22 Years, 80 Projects, Impact on Hundreds of Thousands of Women

Since its establishment in 2002, KAGİDER (Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey) has been steadily growing and has now released its first-ever Sustainability Report. Representing 10% of Turkey's economy today, KAGİDER has implemented impactful projects and partnerships that have positively influenced hundreds of thousands of women in business.

The report, the details of which were shared at a press conference held at Istanbul Raffles Hotel, revealed the activities, projects and collaborations, in short, the “KAGIDER IMPACT” of the association, which aims to empower women not only economically but also politically and socially, since its establishment in 2002. At the press conference held on the anniversary of September 25, 2015, the date on which the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, KAGIDER Chairman Esra Bezircioğlu, members of the Board of Directors and entrepreneur women who are members of KAGIDER took part.

SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AS KAGIDAR GROWS STRONGER

KAGIDER President Esra Bezircioğlu stated that they are happy to serve the global goals of the United Nations, which provide the most important roadmap in the field of sustainability and gender equality, and emphasized that they directly contributed to 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, she said, “KAGIDER's 22-year journey is not only the growth of a non-governmental organization, but also the story of the radical transformation of a society. During this time, KAGIDER has supported women's entrepreneurship, making women more visible in economic life and taking important steps in the field of gender equality.”

110 BILLION DOLLARS TURNOVER AND 250 THOUSAND PEOPLE EMPLOYMENT POWER

Presenting the impact of the association in 22 years with figures, Esra Bezircioğlu said that today they represent 10% of the Turkish economy as an association with a turnover of 110 billion dollars and an employment power of 250 thousand people with more than 500 members from 46 different sectors.

Bezircioğlu mentioned that they have not only supported women entrepreneurship with the projects they have implemented so far, but also touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of women by increasing the proportion of women employees in the business world, and that they have also assumed an active role in international platforms. She said, “We make our voices heard on global platforms to empower women entrepreneurs in the world, and we draw a road map for Turkish women entrepreneurs that will shape the world economy. Especially this year, in addition to being selected as one of the candidate country members for enlargement to represent Turkey in the European Economic and Social Committee, we were the only association from Turkey to be elected to the EBRD committee. All the information in this report is the most important proof that KAGIDER's 22 years of influence has spread all over Turkey and the world.”

WE ARE EXPANDING OUR TARGET IN THE COMING PERIOD

Esra Bezircioğlu stated that they aim to strengthen the place of women in the business world, to ensure gender equality and to create a more livable world in their sustainability journey, which continues with the focus of “Women, Society, World and Future”, and said, “Today, with this vision, we continue our work with determination for a fairer, equal and sustainable world.”

Esra Bezircioğlu said that among their goals for the coming period is to ensure that women entrepreneurs are more represented in the international arena, and concluded her words as follows:

“First of all, we will strive to ensure that women entrepreneurs are more represented in the international arena. For this purpose, we will participate more actively in international events, organize events that will make women entrepreneurs more visible on international platforms and make their voices heard. Strengthening international cooperation is also among our priorities. In this context, we will establish closer cooperation with other international organizations, non-governmental organizations and governments, develop joint projects and increase information sharing.”

WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS ARE THE LEADERS OF A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

In her speech at the press conference, Dilara Koçak, Member of the Board of Directors of KAGIDER, pointed out that as an association, they raise awareness on sustainability and emphasized that women entrepreneurs are not only a part of economic growth but also leaders who play an active role in building a sustainable future.

REALIZED PROJECTS EMPOWER WOMEN WORKFORCE

Sharing the details of the Sustainability Report with the press members, Beyza Beyzade Berkol, Member of the Board of Directors of KAGIDER, said that they have taken important steps and implemented many projects since their establishment and announced that they have implemented 80 projects with 162 stakeholder companies to date. Beyza Beyzade Berkol stated that KAGIDER's projects include supporting the digitalization processes of women entrepreneurs, creating opportunities to do business in line with sustainable development goals, and developing women's leadership capacities:

“We aim to provide equal opportunities and facilitate women's access to finance by collaborating with public, private sector and non-governmental organizations. We strive to increase women's participation in leadership positions and envision a future in Turkey where women's equal representation and rights to life are guaranteed. With these projects, we aim to contribute to gender equality and sustainable development by contributing to the economic and social empowerment of women.”

HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE KAGİDER SUSTAINABILITY REPORT:

GOOD WORKS (İYİ İŞLER), empowered women entrepreneurs who produce or sell non-food and non-electronic organza retail. Within the scope of the 7-year project, a total of 486 hours of training was provided. Over 2000 women entrepreneurs applied to the project. 150 women entrepreneurs successfully completed the program and graduated. The employment created by the companies participating in the program is 2596. Within this employment figure, the ratio of female employees is 72% and the ratio of female managers is 67%.

The WOMEN LEADERSHIP PLATFORM was established to share successful examples of female talent management in the private sector and to enable opinion leaders in this field to meet regularly and exchange views. Since its establishment, 454 companies and 760 individuals have joined KLP. 107 resource reports were shared on the platform's website. 100% of the participants stated that they benefited from the platform.

To date, 72 organizations from 25 different sectors have been awarded the EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EQUALITY MODEL CERTIFICATE, which was created to promote women's employment and ensure gender equality in business life. 72 organizations registered their sensitivity to gender equality and women's empowerment in employment with their structures, actions and employment in the eyes of national and international public opinion.

“TURKEY'S WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR OF TURKEY COMPETITION” has been organized for 17 years in order to contribute to raising the number of women entrepreneurs to the level of developed countries by revealing the commercial and social ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ of women in Turkey. To date, more than 45 thousand applications have been received from all over Turkey. More than 104 thousand people were reached. Garanti BBVA has provided financial support totaling 200 billion TL in the last 5 years.

The FUTURE WOMEN LEADERS TRAINING PROGRAM is carried out to prepare young women who will make a difference in their work, society and environment for society and business life, to improve their skills and sensitivity, and to increase their equipment. The program, which has been running for 14 years, has received over 20,000 applications to date, and 1750 young women have graduated from the program. Today, 92% of the program's graduates are taking firm steps forward in their careers. 93% of the graduates say that they share with others what the program has contributed to them.

The “WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR DEVELOPMENT AND ACCELERATION PROGRAM IN AGRICULTURE”, which aims to increase the knowledge and skills of women entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector, received 870 applications in 4 years. Within the scope of the project, 274 women entrepreneurs were supported by bringing them together with experts and role model women entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector. 72 women entrepreneurs participating in the program received mentoring support.