United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Celebrated 10th Anniversary in Turkey

The secretariat of the UN Global Compact, the largest sustainability platform with the largest number of stakeholders, will be executed jointly by TİSK and TÜSİAD.

Dr. Yılmaz Argüden, Representative of the UN Global Compact National Network Turkey indicated that the sensitiveness to the global problems and solution providing abilities of the Turkish companies, signer of the UN Global Compact increase with the globalization of their area of activities. He also expressed that the communication of the exemplary practice of Turkish companies in the field of sustainable development at COP15, COP18, World Leaders Summit 2012 and most recently at the RIO+20 Conference is in agreement with the target of Turkey to rank among the top ten economies of the world.


UNGC Network Turkey celebrated its tenth anniversary of its leadership in developing the concept responsible citizen and corporate governance with a meeting, gathering a large participation at the Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB) on December 18th, 2010.

More than 80 high level executives, leaders of the sustainability approach participated to the meeting and high level representatives of Arge Consultancy, Ford Otosan, Martı Hotels, Boyner Holding, Özyeğin Üniversity, KalDer, TÜSİAD, and TİSK delivered speeches.

Among the other speakers of the meeting there was Mr. Shahid Najam, Resident Representative of UN in Turkey, Mr. İbrahim Turhan, chairman of IMKB, Ambassador Mithat Rende, General Director of the Multilateral Economic Affairs, Energy and the Environment at the Foreign Ministry and Mr. Cüneyt Düzyol, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Development.
An institutional secretariat of UNGC will be established.

Following the decision of UNGC National Executive Committee, from now on, the secretariat and the coordination services of the UNGC Network Turkey, will be executed jointly by the Confederation of Employer Unions of Turkey (TİSK) and Turkish Industry & Business Association (TÜSİAD). The new secretariat to be established is expected to contribute significantly to the coordination of the National Network of Turkey and its integration to other local networks.

What is United Nations Global Compact?

“United Nations Global Compact” a strategic policy initiative, launched by the then Secretary-General Kofi Annan aims at implementing ten global principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. With the private company CEOs and more than 3000 public institutions and NGOs committed to work according to the ten principles, UNGC is the largest voluntary corporate citizenship initiative.

The local initiative in Turkey was launched by UN Development Program (UNDP) and the Confederation of Employer Unions of Turkey (TİSK), has become in ten years the 17th largest Local Network among 135 countries.

UNGC National Network Turkey gather around 250 institutions, corporations, SMEs, NGOs, municipalities and employer organizations which signed the UNGC.

The sectoral approach developed and implemented in 2010 by the UNGC National Network Turkey has been elected as an exemplary best practice. Within the framework of this approach, important activities have been realized to spread the sustainability principles in the automotive, textile, pharmacology and tourism industries.