Locations
Business for Goals Platform met with the business world at the training in Mardin by the project “I Can Manage My Business” aiming to strengthen SMEs, drivers of Turkish economy, and prepare them for the future.
Founded by a joint initiative of TURKONFED, TUSIAD and UNDP, Business for Goals Platform was in Mardin to meet with SMEs at the first training session of 2020 by the project “I Can Manage My Business”.
The fifth round of training on 17-18 January in Mardin delivered under the project “I Can Manage My Business” implemented in cooperation of TÜRKONFED, Visa and UNDP and with support from 27 banks to support SMEs being equipped with knowledge and skills needed to improve their international competitiveness.
The representatives of Business for Goals Platform, an initiative to prepare all Turkish private sector for the economy of the future, met with the business world in the training event in Mardin.
Ms. Ümit Boyner, President of the Executive Board of Business for Goals, noted in her opening remarks that outreaching SMEs was of paramount importance promoting both social prosperity and sustainable development across the society. Ms. Boyner said: “We, as companies and business world, have responsibilities to create value and increase the prosperity and living standards of our employees, customers, business partners, entire society and country. Today, the private sector in partnership with governments, civil society organisations and academia should play an important role in solving the problems. It is a precondition for continued existence of companies to be a part of the solution in a growing chain of problems, and of a sustainable economy.
Mr. Claudio Tomasi, UNDP Turkey Resident Representative and Member of the Executive Board of Business for Goals, said: “We, as UNDP, are proud to be preparing SMEs in Turkey for future, and actively collaborating with the private sector for the purpose. The private sector is the driving force that will enable us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, strong cooperation with SMEs is important to us. It is crucial for Turkey’s competitiveness that SMEs prepare for new expectations of emerging markets, economy of the future, and grow speedily capitalising on new technologies.”
In the context of I Can Manage My Business training, a panel themed “Family Businesses and Institutionalisation” was held with the participation of Board Members of Business for Goals, moderated by Prof. Dr. Yasemin Açık, President of Seza Çimento Board of Directors, where Mr. Şükrü Ünlütürk, Founding Partner of Sun Tekstil, Mr. Ozan Diren, CEO of DIMES, and Mr. Batu Aksoy, CEO of Turcas Petrol, shared their experience in the institutionalisation and branding of family businesses.
The Executive Board meeting of Business for Goals was also held on 17 January in Mardin.
An inclusive, collaborative platform that brings companies together for the Global Goals, Business for Goals calls enterprises to claim their place in the economy of the future, access the Platform’s knowledge base, be a part of sustainable development, and take the lead, not merely follow.
The Platform brings together more than 40,000 companies, 260 associations, 30 business federations constituting the membership base of TÜSİAD and TÜRKONFED, and UNDP’s extensive network to enable the private sector to forge partnerships to generate value-creating local solutions towards the Global Goals.
About Business for Goals Platform:
Acting on the philosophy that all actors in the society have a role to play for sustainable development, founded jointly by TÜRKONFED, TÜSİAD and UNDP, the Business for Goals Platform is the world’s first-ever Think-Do-Tank platform launched by private sector initiative. Centred on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations on issues ranging from poverty to climate change, from gender equality to environment, the Platform aims to muster the private sector, public sector and NGOs on the common denominator of “sustainable development” and formulate roadmaps guiding the private sector to becoming a solution partner for development.
