The "Century of Türkiye," a project initiated under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, prioritizes the welfare of each citizen, Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanık said late Wednesday.

Addressing the opening ceremony at the first Children's Council held at the Presidential Complex Exhibition Hall in Ankara with the theme of "Children's Century," the minister said that the "Century of Türkiye" is a vision to which all segments of society contribute.

"It is a peace project that he (President Erdoğan) has promised to the nation," Yanık said.

Explaining the main purpose of the council, Yanık said: "We will implement new projects with the contribution of scientists, to highlight the needs, problems, and solutions for children with the data obtained from various studies. There are six different commissions in the council, including multidimensional child's development and social relations, children protection, children and education, children in disaster, crisis and emergency situations, children and technology and child culture, art and play."

"All children are special to us," said Yanık, stressing the need to raise and empower children with national and moral values.

Noting that the council studies children not as passive individuals but with a holistic perspective of individuals participating in decision-making processes, the minister said: "We are working with all our strength for our children to give them the best living conditions, health, good education, protection and access to quality services."

"In this context, we have implemented the '2023-2028 Child Rights Strategy Document and Action Plan' for the best and most efficient use of our resources in our policies," she added.

Referring to the demographic structure of the country, Yanık said: "Thankfully, we have a child population of 26% that surpasses the total population of many countries."

The ministry started the Türkiye Child Research Project, which was included in the 2021 Investment Plan by the Presidency's Strategy and Budget Department for the first time in the history of the republic, in cooperation with the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) and UNICEF, Yanık concluded, adding that the ministry has put in place all kinds of protective and participatory mechanisms for the safety and welfare of children.