Opening bell of Istanbul Stock Exchange rings for gender equality

Ahead of International Women's Day on March 8 and the 20th Anniversary of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Istanbul Stock Exchange (Borsa Istanbul) hosted an opening bell ceremony on March 6 in support of gender equality and women's economic empowerment.

The ceremony was organized in cooperation with the U.N. Women, U.N. Global Compact and the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative. It was attended by U.N. Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Representative to TurkeyIngibjörg Gísladóttir, Sabanc? Holding Chair Güler Sabanc?, U.N. Global Compact Turkey Chairman Dr. Y?lmaz Argüden, and Borsa Istanbul Acting CEO Hüseyin Zafer, as well as leading Turkish businesswomen including Hürriyet Gazetecilik Chairperson Vuslat Do?an Sabanc?.

Sare Davuto?lu, the wife of Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu, sent a message to be read at the event, celebrating all women on International Women's Day and wishing for a world with no discrimination in cultural, economic and political life.

The event was part of a global initiative of events under the name "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" hosted by the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Egyptian Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq, the Nigeria Stock Exchange, the Santiago Stock Exchange, the Stockholm Stock Exchange and the Warsaw Stock Exchange, as well as Borsa Istanbul.

Speaking in Istanbul, Gísladóttir underlined the importance of the increasing role of women in economic life.

"We see more women CEOs, engineers, scientists, doctors or factory workers today, but the limitations over the full and equal participation of women into the labor force remain. Women are also affected disproportionally by abuse and discrimination in their workplaces," she said.
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