Architect Dr. Kadir TOPBAŞ

Architect Dr. Kadir TOPBAŞ graduated from the Faculty of Theology at Marmara University in 1972, and from the Department of Architecture of the Faculty of Architecture at Mimar Sinan University in 1974. After working as a freelance architect for a period of time, he worked as the Deputy Director of Istanbul District 1 for the Protection of Cultural Properties and Monuments at the Ministry of Culture. 

In his political life which extended over a period of more than forty years, he served as the advisor to Istanbul Mayor Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan between 1994-1998. He received his doctorate degree in 1997 from the Department of Art History of the Institute of Social Sciences at Istanbul University with his thesis titled "Khedive Palace and Its Place in Boshorus Civil Architecture". He was elected as the Mayor of Beyoğlu Municipality in 1999 from Virtue Party. He was elected as the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 2004 from Justice and Development Party. He was elected the same year as the President of Marmara Municipalities Union and held this position until 2009. In 2004, he was elected as the President of United Cities and Local Governments Middle East West Asia (UCLG-MEWA) and Vice President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and held these positions until 2007. He was elected as the Co-President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) in 2007 and held these position until 2010. He was re-elected as the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in 2009.

He was elected the President of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey in 2009. He was elected the President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) in 2010, which was a first in the history of the Turkish local governments. In 2011, he was elected the President for United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA). In 2011, he was elected the President of the Asian Mayors Forum (AMF) and held this position until 2013. In 2011, he was given Honour Reward from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey due to the successful work he did on an international scale. He was awarded an "Honorary PhD" by the University of Lahore in Pakistan in 2012.  After eliminating his opponents, he was re-elected as the President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) in 2013, where a maximum of two terms of service was possible. In 2013, he was invited by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to be among the "High-level panelists" who worked on designation and preparation of the Sustainable Development Goals for the years 2015-2030.

By getting re-elected as the Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality for another term in 2014, he became the first mayor to win three consecutive elections in the history of Istanbul. He was re-elected the President of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey in 2014. Due to the important work he did on an international scale in the areas of culture and art, he was honoured with a "Korean Order of Cultural Merit" in 2014. Due to the considerable work he did in improving the relations between Turkey and Tatarstan, he was awarded a "Tatarstan Order of Merit" by the President of Tatarstan in 2015. In 2015, he was awarded Kazakhstan Order for Improving Friendship and Cooperation due to his contributions to improve the relations in the Turkic World. He was honoured with the 70th Anniversary Medal of UNESCO in 2015 due to his efforts in the protection of cultural heritage in Istanbul.

He was awarded an "Honorary PhD" by Marmara University in 2016. He is a member of the Board of Trustees in the Foundation for the Conservation of Turkey's Monuments, Environment and Tourism Assets (TAÇ) and Fiziksel Engelliler Vakfı (Foundation for the Physically Challenged), a member of the Board of Directors of Istanbul Museum of Modern Arts and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Research Foundation for the History of Science in Islam. Currently, he is still working as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Chairman of the High Advisory Board of the World Academy for Local Government and Democracy (WALD).

His published work includes "Beyoğlu: Kültürleri Buluşturan Kent", which he published in collaboration with Bilgi University, and "Geçmişten Günümüze Beyoğlu I-II" and "Anılarda Beyoğlu", which he prepared in collaboration with the Foundation for the Conservation of Turkey's Monuments, Environment and Tourism Assets (TAÇ).