Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu was elected as the President of the World Chamber Federation (WCF), which gathers the chambers of commerce and industry and associations of 115 countries under one roof.

Hisarcıklıoğlu, who was elected with the highest number of votes among the six candidates, will lead the world chambers in the 2023 - 2025 period. “It is a great honor for me to fly the Turkish flag on this platform,” Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We are happy that we, as TOBB, are elected to the management of all regional and global institutions and organizations, and we have the honor of representing our country and our business world. We are at the top of global consultation mechanisms. This newly elected duty is the most important indicator of what our business world and our chamber and stock exchange community can achieve in the global economy. We will now lead the global business world and thousands of chambers under the roof of WCF. The fact that our success is also seen and appreciated abroad made me very happy as a Turk. I am proud on behalf of our 365 Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, of which I am the President, and our more than 2 million companies. I would like to thank the representatives of the international business world who deemed me worthy of this duty and voted for me. Now it is time to run with greater enthusiasm for our country and our business world.”

5 priority issues

The World Federation of Chambers’ priorities for the 2022-2025 period include women’s empowerment, improving SMEs’ access to global markets, digitalization of SMEs, and sustainability and climate issues in the business world.

WCF, headquartered in Paris, is a global forum established to increase the interaction and cooperation of Chambers at the global level, with Chambers and Chamber Associations from 115 countries. WCF, which aims to strengthen the connections between Chambers around the world and increase their cooperation, aims to contribute to the improvement of the performance of the Chambers through the sharing of best practices.

World Chambers Congress

Every two years, WCF organizes the World Congress of Chambers, attended by Chambers from around the world. The World Congress of Chambers is the most comprehensive international forum for Chambers and professionals to share best practices, exchange views, network and learn about current issues affecting the business world.

Hisarcıklıoğlu’s international assignments

- Member of the Board of Directors of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

- Vice President of the European Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Eurochambres)

- Vice President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA)

- Vice President of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI)

- President of the Union of Turkic Chambers of Commerce and Industry