In cooperation with the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) and Konya Metropolitan Municipality, a training and field program titled “Konya Model Municipalism” was organized between 2–5 April 2026 within the scope of TDBB Academy for a delegation from Damascus, Syria. The delegation had the opportunity to examine local government practices in Konya on-site.
The program was attended by Rural Damascus Governor Amer Alsheıkh, Deputy Governor of Damascus responsible for technical affairs Abdullah Khatıb, Secretary General of the Rural Damascus Governorate Malek Almahrous, Chief of Staff to the Governor of Damascus Sarı Badreddın, Head of Public Relations Office of the Rural Damascus Governorate Tareq Alhossın, Director of International Cooperation of the Damascus Governorate Ahmad Musleh, Head of the Investment Office Alaeddin Bunyan, Project Management Director at the Investment Office Bayan Muhra, Water and Sewerage Advisor to the Governor of Damascus Abdulnaser Saadeddın, Secretary to the Governor of Damascus Muaz Ayran, and the personal security officer of the Rural Damascus Governor Muhammad Nafeth Sharkas.
On the first day of the program, 3 April 2026, the delegation visited the Governor of Konya İbrahim Akın, who expressed his satisfaction with the visit and thanked the delegation.
On the same day, the delegation also visited TDBB President and Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality Uğur İbrahim Altay. Emphasizing that Konya is one of the leading cities in Türkiye in terms of municipal governance, Altay stated that they had launched the first program of the structure they established under the name of TDBB Academy and underlined that they would continue to provide all possible support to the people of Syria.
Altay noted:
“Alongside my role as Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, I also serve as the President of TDBB. We have nearly 1,200 members from 30 countries, and we would be pleased to see you among us. We have long been working on establishing a municipal academy under the name of TDBB Academy, and with Rural Damascus, we are now implementing its first program. Going forward, in any area we wish to cooperate, we are ready to provide support in training personnel. We hope this will be a beneficial visit.”
Rural Damascus Governor Amer Alsheıkh stated that they aimed to gain experience from the practices carried out under the “Konya Model Municipalism” approach, saying:
“The idea of bringing Rural Damascus closer to Konya stems from the similarities between our regions. By observing your knowledge, experience, and capabilities on-site, we aim to understand how we can benefit from these experiences for the reconstruction of our country and the development of our city. For this purpose, we wanted to visit you and witness your practices firsthand.”
Within the scope of the training program, the delegation received training on administrative structures and municipalities in Türkiye, drinking water supply, wastewater management, solid waste collection and recycling, as well as rural services and agricultural support.
On the second day of the program, trainings were held on disaster management, environmental cleanliness and public health, public transportation, urban planning, and zoning regulations.
Throughout the program, field visits were also organized to examine exemplary municipal practices in Konya. The training program aims to contribute to the exchange of knowledge and experience between local governments of the two countries.
TDBB Academy Launched
With the launch of TDBB Academy under the umbrella of the Union of Turkish World Municipalities, it is aimed to enhance experience sharing among member municipalities and to carry out specialized training programs for local governments under an institutional framework. In this context, future training and experience-sharing programs will be conducted within TDBB Academy.
