Civil society meets with impact investments

The “Impact Investment and Civil Society Conference” organized under the partnership of the Impact Investing Advisory Board (EYDK) within the scope of the “Civil Society Dialogue Program between Turkey and the EU” conducted by the Presidency of the European Union took place on March 29.

29 March 2022, İstanbul – The impact investment model, which focuses on generating financial returns by creating positive and measurable social and environmental benefits and reaching the level of 2.3 trillion dollars worldwide, was discussed with the participation of Turkey’s strongest civil society representatives. The “Impact Investment and Civil Society Conference”, organized in partnership with the Impact Investing Advisory Board (EYDK), within the scope of the “Civil Society Dialogue and Civil Society Support Programs Between Turkey and EU” Technical Assistance Project carried out by the European Union Presidency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held on March 29, 2022 with 60 participants.

Within the framework of the themes of entrepreneurial philanthropy, transparency and inclusiveness, impact measurement and management, a ground was created at the conference where stakeholders could establish new business partnerships and generate new ideas together. The opening speeches of the conference were made by Ahmet Hakan Atik, Head of the Project Implementation Department of the EU Presidency, Ahmet Şimşek, Deputy Director General of Development Agencies, Duygu Yardım, Expert on European Union Affairs at the Project Implementation Department of the EU Presidency, and Dr. Onur Ilhan, Secretary General of EYDK. Dr. Onur Ilhan said: “In order to place the concept of entrepreneurial philanthropy in our country, it is necessary to raise awareness and develop a common language first”.

Project Implementation Department Head Ahmet Hakan Atik in his opening speech; emphasized the importance given by the EU Presidency, which is the leading institution of the Civil Society Sector, which implements one of the most rooted grant programs for civil society, to the planning and evaluation of supports and projects for civil society with an impact perspective.

The “Horizon Tour with Success Stories” panel took place

Within the scope of the conference; A “Horizon Tour with Success Stories” panel was held, in which the concrete processes of impact investment and the place of non-governmental organizations in the impact ecosystem were discussed. EYDK Secretary General Dr. Among the speakers of the panel, moderated by Onur İlhan, were Halil Fatih Akgül, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Turkish Foundation for Waste Prevention (TİSVA), General Manager of the Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation (GİRVAK), Mehru Aygül, and Founder and Member of the Board of Açık Açık Association İ. Renay Onur took part.

The transformative role of civil society in impact investments was discussed

In the second half of the conference, workshop sessions were held on “Entrepreneurial Philanthropy”, “Impact Measurement and Management” and “Transparency and Inclusion”. In the sessions, 32 different institutions presented their opinions and suggestions on the transformative role of civil society in impact investments.

The data collected at the conference will be a roadmap

The civil society working group, which will operate within the EYDK, will use the data collected during the conference to prepare an action-oriented report. The report to be prepared will be adopted as a roadmap and will ensure that actions are taken to strengthen the relationship between civil society and impact investments.

For more information:

Sezin Bulum, Marjinal Porter Novelli +90 533 282 2970 sezinb@marjinal.com.tr

EYDK (Impact Investment Advisory Board) is founded by 30 leading institutions with the aim of making impact investing a mainstream investing model in Turkey while establishing international partnerships, models and projects in impact investing. EYDK’s top priority is enabling the realisation of the necessary regulations for impact investing, creating a transparent and inclusive ecosystem, raising awareness and competence, and designing a national framework for impact measurement and management. https://www.eydk.org/about-eydk/