Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

B20 Turkey Chair and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Global growth rates are down and while unemployment rates are this high, B20 can’t rest for a minute.” BIAC Chair Phil O’Reily, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria and G20 Turkey Sherpa Ayşe Sinirlioğlu presented their assessments in retards B20.

As a part of the B20 Turkey Term Chair activities, the B20 Turkey 2^nd Taskforces Joint Meeting was held in Paris. The meeting, held by OECD and BIAC in cooperation with B20 Turkey, was attended by 300 global actors. The suggestions of the various Taskforces were voted upon to determine their priorities.

“Youth unemployment and improving the participation of women in the workforce,” with 82 of votes, took top priority.

Speaking at the meeting, B20 Turkey Chair and TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu provided further details on the process and the suggestions of the Taskforces.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Global growth rates are down and while unemployment rates are this high, B20 can’t rest for a minute.”

In this regard, Hisarcıklıoğlu drew attention to the basis of its management philosophy as term chair: Investment, inclusiveness and implementation. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that this approach contributes greatly to overcoming the global economic crisis, albeit slowly.

Hisarcıklıoğlu also pointed to the importance of B20 Turkey’s endeavors to better understand and address the business communities of the world and to include them in the process in order to generate policy.

- Hisarcıklıoğlu on the suggestions of the Taskforces

Hisarcıklıoğlu briefly summarized the suggestions of the Taskforces. He stated that the Trade Taskforce would be insistent in regards to further facilitating global trade and urged that the Facilitation of Trade Agreement be widely signed.

On SMEs and Entrepreneurship Taskforce, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “B20 considers the integration of SME into global markets as a necessity.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed to the importance of the World SME Forum to this end.

Hisarcıklıoğlu announced that the priority of the Employment Taskforce is youth unemployment and improving the participation of women in the workforce, while he said, in regards to Financing Growth Taskforce, “This Taskforce’s primary goal is to strengthen the financing of SMEs.”

Listing the suggestions of the Infrastructure and Investments Taskforce, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized the importance of ameliorating the state of the investment environment.

Lastly, Hisarcıklıoğlu talked about the views of the Anti-Corruption Taskforce  in regards to the transparent customs procedures  between G20 countries and developing intra-border systems.

- Other speakers

In his speech, BIAC Chair Phil O’Reily spoke about the importance of the B20 and developments during Turkey’s Term as Chair while OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria talked about the policy needs which would shape the mega-trends in a changing world and the future.

G20 Turkey Sherpa Ayşe Sinirlioğlu touched on the matters of investment, inclusivity and implementation.

Following Sinirlioğlu’s speech, Taskforce Leads and relevant OECD representatives held a short interactive Q&A session.

- Ministers of Treasury will convene in Ankara in September

The first of these meetings held by OECD and BIAC in cooperation with B20 Turkey was held in Washington D.C. in April.

The Paris meeting was the last meeting held before the meeting of the Ministers of the Treasuries of G20 countries which will be held between September 3^rd and 5^th in Ankara.