The Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) shared with the public its “Value-Based Development Vision Document” and its implementation action plans, which it prepared in order to contribute to Türkiye’s achievement of fair, sustainable and inclusive development goals in its new century.
The “Value-Based Development Vision Document Press Conference”, held at the İstanbul Four Seasons Bosphorus Hotel and chaired by President Burhan Özdemir, took place with the participation of the Vice Presidents, the members of the Board of Directors and a large number of members of the press.
Burhan Özdemir: “We Are Building a Development Model That Rises with Values for the Türkiye of the New Century”
Speaking at the opening of the meeting, MÜSİAD President Burhan Özdemir stated that a new page has been opened in Türkiye’s development journey and used the following expressions:
“Development must be built not only with economic indicators, but together with social justice, productivity, ethical values and institutional capacity. As MÜSİAD, with our more than 14,000 members, our more than 60,000 enterprises and our employment power of approximately 3 million, we are determined to be the load-bearing column of this process.”
“Our strategic vision document, which covers the 2025–2027 period, is a road map that addresses our country as a whole as much as our members, that places the goal of fair and sustainable development at its centre, and that has a real counterpart in the field.”
The Strategic Foundations of the New Development Approach
The vision document published by MÜSİAD is based on a holistic approach that, in Türkiye’s development journey, prioritizes not only economic but also social and moral foundations. This approach has been built on seven main strategic areas.
Within this framework, the first aim is to redefine the development model. Not only growth, but at the same time the quality of that growth, its inclusiveness and its transformation into social justice are taken as the basis. With a fair, sustainable and employment-friendly development approach, the aim is both to reduce regional disparities and to create a new development ground focused on production and productivity.
The second strategic priority is the development of employment-focused programmes that will strengthen social cohesion and reduce income–wealth inequality. In particular, the more effective participation of young people and women in the labour force, the establishment of innovative social support mechanisms in the fight against poverty, and the production of permanent solutions in basic welfare indicators such as home ownership come to the fore under this heading.
The third area focuses on the digitalization and green transformation processes, referred to as the twin transformation. Industry 4.0, the reduction of the carbon footprint, environmental efficiency, the widespread adoption of digital infrastructure and increasing competitiveness in strategic sectors are prioritized within this scope. MÜSİAD aims to strengthen both the technical and the sociological infrastructure of this transformation with its Anatolian industrial basin model and its sectoral clustering strategies.
Another fundamental strategy is the development of alternative financing models aimed at increasing financial inclusion. With models such as participation finance, microfinance and production-supported investment funds, the aim is both to pave the way for entrepreneurship and to integrate into the economic system those segments that remain outside the financial system.
The fifth heading covers strengthening the trade capacity of members. Within this scope, through structures such as MÜSİAD Invest, the Sector Boards, the Trade Office and the Export Development Commission, interaction among members is encouraged, and opening up to new markets, investment matchmaking and institutional development are supported. At the same time, the aim is to provide a real contribution through B2B platforms, fairs and trade delegations at the national and international level.
In the sixth axis, in line with the principle of “virtuous life”, the aim is for MÜSİAD’s values to become more visible and more guiding in economic and social life. Through ethics-based guidance in the business world, publications, training programmes and business models grounded in social responsibility, the construction of an economic culture focused not only on profit but on virtue is encouraged.
Finally, it is emphasized that a strong MÜSİAD institutional infrastructure is required for these strategies to become operational. With a data-based governance approach, the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems in policy production, the institutionalization of its think-tank identity and the implementation of resource development strategies, the aim is for MÜSİAD to play a leading role not only in the business world but also in policy-making processes.
Education, Vocational Qualification and the Key to Development
One of the most emphasized headings in the vision document was education. MÜSİAD emphasizes that in Türkiye, where there are 25.8 million students, education must be directly linked to productivity, production and employment. According to MÜSİAD President Özdemir, it is no longer possible to ignore that development is directly related not only to capital and technology but also to the quality of human resources.
“There is a serious need for an update in the existing education structure. Reform is inevitable under many headings, from grade promotion systems to curriculum content, from teacher quality to career guidance. We must focus education not on loading information, but on imparting life competencies based on skills, entrepreneurship, production and morality.”
Within this scope, MÜSİAD is preparing two comprehensive analyses entitled the “Vocational Education Report” and “Higher Education in the 21st Century”. It also proposes the implementation of a “Production and Employment Week” in order to raise awareness of production and professions at the primary education level. The document also includes practical steps such as institutional matching between vocational high schools and organized industrial zones, entrepreneurship clubs and young talent academies.
The Vision of a Türkiye Free of Terrorism: A New Social Contract on Development, Brotherhood and Hope
One of the headings given a special place in the vision document was the goal of a “Türkiye Free of Terrorism”. Burhan Özdemir, stating that they see this issue not only from a security perspective but as the guarantee of development and social peace, made the following statement:
“There can be no production, no investment and no employment in the shadow of terrorism. We want children in these lands to weep no more, mothers not to lose their children, entrepreneurs not to hold back from setting up businesses and employers not to hold back from opening factories. Our fight against terrorism is waged not only with weapons, but with factories, with schools, with employment and with brotherhood.”
Within this scope, MÜSİAD calls for special development drives, investment incentives and support for vocational training programmes in the regions affected by terrorism. In Özdemir’s words, “The vision of a Türkiye Free of Terrorism is the name of an economic and social climate in which production, employment and brotherhood will function without interruption, from east to west.”
A Civil, Participatory and Applicable Development Vision That Includes the Whole of Society
MÜSİAD President Burhan Özdemir stated that the vision document is not merely a corporate strategy, but at the same time “a text contributing to Türkiye’s common wisdom and fair future”. At the end of his speech, he made the following call:
“This document is a call not only to the business world, but to academia, to the bureaucracy, to local governments and to all our citizens. Values must be at the centre of development. Both while earning and while developing, we will take justice and virtue as our basis.”
The Documents Have Been Made Accessible
The Value-Based Development Vision Document (2025–2027) prepared by MÜSİAD has been made available for public access on the official MÜSİAD website as of today.
Click here for detailed information and access to the document.
