The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Trendyol, has opened the fifth Digital Community Centre under the Villages of Tomorrow initiative in İnceler village in Denizli province, Türkiye. The programme aims to support rural development by expanding digital skills, opportunities, and market access for local communities.
The opening ceremony brought together Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız, Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the United Nations; Ivana Živković, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia; Monica Merino, UNDP Resident Representative in Türkiye; and senior executives from Trendyol.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız described the opening as both professionally significant and personally meaningful.
“As the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Türkiye to the United Nations, it is an honour to attend the opening of this Digital Community Centre in my home village of İnceler. Standing here today, in the village where I was born and raised, is deeply moving. This building holds special meaning for my family. My father carried stones for its foundation, and my siblings and I were educated here. Today it has been restored and transformed into a library and museum so that the spirit of İnceler can continue to live on.”
While empowering farmers, women, and young people and connecting Denizli’s production culture with wider markets. -Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız
The Denizli İnceler Digital Community Centre will serve as a hub for digital learning and entrepreneurship, offering programmes designed to strengthen digital capabilities across the local community—from producers and farmers to women entrepreneurs, children, and young people.
Sinan Cem Şahin, Vice President of Trendyol Group, emphasised the broader vision of the initiative:
“Through the Villages of Tomorrow project, our goal is to strengthen local production, increase the participation of women and young people in economic life, and bring local values to the global stage through digital tools. The Denizli İnceler Digital Community Centre reflects this vision. With its geographical indication products, rich craft heritage, and strong production culture, Denizli holds significant potential. We are proud to establish our fifth digital centre in Türkiye here.”
Ivana Živković highlighted the importance of partnerships in advancing rural transformation:
“The digital community centre we inaugurate today represents a concrete step toward strengthening digital skills and expanding social and economic opportunities. I would like to thank Trendyol for its strategic contribution to the Villages of Tomorrow initiative since 2022, as well as the public institutions and local stakeholders who made this project possible. This partnership model—bringing together the public sector, private sector, and communities—demonstrates how digital tools can advance inclusive and sustainable development.”
Digital Skills for Rural Transformation
The Villages of Tomorrow initiative continues to expand across Türkiye with the aim of reducing the digital divide, empowering women and youth, and supporting inclusive growth. With the opening in İnceler, the programme now operates five Digital Community Centres, following earlier launches in Adana, İzmir, Diyarbakır, and Sakarya. New centres and training programmes are also underway in Konya and Hatay.
Each centre offers training and support programmes across four main areas: product development, marketing, branding, design, photography, e-commerce, and digitalisation for producers and entrepreneurs; capacity-building programmes for rural communities; digital literacy, artificial intelligence, robotics, and coding training for children and young people; and digital and sustainable agriculture practices for farmers.
To date, the initiative has reached nearly 10,000 people, helping producers, entrepreneurs, and young people develop essential digital skills.
The project also promotes local products through the Villages of Tomorrow online boutique, where producers offer more than 250 items ranging from agricultural goods such as Buldan chestnuts, Çalkarası-Isabey grapes, Honaz cherries, and Denizli thyme to traditional crafts including Buldan textiles, İnceler aba, weaving, and woodcrafts.
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