3 May 2013 | Istanbul, Turkey

The Sustainable Finance Forum brought together various actors from the sustainable finance scene in Turkey to discuss existing responsible finance practices in the country, reveal related gaps and challenges and put forward recommendations for action to upscale the financial sector contribution to sustainable development in Turkey. Garanti Bank, Şekerbank and TSKB shared national experiences on integrating sustainability in their business operations, while international finance institutions such as UniCredit and ING, and development institutions such as Agence Française de Développement (AFD) brought insights into how international corporate standards and guidelines are implemented in the Turkish market. The need for continuous dialogue among national finance institutions and with institutional players that can influence the national sustainable finance agenda (NGOs, academia, real sector, policy-makers) was repeatedly stressed during the forum, with a view to benefit from and strengthen the pool of local knowledge on sustainability issues. The event aims to be the first edition of an annual gathering set to provide a snapshot of the status of responsible finance in Turkey and to guide participants on related priorities that need to be further addressed. The Forum was co-organized with the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Turkey and the UN Global Compact Network Turkey, and was sponsored by Garanti Bank and Şekerbank.