Global energy leaders gather at Sabancı University IICEC

Hosted by Sabancı University IICEC, the leaders of the global energy scene discuss “Towards a New Global Energy Landscape : What Role for Turkey?”

President of the Republic Abdullah Gül: “Turkey’s greatest contribution to the EU may be in the area of energy.  We would like to see this issue handled with priority in EU chapters.  EU remains strategically shortsighted in this matter.”

The fourth Annual International Energy Forum of the Sabancı University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate began with the attendance of President of the Republic of Turkey, Abdullah Gül.

Many foreign state dignitaries, representatives of the leading global energy companies and members of the most distinguished universities, policy centers and think-tanks of the world take part in the forum on “Towards a New Global Energy Landscape : What Role for Turkey?”

The forum is hosted by Sabancı University Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı and the Honorary Chair of the IICEC Steering Committee, Dr. Fatih Birol and will be a platform for discussing and analyzing international energy markets.  Introductory remarks were made by Güler Sabancı, Fatih Birol and President Abdullan Gül.

Sabancı University Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı: “Sabancı University IICEC is a global center for global energy policies.”

Sabancı University Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı remarked: “We envisioned a globally recognized center, Sabancı University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Turkey, to contribute to energy and climate related strategies.  Our motivation when starting with this idea has very concrete bases. International energy production and consumption is shifting towards developing countries.  Turkey’s role and importance in the global energy landscape is growing.  And Istanbul, this magnificent city, is where global energy connects.  We decided to form IICEC in Istanbul, at the strategic location connecting not only the continents, but also the ideas to shape a better energy future, regionally, and globally.”

Honorary Chair of the IICEC Steering Committee Dr. Fatih Birol said, “Since two-thirds of the existing gas contracts in Europe and Turkey will expire within the next 10 years, buying countries will have the opportunity to renegotiate with sellers.”  Birol continued, “The shale gas revolution in particular could lead to contracts at lower costs.  This is of great importance for countries like Turkey, which are import-dependent for energy, because the new contracts to be signed in five years will have terms of 30 to 40 years, and if these countries were to take the right steps at this stage, they will import energy for less and reduce their budget deficits.”

Dr. Fatih Birol: “Strategic formulas for energy-importing nations”
Fatih Birol explained that the natural gas reserves in Russia, the Caspian Basin, Iraq, Iran, other Middle Eastern countries and the Eastern Mediterranean accounted for seventy percent of global gas reserves, and that more importantly, the production costs of gas and petroleum at many of these reserves would be considerably lower than the global average.  To illustrate his point, Birol said that the cost of gas produced in northern Iraq was even lower than that of the gas in the United States.  Fatih Birol concluded that Turkey’s energy decisions in the near future could make significant contributions to the growth of the national economy and be of paramount importance for regional security of supply.

President of the Republic Abdullah Gül said, “Turkey’s greatest contribution to the EU may be in the area of energy.  We would like to see this issue handled with priority in EU chapters.  EU remains strategically shortsighted in this matter.  While hydrocarbon resources are important for the medium-term, R&D support for renewable energies is a requirement.  The President continued, “The utilization of domestic resources has reduced import dependency in Turkey.  New projects are being developed on this subject, and Turkey has come a long way in security of supply.”

About IICEC
IICEC is a future-oriented independent research and policy center designed to conduct objective, high-quality economic and policy studies in energy and climate. IICEC efforts will help the development of solutions to a sustainable energy future for the region and the world.  

Working with governments, partners from industry, international organizations, think-tanks and other research bodies, establishing a network of cooperation with other universities in the region and in the world; IICEC aims to inform policy makers, industry, academics and opinion leaders on key energy challenges and provide them with objective and genuine analysis. We foster the exchange and development of ideas by providing a distinguished platform gathering key stakeholders involved in energy and climate fields.

The decision to form the Istanbul International Centre for Energy and Climate was motivated by the growing role of Turkey in the international energy landscape and the strategic position of Istanbul, where Europe and Asia meets.

Ninth Sakıp Sabancı Lecture Held in Washington DC

World Bank Chief Economist Dr. Kaushik Basu: “I believe the crisis will continue for two more years.”

Sabancı University Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı: “Economic growth that is not based on human and ethical values cannot succeed.”  
The ninth “Sakıp Sabancı Lecture” was held by Sabancı University in partnership with Brookings Institution. 

