Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the opening of the event, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that as TOBB, they hold the opinion that women must be in all areas of life, and that hard work and success have no gendered.

Emphasizing that they oppose discrimination and prejudices against women, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We have expressed with a strong voice that women's entrepreneurship should be supported. We want equal opportunity. We have argued at every opportunity that women should take an active role in a wide range of sectors, from business to the academic community, from social life to politics.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that if they are given the opportunity and not hindered, there is nothing that women cannot achieve, and from this point on, under the leadership of TOBB, they launched Turkey's Women Entrepreneurship story in 2005 and completed their organization work in 81 provinces in 2007.

The TOBB President explained that they have implemented the councils where women are represented in each province, “In the past, our women entrepreneurial councils have done great work and become an integral part of our Chamber-Exchange system. Today, our TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council has become one of the largest women's networks in the world with 7,000 members, organizing thousands of entrepreneurship activities in 81 provinces. Our entrepreneurial councils organize solidarity activities in each province, provide training and mentoring services, and work day and night to increase the number and employment of women entrepreneurs. They promote successful women entrepreneurs as role models. They set an example for our young girls and enabling them to enter the business world.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the number of women entrepreneurs is now approaching 140,000 from 75,000 in 2007, and that the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council has contributed greatly to doubling the number of women entrepreneurs in Turkey in the last 12 years.

- Support for women entrepreneurs

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that as TOBB, they provide support to women entrepreneurs in all kinds of fields and will continue to do so.

“We aimed to prepare them for the digital world so that they are more effective in e-commerce. We carried out the “Women Writing the Future” project with Turkcell, with which more than 3,000 women learned to code. Now we're launching AI training. In this context, we organize programming, machine learning, artificial intelligence and robotic process automation trainings for women.

With the “My Sister” project we started with Coca-Cola, we have increased the technological competencies of women. For this purpose, we have trained more than 30,000 women. We have contributed to the digitalization of business processes. In addition, we have provided grant support to women entrepreneurs with the 'Local Flavor Grant Program' organized in 81 provinces.

In collaboration with Facebook, we have organized trainings for more than 5,000 women entrepreneurs to market their products through social media. In addition, in partnership with Türk Telekom and the United Nations Development Program, we launched the 'Life is Easy on the Internet' project. We have provided trainings to our women entrepreneurs in the fields of e-commerce and financial literacy.

With the grant we received from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, we have determined the strategic roadmaps of the Women Entrepreneurs Councils in three provinces. Now we're spreading it across the country. With the pandemic, we have moved all our trainings online. We saw participation over 4,000 for our certified e-commerce trainings held in June and November.

By making agreements with e-commerce marketplaces operating nationally, we have ensured that our entrepreneurs receive advantageous packages. For the first time, we have introduced low commission sales opportunities to our e-commerce entrepreneurs.

Today, on occasion of Women's Day, we will sign a new project so that our TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council members can benefit more from the e-commerce ecosystem. With the e-commerce marketplaces we will cooperate with, we will provide special, year-round commission discount, advertising and marketing support, cargo support, training and consultancy services to TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council members.

In addition, in order to reach more visitors, we will create a special space for our TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council members together with the marketplaces. In this field, our women entrepreneurs will be able to both showcase their products and tell their success stories with short videos.”

- “We will continue to produce projects”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that TOBB KGK President Nurten Öztürk started work very quickly after taking office on September 27^th, “With her hard work, energy and vision, she raised the bar for success of our Council greatly. I would like to take this opportunity to wish her success and thank her for her efforts.”

Reminding that the gender equality report of 81 provinces was announced with the “Gender Equality” report prepared in cooperation with TOBB, the Industrial Development Bank of Turkey and TEPAV, Hisarcıklıoğlu said: “Based on this report, all our councils have planned and implemented their actions on gender inequality. These studies will lead to the development of entrepreneurial culture among women.

As you know, our hospitality, food and beverage and transportation sectors have been very negatively affected by the pandemic. By initiating hygiene awareness in these sectors, the 'Our Business Clean Project' has been launched in order to contribute to the safer service of our micro enterprises and thus to increase their business volumes. We aim to make the project, which will be piloted in 3 provinces, widespread throughout the country and permanent.

In addition, we will continue to work and produce projects for our women to take a more active role in social life and especially in business life. Because both the world and our country will be better with the efforts of women. When given the opportunity and we men don't stand in their way, there's nothing our women can't accomplish.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu asked women entrepreneurs to increase the number of women entrepreneurs as role models for young girls in their provinces.

