Solutions to Problems Meeting focused on gender equality

Solutions to Problems Meeting

In partnership with UNDP Turkey and Zorlu Holding, Sustainability Steps Association organized the Solutions to Problems Meeting under the title of Goal 5: Gender Equality

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Şengül Altan Arslan, Garanti BBVA Diversity and Culture Leader Tuğçe Kayaalp Yesilyurt, AÇEV Gender Equality Studies Manager Hilal Baykara and Kızlar Sahada Founding Partner Kiraz Öcal participated as speakers and UNFPA Gender Program Coordinator Meltem Ağduk as the moderator. Fenerbahçe Opet Women’s Volleyball Team Player and UNDP Gender Equality Advocate of Turkey Bahar Toksoy Guidetti also took part in the opening of our event and shared her projects for girls in Turkey.

Ensuring equality, benefits for all

Tuğçe Kayaalp Yeşilyurt talked about their work and said: “When we started to work on gender equality within the organization, our primary goal was to raise awareness. We tried to share with our employees the idea that achieving equality will benefit everyone, both men and women. “

Municipality is a place where mostly men work. However, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality adds a gender equality perspective to its works. Stating that violence is a priority issue for the municipality, Şengül Altan Arslan said that they established the Women’s Solidarity Unit and are preparing a local equality action plan.

Stating that football is the most gendered and discriminatory branch among sports, Kiraz Öcal stated that since football is not considered to be a sport for women, women of any age are not given a chance in football. Kızlar Sahada collaborate with women’s football clubs to find long-term solutions to this problem.

Hilal Baykara, who emphasized that the problem is thought to be women, that the boards of directors consist solely of men, the difficulty of the inclusion of women in the male-dominated culture, and the oppression of women are not visible in policies and practices, stated that the idea of trying to repair and educate women every time to ensure gender equality is not correct.

We have been elected to the Board of Directors of WoMen of Orange

Netherlands-Women-of-Orange-Doga-Tamer

Doğa Tamer, Secretary General of Sustainability Steps Association, has been elected to the Board of Directors of WoMen of Orange Platform which was launched by Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Istanbul to bring women from different sectors together, strengthen business networks and support gender equality.

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Solutions to Problems Meeting was hosted by Sustainability Steps Association through the cooperation of RB Turkey.

Sustainability Steps Association has been carrying out Solutions to Problems Meetings with UNDP Turkey partnership since 2018. Solutions to Problems Meetings which was brought to life for the purpose of discussing the progress in the sustainability field and to increase collaborations between institutions; was held on Friday, July 19, 2019. The event was hosted by RB Turkey with the participation of their employees and focused on “Gender Equality”.

The event started with the opening speeches by RB Turkey General Manager Selim Akiş and President of Sustainability Steps Association Emrah Kurum. The panel moderated by Doğa Tamer, Secretary General of Sustainability Steps Association. Speakers were Istanbul Bilgi University Lecturer and Social Entrepreneur Assoc. Dr. Itır Erhart, SPOD Psychological Counselor Görkem Aypar and UNDP Turkey Communications Coordinator Faik Uyanık.

Speakers shared their knowledge and experiences on the subjects such as; how to achieve social change on gender equality, the situation in Turkey, good examples, solution proposals, how to make changes in company policies regarding this issue, how the language and gender roles are in advertising and how can it be changed, what are the duties of the business world to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.