Held annually in memory of the late Sakıp Sabancı, the Honorary Chairman of Sabancı University, this year’s lecture was given by Dr. Kaushik Basu, senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank. Dr. Basu’s address was titled “Emerging Nations and the Evolving Global Economy.”

On May 2, Sabancı University and the Brookings Institution hosted Dr. Kaushik Basu, senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank, for the ninth annual Sakıp Sabancı Lecture.

Making introductory remarks from the Sabancı University campus in Istanbul, Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı said she was proud that the partnership between Brookings Institution and Sabancı University was in its ninth year, continuing, “This lecture is given in remembrance of my uncle Sakıp Sabancı and his achievements throughout his life.  This lecture honors his legacy and connects Istanbul with Washington through Brookings Institution and Sabancı University.  This is something my uncle would have loved to hear and see.  And I believe that he feels this.”

Güler Sabancı went on, “My uncle was aware that no initiative would succeed, no market would be free and no growth could be sustained without ethics, values and a true loyalty to the benefit of our neighbors, our environment and our society.  As the Sabancı family, these values are ingrained in our hearts.”

Addressing the Sabancı University students attending the lecture, Güler Sabancı said, “I am thrilled to be in Istanbul today, attending this lecture with you.  I am sure that the Sakıp Sabancı would have been, too.”

In praise of Dr. Kaushik Basu, senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank, Sabancı said, “Dr. Kaushik Basu has championed these values and dedicated his work to the welfare of the peoples of the world.”

In his lecture titled “Emerging Nations and the Evolving Global Economy,” Dr. Kaushik Basu said that the times were risky in the shadow of growing globalization, continuing, “The current situation and the changing structure of the world is part of nature.  However, the last 50 years have seen the most rapid change experienced by the social world.”  Basu argued that while discussions on whether economic globalization is good or bad continue, they have become irrelevant because globalism exists and is expanding.

Referring to the rapidly developing economies of BRICS countries, Basu said that such growth was only very rare, and continued, “Turkey is another country that I have been following closely.  There is an innovative environment particularly in macroeconomic policymaking.”

Explaining that the economic crisis, with its impact reaching far beyond Europe, was far from ending, Dr. Kaushik Basu said, “I believe the crisis will continue for two more years.  Liquidity injections around the world buy some time but do not solve problems.  Some injections in 2011 and 2012 were of too high a dosage.  They will have to be repaid when the time comes.”

Kaushik Basu: “Austerity policies are a requirement in countries with too high debt ratios.  However these should be implemented in a way that will not disrupt income distribution.”

Dr. Kaushik Basu said that the protracted economic regression was particularly devastating on emerging countries, adding, “Even if they grow slowly, industrialized countries are rich countries.  The real problem lies in emerging nations.  They may be growing rapidly, but are growing within a poor society.”

Basu explained that the growth of economies did not necessarily bring about growth in the markets: “The workforce issue will continue to deteriorate.  Wages as a percentage of the global GDP are shrinking.  Income becomes a smaller part of the global GDP.  The share of the workforce is diminishing.”

Dr. Kaushik Basu called for a more extensive international economic cooperation in order to resolve the problems arising in times of economic regression, saying “Central banks should come together and implement a coordinated economic approach.”

Basu said that while it was political strife that prevented the formation of a greater economic cooperation scheme, the current economic crisis was a challenge great enough to overpower political strife.  Dr. Kaushik Basu concluded, “I now believe that politics can now be left behind because economic difficulties continue to mount.”

The moderators of the lecture were Kemal Kirişci, TÜSIAD Senior Fellow and Director of the Brookings Turkey Project at Brookings and Sabancı University Professor İzak Atiyas in Istanbul.  Sabancı University students asked questions to Dr. Basu about the lecture.

Sakıp Sabancı Lectures
Named in honor of the late Sakıp Sabancı, the Honorary Chairman of the Sabancı University Board of Trustees, the Sakıp Sabancı Lecture is held annually by Sabancı University in association with the Brookings Institution to discuss the latest developments in global politics and to draw attention to the role of Turkey in political developments on an international level.
Keynote speakers of previous conferences were Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Former World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, Former US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, Former US Assistant Secretary of State and Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Chancellor Oxford University Chris Patten, US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon, former Secretary General of NATO and European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.

About Dr. Kaushik Basu
Kaushik Basu is senior vice president (Development Economics) and chief economist of the World Bank. He was until recently the chief economic adviser to the Government of India. Basu’s contributions to economics span development economics, welfare economics, industrial organization and game theory. He has published widely, including 160 papers in refereed journals and scholarly volumes; numerous articles for magazines and newspapers; and several books, including Beyond the Invisible Hand: Groundwork for a New Economics (Princeton University Press and Penguin, 2010).

Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences faculty member M. Ali Alpar has been elected a member of the American Philosophical Society (APS). 

Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge”, the American Philosophical Society currently has 819 US resident and 170 international members.

On May 2, the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings (CUSE) and Sabancı University will host Kaushik Basu for the ninth annual Sakıp Sabancı Lecture. In his address, Basu will discuss the persisting global economic crisis and the policy challenges facing emerging countries.

Kaushik Basu is senior vice president (Development Economics) and chief economist of the World Bank. He was until recently the chief economic adviser to the Government of India. Basu’s contributions to economics span development economics, welfare economics, industrial organization and game theory. He has published widely, including 160 papers in refereed journals and scholarly volumes; numerous articles for magazines and newspapers; and several books, including Beyond the Invisible Hand: Groundwork for a New Economics (Princeton University Press and Penguin, 2010).

Brookings President Strobe Talbott and Güler Sabancı, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, will provide introductory remarks. Following Basu’s address, students at Sabancı University and a wider overseas audience will participate in the event via video conference, moderated in Washington by Kemal Kirişci, TUSIAD senior fellow and director of the Brookings Turkey Project at Brookings and in Istanbul by Sabanci University Professor İzak Atiyas.

The Sakıp Sabancı Lecture is given annually by a leading international expert or statesman and explores issues important to Turkey and its relations to the U.S. and the world. The event honors the memory of Sakip Sabanci, one of Turkey’s foremost business leaders, a visionary supporter of democratic and economic reforms, and a leading advocate of Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union.

Sabancı University squash team that attended to the Squash Turkey Championship for the Universities, organized by the Bilkent University, became the Turkey Champion.

For the individual competitions, Onur Albet Aslan became the Turkey Champion and Bedi Cihan Şahin ranked as the third.

Sabancı University Gender and Women’s Studies Forum, in association with the Sabancı Foundation, initiated a series of gender education sessions for high school teachers in 11 provinces as part of the UN Joint Program on Promoting the Human Rights of Women (UNJP).

The Kahramanmaraş leg of the program was held on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at the Kahramanmaraş Directorate of Education Conference Hall.  The training was facilitated by Ruken Alp of the Sabancı University Fine Arts and Social Science Faculty, and was attended by 40 teachers from the province.  Key subjects of the training were gender, human rights of women, equality and discrimination.

The Joint Program covers the provinces of Aydın, Çanakkale, Edirne, Erzincan, Eskişehir, Gaziantep Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kocaeli and Ordu, and is carried out with the sponsorship of the Sabancı Foundation, implemented by United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and Sabancı University with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Family and Social Policy, and the Municipalities Association of Turkey.  The program is expected to conclude in September 2015.

Interested participants of the Kahramanmaraş training may apply to the Purple Certificate Program to be held on Sabancı University campus between June 24 and 30.  Admitted applicants will receive a one-week certification training at Sabancı University and will receive on-the-job training certificates endorsed by the Ministry of Education.

Applications to the Purple Certificate Program may be submitted online.  For further information please visit http://www.bmopkadinhaklari.org/tr/mor-sertifika-programi

Held every year by Civic Involvement Projects, the “Discover Yourself” project scheme has been available to employees since the summer of 2011.  This year, the project is planned to be held in the Borçka township of Artvin between August 18 and 24.

What is Discover Yourself for Employees?
It is a 6-day project aimed at socioeconomically disadvantaged primary school children.

Working hours are 9 am to 3 pm every day.

The project has around 150 children with 20 to 25 students in each class. 

Participants are mostly 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students.  One or two volunteers are assigned to each class.

A short briefing and planning meeting is held with the volunteers after the project ends for the day.

The predetermined training and activity modules are implemented with schoolchildren in the first 5 days.

The 6th day is the Sun Day, when all students gather in the garden, play games and sing.

Employees will be eligible for Community Service Leaves should they decide to take part in the project.

What is the Community Service Leave?
University HR offers an additional benefit of Community Service Leave to employees who wish to take part in the project.  Employees must have worked at the university for at least one year and obtain the approval of their manager to be entitled to three days of Community Service Leave.  The remaining three days of the project will be deducted from annual leave.
Please click  for the application form.

Visit the CIP Facebook page for photos of the Discover Yourself for Employees 2011 implemented in Mardin.

