Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) Accelerates Women's Council Activities

Turkey's Exporters Council (TİM) Women's Council, established as a first in 2018 with 54 members, is stepping up its efforts to increase the number of female exporters, enhance their effectiveness, and raise awareness about access to support and financing. Within this framework, to offset the effects of the contracting international trade during the Covid-19 period, compensate for export losses, and secure a stronger position in the new world order that will emerge after the process, it was decided to organize Virtual Trade Delegations covering all sectors to Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico under the coordination of the Ministry of Commerce and the organization of TİM. TİM Chairman İsmail Gülle stated: "The Trade Delegations implemented particularly through our Zero Waste Project and Women's Council stood out among these projects. Additionally, last month we held the 'Turkey-Spain Women Entrepreneurs Dialogue' session under the first cycle of Turkey-Spain JETCO with the support of our Council. In this session, women entrepreneurship, encouraging women in exports and increasing the number of female exporters were on our agenda. In the coming period, we plan to implement many important activities within our Women's Council.

"Virtual trade delegations for women entrepreneurs"

The most important of these will be the virtual trade delegations we will conduct with our women entrepreneurs. We plan to implement a new virtual delegation in Latin American countries with our female exporters, building on the seven virtual delegations we have conducted so far. We believe that our women will be the architects of 'Turkey Rising through Exports'. Our women entrepreneurs need to hold a stronger position with equal rights within the decision-making mechanisms of business life. For this reason, every step we take will mean signing projects that serve as examples not only in our country but globally. On the path to becoming one of the world's top 10 economies, the participation of our women in the economy, workforce and social projects is of great importance. Without you we cannot reach our targets, and with your dedication and diligence, we will overcome obstacles and set new records even in these difficult times," he said. Gülle continued: "Between 2015 and 2019, KOSGEB provided support totalling TRY 1,005,363 thousand to 55,046 enterprises owned by women entrepreneurs. While the support provided by KOSGEB to enterprises of our women entrepreneurs in 2015 was TRY 58 million, this figure exceeded TRY 298 million in 2019. So far, 85 firms have applied for Eximbank's support for women entrepreneurs, and a total of USD 6.1 million in credit has been provided.

As you know, we signed a cooperation agreement with Türkiye İş Bankası to serve as a lifeline for our exporters in the difficult conditions created by the pandemic.

Under the package, we created more favourable conditions in the credits used by women entrepreneurs to ensure positive discrimination. Our female exporters found access to financing at lower interest rates with this package. Under the credit package signed with Türkiye İş Bankası, TRY 570 thousand in Turkish lira denominated credit and USD 344 thousand equivalent in foreign currency credit have been extended to our women entrepreneur exporters. We expect our women entrepreneurs to be more active in using financial resources. Our greatest wish is for these figures to increase further. We want our women to be more bold and entrepreneurial," he said. TİM Women's Council Vice Chair Adalet İnanç stated: "We are fulfilling very important responsibilities with our TİM Women's Council. I also thank our Chairman İsmail Gülle on this matter. He has fully supported all projects from day one that will open doors for our female exporters and create new opportunities. Now it is the turn of our women entrepreneurs. With serious opportunities ahead of them, we expect them to capitalize on these well and create successful export stories. We, as the TİM Women's Council, are ready to support all our women who want to become exporters and gain new markets," she said.