Assist in the development of Turkic countries and communities.
Develop economic, commercial, technical, social, cultural and educational cooperation among Turkic countries and communities.
Engage in social and cultural projects and activities aimed at preserving common cultural, social heritage and values among Turkic countries and communities.
Provide scholarships and assistance to public officials and other individuals from such countries for education and training in Turkey.
Act as the main facilitator for cooperation among Turkic state institutions and organisations, universities, non-profit organisations and the private sector
With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, Turkic countries in Central Asia gained their independence. This paved the way for the resurgence of dual relations between Turkey and these countries. Sharing a common language, history, culture and ethnicity with these countries, developing these relations has been a permanent focus for Turkey. There was a need to establish an organization in order to fund, develop and coordinate activities and projects in a variety of different fields. The Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency in 1992 was established for this purpose.
Early years 1992–2000
TIKA Programme Coordination offices were set up in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Numerous projects in the fields of education, agriculture, industry and finance were undertaken. The main focus in these early years was on educational and social projects in Central Asia such as the construction of schools, universities, libraries and providing scholarships to students and public officials to study in Turkey.
Expansion 2000–2010
In this era, TIKA was developed to become an integral part of Turkish Foreign Policy. Its activity area was enlarged to encompass the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. The number of programme coordination offices more than doubled from 12 offices in 2002 to 28 in 2010. Focus began to shift from direct aid provision to technical assistance, institutional capacity building and human development activities. More than 100 projects were implemented in 25 countries in 2010. By the end of the decade, the destination of the majority of aid and assistance had shifted from Turkic countries to Africa. During this decade, development aid provided by Turkey reached US$1.273 billion.
2010-2019
During this period, activities have been expanded into Latin America as well as the wider Asian region. In 2014 year in the framework of the partnership of TIKA TATİP Turkey-Azerbaijan-Tanzania Cooperation Health Program, Doctors of the World association and Azerbaijan volunteer doctors, Doctors of the World association, Azerbaijan volunteer doctors and The Fund of Aid for Youth as well as with the assistance of doctors Bahruz Guliyev, Imran Jarullazada, Qoshqar Mammadov and within the support of Tanzania REHEMA Foundation realized cataract surgery of more than 100 Tanzanian patients and more than 100 patients underwent eye examinations. As of 2015, TIKA has programme coordination offices in 42 countries. Top aid destinations have been Tunisia, Somalia, Afghanistan, Chad, Macedonia and Kyrgyzstan. Activities and projects in 2015 included
Training of 522 doctors, nurses and midwives in Azerbaijan to combat infant mortality
Provision of simultaneous translation equipment to an academy in Kazakhstan
Training for the police forces of numerous countries including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Tunisia
TİKA has supported many countries fight against COVID-19, such as Palestine, & Uganda. In South Africa TİKA supported Kalafong Hospital in Pretoria with 10,000 N95 face masks to be used by frontline health workers to curb the spread of the novel Coronavirus TIKA also provided protective gear in Lesotho to help the Southern African Kingdom curb the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The donated equipment was used in hospitals and clinics by medical staff and by community health workers in the remote rural areas of Lesotho. In order to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kingdom of Eswatini, TİKA assisted the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration by donating embroidery machines to be used in the production of face masks.