Click here for a participant testimonial (Turkish only)

For further information and questions, please visit the CIP office, email ferdi@sabanciuniv.edu or dial 9398.

Application ends 10 May 2013.

Organized by the Sabancı University Young Entrepreneurs Club, the “Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summit ‘13” will feature a number of successful entrepreneurs.

The event at the Sabancı University campus in Tuzla will begin on Saturday, April 27 with a lecture by Inovent General Manager Ömer Hızıroğlu.  This will be followed by a Mobile Enterprise Panel with speakers Pozitron Founder Fatih İşbecer, Mobile Marketing Association - Country Manager & Focus Communication Managing Partner Kerem Kapancı and Dijital Büro İstanbul Founder – Zap Medya Founding Partner Uğur Şeker.

The second half of the event will begin with a panel discussion on Entrepreneurship in Textile featuring Silk & Cashmere CEO Ayşen Zamanpur and Kiğılı Giyim Founder Abdullah Kiğılı.  A series of lectures by Kütahya Porselen Chairman Nafi Güral, TT Custom Choppers Founder Tarhan Telli, Markafoni Chairman and CEO Sina Afra and Twitter celebrity Taci Kalkavan will follow the panel.

Program:
10:00 – 10:45    Ömer Hızıroğlu (Inovent Innovative Ventures General Manager)
11:00 – 12:45    Mobile Enterprise Panel
        Fatih İşbecer (Pozitron Founder)
        Kerem Kapancı (Mobile Marketing Association - Country Manager & Focus                          Communication Managing Partner)
        Uğur Şeker (Dijital Büro İstanbul Founder – Zap Medya Founding Partner)
12:15 – 13:15    Lunch
13:15 – 14:30    Entrepreneurship in Textile
        Aysen Zamanpur (Silk & Cashmere, CEO)
        Abdullah Kiğılı (Kiğılı Giyim Founder)
14:45 – 15:30    Nafi Güral (Kütahya Porselen Chairman)
15:45 – 16:45    Muzaffer Yıldırım (MARS Entertainment Managing Partner)
17:00 – 17:45 Sina Afra (Markafoni Chairman and CEO)
18:00 – 18:45    Taci Kalkavan (Twitter celebrity)

Boat Party

Conferance + Party:    60 TL
Conferance:               35 TL
Party:             40 TL

Held by the Civic Involvement Projects since 2000, the “Discover Yourself” projects for this summer will take place in the provinces of Kahramanmaraş and Manisa.

“Discover Yourself” projects are open to students of all universities.  Projects bring volunteers together with children of socioeconomically disadvantaged families to help them develop in artistic and verbal skills, human rights, discrimination, gender, cultural heritage and preservation, educative drama, music and numerical skills, boosting their self-confidence and helping them gain awareness of themselves.  Meanwhile, volunteers have the opportunity to know another province and its people better, and discover their inner self in this richly cultural environment. 

Discover Yourself Projects will take place in Kahramanmaraş between June 15 and 29, and in Manisa between August 31 and September 14.
Applications may be submitted between April 22 to May 10.  Please click here to apply.

For further information and questions: cip@sabanciuniv.edu

Sabancı University Gender and Women’s Studies Forum, in association with the Sabancı Foundation, initiated a series of gender education sessions for high school teachers in 11 provinces as part of the UN Joint Program on Promoting the Human Rights of Women (UNJP).

The Kocaeli leg of the program was held on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at the İzmit Directorate of Education Conference Hall.  The training was facilitated by Gülayşe Koçak of the Sabancı University Writing Center, and was attended by 30 teachers from the province.  Key subjects of the training were gender, human rights of women, equality and discrimination.

The Joint Program covers the provinces of Aydın, Çanakkale, Edirne, Erzincan, Eskişehir, Gaziantep Kahramanmaraş, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kocaeli and Ordu, and is carried out with the sponsorship of the Sabancı Foundation, implemented by United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and Sabancı University with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Family and Social Policy, and the Municipalities Association of Turkey.  The program is expected to conclude in September 2015.

Interested participants of the Kocaeli training may apply to the Purple Certificate Program to be held on Sabancı University campus between June 24 and 30.  Admitted applicants will receive a one-week certification training at Sabancı University and will receive on-the-job training certificates endorsed by the Ministry of Education.

Applications to the Purple Certificate Program may be submitted online.  For further information please visit http://www.bmopkadinhaklari.org/tr/mor-sertifika-programi