‘Connecting Today, Creating Tomorrow’ – Social Good Summit 2016

A common call from Türk Telekom and United Nations Development Programme at 2016 Social Good Summit!

 “Connecting today, Creating tomorrow” to make the world a better place

• Common steps to make the world a better place through the technology and sustainable development goals were discussed at the Social Good Summit Istanbul, which was organized in cooperation of Türk Telekom and United Nations Development Programme. Renowned names from public institutions, NGOs, art, business, media, fashion & design, academic and sports worlds came together in the Summit, which is organized with the theme of “Connecting today. Creating tomorrow” in more than 70 countries simultaneously in the same week.

• Social Good Summit brought together approximately 60 speakers at the stage including UN Turkey Resident Coordinator and UNDP Turkey Resident Representative Kamal Malhotra, Türk Telekom Chief Marketing Officer Mert Başar, Intel Turkey General Manager Burak Aydın, Cisco Turkey General Manager Cenk Kıvılcım, Microsoft Turkey General Manager Murat Kansu, Hitachi Data Systems Turkey CEO Serdar Sayar as well as global leaders, NGOs and civil society activists.

• The Summit also hosted the first phase of “Talking Pictures” painting exhibition, whichis Turkey’s first painting exhibition launched for the visually impaired people within the scope of Türk Telekom’s Book on the Phone project.

• Malala (19), an activist for education and women rights and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, made a call to end the inequality and poverty in the world via a special video message in the Summit.

Social Good Summit’s 2016 Turkey event, which was organized by United Nations Development Programme and supported by Türk Telekom in its Turkey and New York organizations last year as well, took place in Istanbul on September 29. The Social Good Summit asked the question, “What type of world do I want to live in by the year 2030?” and this year’s theme was ‘Connecting today. Creating tomorrow.” More than 500 people participated in Turkey event of the Summit, which is organized in more than 70 countries, ranging from New York to Nairobi, at the same time. Thousands of people, who supported the Summit on the social media, followed the event live online and had the convenience to share what type of world they want to live in with the rest of the world by using #2030Now hashtag.

60 speakers in 30 panels discussed the ‘future’ in a single day

In the Social Good Summit’s Istanbul gathering, organized by the contributions of Turkey’s leading communication and entertainment technologies company Türk Telekom, the participants discussed how to benefit more from the digital world’s opportunities and shared ideas about creating an equal world for everyone through the dynamics changing through the technology and the new media. Around 30 panels participated by approximately 60 speakers were held in 6 hours on various subjects such as; social entrepreneurship, corporate digital responsibility, inclusive business models and sustainable fashion.

Piano Performance by Utku Taha Tekgül

Social Good Summit Istanbul has started with an exclusive surprise event following the keynote speeches. The piano performance of Utku Taha Tekgül, who is one of the participants of Türk Telekom’s social responsibility project Sunshine, which gives special training to children with limited sight to make them independent individuals, was listened by the participants with pleasure. Following Utku’s performance, Türk Telekom Chief Marketing Officer Mert Başar gave a speech titled: “#2030NOW: Global Goals and the Technology that will Help Achieve Them”.

‘Our goal is to reduce inequalities by 2030 by creating equal opportunity via technology’

Starting his speech by recalling that they have supported Social Good Summit’s both Istanbul and New York organizations in the past two years and will continue to give more support with new projects, Türk Telekom Chief Marketing Officer Mert Başar explained Türk Telekom’s works and goals aimed at serving the Sustainable Development Goals as follows: 

“Social Good Summit offers us the opportunity to discuss how to use technology, new media and innovation for the social good and to make the world a better place. Given the importance of information and communication technologies for development, we are creating accessible communication for everyone across Turkey and aimed at closing the digital gap among the individuals and to ensure that the disadvantaged groups benefit the conveniences of the universal information society. This organization, during which we will have the opportunity to examine together the leverage effect of technology and new media on the sustainable development across the world, will guide us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals strengthening our country even more. I would like to state in this event that the positive outcomes we received from all products, services, business models, and projects, which are carried out with the motto of accessible communication for everyone, are motivating and encouraging us to do more for the society we are living in.” 

UN Turkey Resident Coordinator Kamal Malhotra: “People want to be a part of realizing this new agenda”

Speaking at the event, UN Turkey Resident Coordinator Kamal Malhotra underlined the power of technology, new media and communication in achieving the UN and UNDP’s global goals. Malhotra continued his speech as follows: “The main messages of the reports on the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) reflect the outcomes of global consultations and the message is clear: People want to be a part of realizing this new agenda. They are expecting the governments and business world to fulfill their promises and commitments. These individuals also underline the importance of participation, inclusiveness and partnerships. For this reason, we attach importance to our partnership with Türk Telekom on the Social Good Summit and the Global Goals.”