UPS continues to help Turkish female entrepreneurs go global

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Istanbul, Turkey

  • UPS organizes additional training seminars for Turkish female entrepreneurs in cooperation with KAGIDER and KEDV
  • UPS Women Exporters Program helps women expand their businesses to global markets in cooperation with ITC SheTrades initiative
  • Only 17% of women in Turkey declare to have access to start-up opportunities; well below OECD average

UPS (NYSE:UPS), a global leader in logistics, this month continued a series of exporting workshops across Turkey to help women owned businesses build their export capabilities in the cities of Manisa and Izmir with the support of entrepreneur and labor associations Kadın Girişimciler Derneği (KAGIDER) and Kadın Emeğini Değerlendirme Vakfı (KEDV) The event generated high interest with 220 women entrepreneurs signing up.

“Many women entrepreneurs from local communities in Turkey lack access to the resources, knowledge and support they need to take advantage of global trade opportunities,” said Burak Kilic, Country Manager of UPS Turkey. “Our Women Exporters Program seminars are designed to help these entrepreneurs engage in global trade so more women-owned companies can do business across borders, boost economic growth and drive job creation in Turkey and beyond. By the end of 2020, UPS plans to expand these workshops and seminars throughout Turkey.”

The workshops, seminars and online learning platforms are part of UPS’s Women Exporters Program (WEP), in partnership with the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades initiative, which helps female business owners overcome challenges such as supply chain processes, customs regulations and international trade opportunities in global business. UPS and its partners are focusing on enhancing market access by identifying regulatory barriers that disproportionately hinder women exporters, enabling women to tap into new sources of revenue generating a stronger Turkish economy.

“With UPS’s continued support, every female entrepreneur in Turkey will have the power to become a future global trailblazer,’’ said Emine Erdem, President of KAGIDER. “We are proud to work with the UPS Women Exporters Program to help reduce inequality and income disparity by increasing female participation in the Turkish economy.”

UPS and the UPS Foundation launched the Women Exporters Program (WEP) in 2018, as part of the company’s effort to promote diversity and inclusion. The WEP, working with the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades initiative, NGO and government partners, is a global effort to enable women-owned businesses to learn more about and consider exporting their products around the globe. By bringing together UPS’s smart global logistics network and unparalleled knowledge in reaching global markets with the grassroots networks of its partners,  WEP is helping the ITC SheTrades initiative to reach its goal of bringing three million women-owned businesses into international trade.

About UPS

UPS (NYSE: UPS), one of the world’s largest package delivery companies with 2019 revenue of $74 billion, provides a broad range of integrated logistics solutions for customers in more than 220 countries and territories. The company’s more than 500,000 employees embrace a strategy that is simply stated and powerfully executed: Customer First. People Led. Innovation Driven. UPS is committed to being a steward of the environment and positively contributing to the communities we serve around the world. UPS also takes a strong and unwavering stance in support of diversity, equity and inclusion. The company can be found on the Internet at www.ups.com, with more information at www.pressroom.ups.com and www.investors.ups.com.