ISTANBUL (AA) – A cooperation protocol was signed between the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) Women Entrepreneurs Board and the United Nations Women’s Unit. Speaking at the signing ceremony of the “TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board-United Nations Women Unit (UN Women) Cooperation Protocol”, TOBB Board Member Işınsu Kestelli said that it would not be possible to talk about sustainable growth or real development without fully reflecting the power and labor of women in the economy.
Stating that Turkey needs more entrepreneurs for its enrichment and development, Kestelli said, “This is why, as TOBB, we attach great importance to entrepreneurship. As you all know, our TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board, which was established in 2007 under the leadership of our Union President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, has become the largest, most comprehensive and most competent entrepreneurship network in this geography today.
We have become the largest entrepreneurship network in Europe with our family that grows every year.” he said. Stating that approximately 7 thousand female entrepreneurs who are members of the board work actively in the field under the coordination of chambers and commodity exchanges, Kestelli explained that they develop joint projects with the largest companies in Turkey and the world, provide training, mentoring and support in many fields from digital and green transformation to e-commerce, from artificial intelligence to exports, and open new doors for entrepreneurs with the entrepreneurship centers they established in all corners of Anatolia.
Kestelli said: “We are working as a role model and guide for our young girls to encourage and develop entrepreneurship in the field. At this point, our Boards have now become more well-known abroad. We established women entrepreneur boards in the World Federation of Chambers, where our Union President is the president, in Eurochambers, in the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and in the Turkish TSO, where he is the Vice President.
Thus, we ensured that our women entrepreneurs take an active part in international networks. “The cooperation protocol we will sign today will be the most concrete reflection of this vision on the field.” Stating that UN Women’s international experience, standards and vision combined the forces of TOBB’s strong organizational structure, which is rooted in 81 provinces and can touch even women in the most remote corners of Turkey, Kestelli said: “The most concrete outputs of the protocol will be to carry our programs and projects centered on our women entrepreneurs to the international arena and to introduce the success stories and potential of our women entrepreneurs to the world.
We believe that this partnership will increase the recognition of our Boards abroad, as well as in our country, and will allow us to reach more women. “This unity will create a very strong multiplier effect that will enable our female entrepreneurs to open up to global markets, gain competitive power in the digitalizing world and develop sustainable business models.” – “We will both create commercial markets and expand regional cooperation opportunities.” TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board President Nurten Öztürk said that this strategic partnership, the first seeds of which were sown in mid-2025, has become official today with the determination of both institutions.
Öztürk emphasized that, as Turkey’s largest female entrepreneur network, which guides the entrepreneurship journey of thousands of women in 81 provinces of Turkey, they believe that women should reach the power they deserve not only in the economy but also in all areas of social life, and explained that this protocol, which combines the global experience of UN Women with the tremendous field power of TOBB, was built on 5 basic headings for women to gain their economic independence and reach leading positions in the business world.
TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board President Öztürk continued his speech as follows: “We will focus on gender-sensitive policies within the TOBB structure and in our member companies in joint advocacy for gender equality. We will popularize an egalitarian business culture with the target-oriented workshops and awareness programs we will carry out. Reading the field correctly in data production and research is the first condition for producing the right solutions.
We will thoroughly investigate the gender equality problems faced by TOBB members in partnership with UN Women and develop policies based on concrete data. Women in Anatolia with international visibility By carrying the success stories of our entrepreneurs and our joint projects to international platforms, we will showcase the potential of Turkish women to the world, while designing new programs for the purpose of integration into existing projects and the economic empowerment of women in education, we will expand the successful projects currently carried out by both UN Women Turkey Office, TOBB and our local chambers.
“We will create commercial markets and expand regional cooperation opportunities for our women entrepreneurs through fairs and large-scale organizations in cooperation with large organizations.” UN Women Turkey Country Director Maryse Guimond stated that they are especially encouraged by TOBB’s long-standing efforts to support SMEs, entrepreneurship, vocational education, local development, innovation and green transformation across Turkey.
“These efforts lay a strong foundation for further advancing female entrepreneurship and female leadership in economic life,” Guimond said. “Through this partnership, we hope to jointly expand opportunities for female entrepreneurs, support female-led businesses across the provinces, and strengthen gender-responsive business ecosystems.” made his assessment. – “This is exactly what makes this protocol we will sign today valuable.” TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Supreme Board Member Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi said that women’s participation in the economy is not only a matter of equality, but also one of the most important driving forces of development, prosperity and sustainable growth.
Afridi said, “Research conducted in many countries around the world today shows that societies in which women’s participation in the workforce, entrepreneurship and leadership increase are building more innovative, more productive and more resilient economies. However, we all know that women entrepreneurs still face various obstacles, from access to finance to reaching markets, from training opportunities to networking opportunities.
Therefore, strong collaborations between institutions are of great importance. This is exactly what makes this protocol we will sign today valuable.” he said. Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi continued: “This cooperation is not just a document signed between two institutions, but an expression of a common vision and a common determination that will accelerate the economic empowerment of women. “Our goal is to increase women entrepreneurs’ access to information, opportunities and resources, to create a more inclusive structure in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and to support women to become actors who not only start businesses, but also grow their businesses, create employment and lead economic transformation.” Afridi emphasized that in this process, they consider it extremely important to support young women, women working in the field of technology, entrepreneurs operating in rural areas and businesses with high growth potential, and said, “Because revealing the potential of women means revealing the potential of the entire society.” he said.
Following the speeches, a protocol was signed between TOBB Board Member Işınsu Kestelli, TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board President Nurten Öztürk, UN Women Turkey Country Director Maryse Guimond and TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Supreme Board Member Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi.
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