While more cases of disasters such as floods, earthquakes and fires in various parts of Turkey affects all segments of the society, they also point to the need to redefine the private sector’s responsibilities vis-à-vis the dynamic risk profile of the country. Founded jointly by TÜRKONFED and UNDP and operating under the umbrella structure of Business for Goals Platform, CBi Turkey announced that it was ready to act to make enterprises resilient to acute shocks and long-term stresses following the recent disasters.

Ms. Ümit Boyner, President of the Executive Board of Business for Goals Platform founded by TÜRKONFED, TÜSİAD and UNDP said: “We, as the private sector, are ready to assume due responsibilities to enable Turkey to recover more rapidly in the short run and be more resilient in the long run in the face of natural disasters and changing risks.”

Founded jointly by the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation (TÜRKONFED) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and operating under the umbrella structure “Business for Goals (B4G) Platform”, the Connecting Business initiative (CBi) Turkey Platform announced that the private sector was ready to act in the face of recently increasing natural disasters in various regions of Turkey. CBi Turkey Platform’s priority areas of work include supporting the recovery of enterprises affected by disasters, develop effective post-disaster cooperation between the private and public sectors, and contribute to the sustainability of basic infrastructure services by municipalities.

Ms. Ümit Boyner: “Natural disasters in the last month should alert us”

Ms. Ümit Boyner, President of the Executive Board of Business for Goals Platform founded by TÜRKONFED, TÜSİAD and UNDP to enhance the Turkish private sector’s commitment to and compliance with the Sustainable Development Goals, emphasised in her statement on the issue that the flood in Düzce, earthquake of 6.1 that shook Denizli, intensive instant rain that affected Istanbul, and forest fires that lasted for days in Izmir and Muğla occupied the national agenda for the last month, and added: “These events indeed invite us as a society to thoroughly review our relation with the ecosystems in which we live, and warn that the cost will be heavier if we do not. Human and ecological losses in such events deeply hurt us all. In addition, they gravely affect our economy and private sector: Many enterprises sustained losses including particularly agriculture in Düzce, industry in Denizli, trade in Istanbul, and forestry and tourism in Izmir and Muğla. The resulting picture of losses and damages makes it clear that we now need coordination in disaster management. We must develop new collaboration.”

Underlining the need to develop projects specific to SMEs affected by disasters, Ms. Boyner said: “80 percent of the enterprises affected by disasters do not reopen; and 15 percent of those which have reopened close down in two years. It is known that every closed SME affects the subsistence of 8 families. Therefore, SMEs in the disaster-hit regions have significant roles in social and economic well-being of those regions.”

Ms. Ümit Boyner: “We are ready for the cooperation of private sector, public sector and civil society to make Turkey resilient to changing risks”

Indicating that the world is undergoing a deep change, Ms. Ümit Boyner, President of the Executive Board of Business for Goals Platform, said: “Climate change, technological advances, demographic changes and changing global economic equilibria invite us as a society to review our behaviours and plans. While such changes affect not only our country but also all social, economic and environmental equilibria in the world, they also have the potential to create systemic shocks that may hit the very foundations of the society.” Emphasising that the private sector by its large, medium and small-sized enterprises had the habit of cooperating with the public sector and civil society in many spheres, Ms. Boyner continued: “We, as the private sector, are ready to assume due responsibilities to enable Turkey to recover more rapidly in the short run and be more resilient in the long run in the face of natural disasters and changing risks.”

About the Business for Goals Platform:

Founded jointly by TÜRKONFED, TÜSİAD and UNDP acting on the philosophy that all actors in the society have roles for sustainable development, the Business for Goals Platform is first-ever Think-Do-Tank platform in the world created by a private sector initiative. Aiming to bring together private and public sectors as well as NGOs on the common denominator of “sustainable development”, and offer roadmaps to the private sector on how to act as a solution partner in development, the Platform focuses on 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations ranging from poverty to climate change, from environment to gender equality.