- “I reject and condemn all forms of violence against women”

Emphasizing that brutal attacks on blameless innocent women deeply injure everyone, the TOBB President said, “One in three women are subjected to physical violence in their lives. In 2020, 300 women were killed and 171 women were found suspiciously dead. Awareness, measures and penalties need to be increased. Violence against women has no place in any religion, race, opinion or language. I reject and condemn all forms of violence against women. I expect the thugs to be held accountable for their atrocities and punished in the most severe way.”

Noting that men and women are equal partners, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “If there are women, there is a future. If there's a woman, there's life. I celebrate International Women's Day on March 8^th for all our women, believing that women's day is not just one day and half of life is women.”

- Minister of Commerce Ruhsar Pekcan

Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan stressed that women's care and women's sensitivity always play a big role in the development of the individual's life, as well as in the development of social life, and always deserve recognition.

Pekcan stated that all mankind is trying to interpret life with a rethink, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, “Women's labor, women's sensitivity and care play a big role in building a more prosperous future for humanity, together with women's vision and women leadership.”

Stating that it is natural for women to appear in almost every field of science and economy with the contributions of favorable environments, opportunities and ecosystems, she said that one of the most important factors supporting the role of women in the economy today is that the global economy continues to develop based on digitalization, innovation and new generation technologies.

Pekcan stated that they see that it is now easier for self-employed women or cooperatives that use women's labor to achieve economic success by using technological facilities, e-commerce. As I mentioned, women's leadership and women's support are vital in the development of women's status. In this context, the success of leading figures such as you in the field of women entrepreneurship, who have taken part in such critical platforms as TOBB Women Entrepreneur Board, will directly touch the lives of many of our women.”

Pekcan stated that as the Ministry of Commerce, they aim to bring women to the forefront in light of the new needs and approaches created by the 21^st century in all their policies and activities, and that they carried out their work for women by the “Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Export Department”, which they established within the General Directorate of Exports and focused exclusively on these issues.

“To date, we have included approximately 2,500 women entrepreneurs in our Turkish Women Entrepreneurs Network. We have brought together approximately 1400 women entrepreneurs in 47 provinces with our meetings in these networks. In this context, I would like to underline that we will continue to support network solidarity among our women entrepreneurs in the future.”

Minister Pekcan stressed that as the Ministry, they will continue to support our women and women's entrepreneurship through their projects and work.

Pekcan stated that TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council is one of the most widespread, important and experienced platforms in terms of women's entrepreneurship in Turkey. “I think it is just as important that we act in coordination and cooperation with NGOs and other institutions as the government and TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council. I believe that together we will be more successful by converting our power, unity and energy into synergy.”

- TOBB KGK President Nurten Öztürk

Nurten Öztürk, President of TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council, explained that she and the provincial presidents visited Anıtkabir today and said, “We promised to grow women's entrepreneurship, to be a role model for our young girls who have started life in entrepreneurship and to direct them towards entrepreneurship. With faith, hard work, bold steps, together we will fulfill our promise to Atatürk.”

“A society, a nation, consists of two kinds of people called men and women. Is it possible that as long as half of a society is chained down, the other part can rise to the heavens!”

Nurten Öztürk emphasized that equality does not mean sameness. Equality only makes sense in a context where there is difference. The demand for gender equality is not a demand for women to be the same as men, but to have the same rights.”

Öztürk said that the data in “Turkey's Gender Equality Report Card in 81 provinces”, prepared in cooperation with TOBB, the Industrial and Development Bank of Turkey and the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey, enables them to develop projects.

Öztürk stated that although low participation of women in the workforce may seem like an important problem for Turkey, she actually thinks this is an important opportunity to move Turkey forward, “As you know, research shows that women are successful in every field they enter, make a difference and contribute positively to the financial performance of companies. In order to increase the contribution of women to the economy, institutions, organizations, the business world, all of us have duties. We can't do it alone, we need projects that work together to achieve the desired levels with innovative and sustainable results. I want today to be a milestone, we are ready to do whatever it takes to increase women's employment and entrepreneurship.”

Öztürk stated that the whole world is going through bad times, adding, “A study published by the United Nations Women's Unit found that the pandemic has put a great deal of pressure on women and jeopardized 25 years of progress in gender equality. Unfortunately, it is a fact that the pandemic affects women more and more negatively. Women's return to the workforce is expected to decrease after the pandemic; we will not allow it. Even though our path is difficult and long, there is no giving up.”

Nurten Öztürk, “TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council, as Turkey's entrepreneurial women power, we say 'If There Are Women, There Is Tomorrow'. Happy March 8^th International Women's Day.”