Sustainable Banking Topic of Exchange Between Local Networks in Turkey and the Netherlands

(Amsterdam, 29 March 2013) – Marking over 400 years of trade relations between Turkey and the Netherlands, companies representing Global Compact Local Networks in each country engaged in a series of events to exchange knowledge on sustainable business, with a particular emphasis on banking and finance. The meeting represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Local Networks focused on a particular sector.

The first day of the exchange programme featured a Roundtable Meeting of the Global Compact Local Networks of the Netherlands and Turkey, held in the Hague and hosted by the Secretariat of the Dutch Local Network, the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW).

Participants engaged in a sustainable banking dialogue during the final two days of the programme, with participation by a senior delegation from the Turkish banking and finance sector. Titled Sustainable Banking in Practice: Managing the Risk, Creating Opportunities, the dialogue was jointly organized by the Global Compact Networks of Turkey and the Netherlands. Twenty-five Turkish delegates met with experts from ABN Amro, ING, Rabobank, GRI, the Equator Principles Steering Committee, FMO, the City of Amsterdam and the NYSE Euronext Stock Exchange Amsterdam.

Since 2009, the Turkish Local Network has worked to implement a Sectoral Deployment and is currently forming Working Groups on key issues. The dialogue provided an opportunity for the Local Network in the Netherlands to learn about the Turkish Local Network’s efforts in these areas, and for Turkish banking and finance sector representatives to learn about best practices from the Netherlands. The Turkish delegation concluded the first day of the dialogue by participating in the closing ceremony of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, which was also attended by its CEO.

Cees Vermaas, CEO of NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, Deniz Ozturk, Turkey Representative of the UN Global Compact, and a delegation of sustainable banking representatives from Turkey participate in the closing bell ceremony at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

In over 100 countries, Global Compact Local Networks serve an essential role in rooting the Global Compact’s issue platforms and campaigns within different national, cultural and language contexts, and providing an important base for companies to convene and act on sustainability issues at the ground level.

• View the Agenda (Roundtable and Dialogue) and List of Participants
• Information about Global Compact Local Networks

Contact

Deniz Ozturk
Turkey Representative
Adviser to the Executive Director
UN Global Compact
ozturkd@un.org