TOBB and UN Women Forge Strategic Partnership for Women’s Economic Empowerment

The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) and UN Women signed an important cooperation protocol to support gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Türkiye. The protocol aims to carry out joint efforts in the areas of gender equality, data production and research, training, international visibility, and institutional partnerships. It was stated that the collaboration seeks to contribute to the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs by increasing their access to knowledge, opportunities, and global markets.

Opening remarks were delivered by TOBB Board Member Işınsu Kestelli, Chairperson of the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board Nurten Öztürk, UN Women Türkiye Country Director Maryse Guimond, and Member of the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi.

“We will showcase the success stories and potential of our women entrepreneurs to the world”

In her opening remarks, TOBB Board Member Işınsu Kestelli provided information on the cooperation protocol. Kestelli stated: 

“The international experience, standards, and vision of UN Women are joining forces with TOBB’s strong organisational structure, which has deep roots across all 81 provinces of Türkiye and can reach even the most remote women in the country. The most tangible outcomes of this protocol will be to take our programmes and projects centred on women entrepreneurs to the international level and to promote their success stories and potential globally. We believe this partnership will increase the visibility of our boards both in Türkiye and abroad, enabling us to reach more women. It will also create a strong multiplier effect by supporting women entrepreneurs in accessing global markets, enhancing their competitiveness in the digitalising world, and developing sustainable business models.”

Chairperson of the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Board, Nurten Öztürk, stated:

“This protocol, which brings together UN Women’s global expertise and TOBB’s extensive field capacity, is built on five key pillars to support women’s economic independence and leadership in the business world.”

Listing these five pillars, Öztürk added: “On joint advocacy for gender equality, we will prioritise gender-responsive policies within the TOBB structure and among our member companies. Through targeted workshops and awareness programmes, we will promote an inclusive business culture. In the area of data production and research, properly understanding the field is the first step toward developing effective solutions. Together with UN Women, we will conduct in-depth research on the gender equality challenges faced by TOBB members and develop evidence-based policies. Under international visibility, we will bring the success stories of women entrepreneurs from across Anatolia and our joint projects to global platforms, showcasing the potential of Turkish women. In terms of integration with existing projects and training, while designing new programmes to strengthen women economically, we will expand ongoing successful initiatives of UN Women Türkiye, TOBB, and local chambers through better integration. Finally, under cooperation in major events, we will create market opportunities and expand regional partnerships for women entrepreneurs through trade fairs and large-scale events.”

Maryse Guimond, UN Women Türkiye Country Director, said that the protocol reflects a strong shared vision to advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Türkiye. Guimond stated:

“When women participate equally in economic life, entire societies benefit. Through this strategic partnership with TOBB, I sincerely believe that we will expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs, promote business practices that actively support women's equal and meaningful participation across the business world, and bring good practices from Türkiye to global platforms.”

“This cooperation reflects a shared vision to accelerate women’s economic empowerment”

Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi, Member of the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council, emphasised that the cooperation would accelerate women’s economic empowerment:

“This collaboration is not merely a document signed between two institutions; it represents a shared vision and commitment to accelerating women’s economic empowerment. Our goal is to increase women entrepreneurs’ access to knowledge, opportunities, and resources; to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem; and to support women not only in starting businesses but also in growing them, generating employment, and becoming leading actors in economic transformation.”

Building on existing partnerships

The protocol also builds on previous joint efforts launched by UN Women, TOBB and Nokia. In this context, the “Take Action for Entrepreneurship!” initiative, launched in Hatay in 2024 with the support of Türk Telekom, delivered training and mentoring programmes for women entrepreneurs and women’s cooperatives affected by the earthquakes.

Under the programme, 27 women entrepreneurs from 9 women’s cooperatives received applied training in areas including entrepreneurship, digital literacy, cybersecurity, marketing, project management and finance.

Following these achievements, TOBB and the TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council joined the process as strategic partners to expand the programme across Türkiye through a Training of Trainers model.