi Organization.

Hereby, we should comprehend of 2021, the year Ahi Evran was included in the memorial list of the international organization UNESCO. Our industrialists, who are the current Ahis of our country, set an example to the whole world by crowning production with quality and strengthening trade with our national brands.