High-level guests declare support for women’s fund
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 06, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The first International Women's Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit ended yesterday with high-level guests declaring their support for a variety of new endeavors in Turkey.
The guests declared their support for launching an international women’s fund and for supporting women’s training and entrepreneurship, which would increase women’s participation in social and economic life.
Melanne Verveer, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for women’s global issues, said she is in support of the idea.
"One of the things that I want to do when I go back to the U.S. is to search for possibilities concerning the issue and to develop exchange programs between women in Turkey and the U.S. I support the idea but I have not yet had the chance to examine the plan," she said.
Gülseren Onanç, the head of Woman Entrepreneurs Association, or KAGİDER, who organized the summit, said Friday that Selma Aliye Kavaf, the state minister responsible for women’s issues, declared her support for the fund.
"At least it is starting to be discussed at the level of government," Onanç said. On Thursday, Onanç asked Michael Leigh, the director general of Enlargement of the European Commission for their support for the fund. Leigh invited Onanç to Brussels to come with a detailed plan of the fund to discuss. On Friday, Onanç said the fund would first cooperate with the U.S. and later expand into the EU.
The fund will be composed of Turkey and its geographic neighbors, according to the summit declaration. All of the parties will determine the general principles of the fund.
One of the main aims of the fund is to increase experience sharing between women from Turkey and the United States through a program that would provide expertise for its attendees. Another main target of the fund is to provide training programs for female politicians in order to increase female representation in politics. The fund also aims to organize regular women’s summits. The fund is expected to be launched in the International Women's Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit that will be held in June 2010.
Melanne Verveer, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for women’s global issues, said she is in support of the idea.
"One of the things that I want to do when I go back to the U.S. is to search for possibilities concerning the issue and to develop exchange programs between women in Turkey and the U.S. I support the idea but I have not yet had the chance to examine the plan," she said.
Gülseren Onanç, the head of Woman Entrepreneurs Association, or KAGİDER, who organized the summit, said Friday that Selma Aliye Kavaf, the state minister responsible for women’s issues, declared her support for the fund.
"At least it is starting to be discussed at the level of government," Onanç said. On Thursday, Onanç asked Michael Leigh, the director general of Enlargement of the European Commission for their support for the fund. Leigh invited Onanç to Brussels to come with a detailed plan of the fund to discuss. On Friday, Onanç said the fund would first cooperate with the U.S. and later expand into the EU.
The fund will be composed of Turkey and its geographic neighbors, according to the summit declaration. All of the parties will determine the general principles of the fund.
One of the main aims of the fund is to increase experience sharing between women from Turkey and the United States through a program that would provide expertise for its attendees. Another main target of the fund is to provide training programs for female politicians in order to increase female representation in politics. The fund also aims to organize regular women’s summits. The fund is expected to be launched in the International Women's Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit that will be held in June 2010.