TİKA brings youth from 30 countries to Ankara to design better cities

Young people trained at CezeriLABs established by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in 30 countries gathered in Ankara for CezeriFest 2026. The Tajikistan team won the 3D Design and Printing Competition themed “Design for Better Cities.”

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) hosted young designers from different countries at CezeriFest 2026 in Ankara. Young people trained at CezeriLABs established by TİKA in 30 countries presented their projects, prepared under this year’s “Design for Better Cities” theme, to the jury, and the winners received their awards.

At the center of the festival was the CezeriFest 3D Design and Printing Competition, in which young participants developed designs aimed at making cities more livable, accessible and inclusive. TİKA officials and invited guests attended the award ceremony alongside the participating young people.

Young people and guests watching the CezeriFest 2026 award ceremony

Tajikistan takes the title

Hasan Abdullozoda and Husein Abdullozoda of the Tajikistan team, which finished first in the competition, developed an accessible urban design project enabling visually impaired people to navigate the city by touch. TİKA President Abdullah Eren presented the team with its gold trophy.

Named after the renowned 12th-century Muslim scholar and inventor al-Jazari, the CezeriLAB and smaller-scale Cezeri Studio projects are carried out under TİKA’s Science and Technology Education Program (BİTEP). The projects aim to help young people in partner countries develop skills in design, three-dimensional printing and digital production, while strengthening those countries’ technology infrastructure.

TİKA officials and participants at the CezeriFest 2026 ceremony

CezeriFest was first held in Ankara in 2024 under the theme “Design for Education,” and TİKA announced that the festival would be held every year with a different theme. At this year’s gathering, young participants focused on the future of cities and turned the technical knowledge they had gained into solutions addressing needs in their own countries.

Photos: TİKA

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