Speaking at the 2nd Women in Economy Summit organised by DİKAD, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor Serra Bucak said the municipality governs together with women, adding: “We will build Diyarbakır’s future together with women.”

Organised by the Diyarbakır Businesswomen’s Association (DİKAD), the 2nd Women in Economy Summit was held at a hotel with the participation of women entrepreneurs. Attendees included Co-Mayor Serra Bucak, Deputy Minister of Trade Mahmut Gürcan, Diyarbakır Governor Murat Zorluoğlu, DİKAD Chair Müzeyyen Kaya, DOGÜNSİFED Chair Devrim Türk, TÜRKKONFED Chair Süleyman Sönmez, representatives of civil society organisations and women entrepreneurs.

Co-Mayor Bucak: Diyarbakır has been a centre of trade, science and the arts

In her opening remarks, Co-Mayor Bucak said they had come together to discuss women’s labour, intellect and entrepreneurship—key forces shaping Türkiye’s future. She continued: “We are here today to share Diyarbakır’s rising vision for women, also as a women-friendly city—reflecting its inclusion among the 25 cities identified by the United Nations Population Fund. Throughout its thousands of years of history, Diyarbakır has, of course, been a centre of production, trade, science and the arts. This ancient city has, in every era, grown through the labour of strong women, generated value, and built social life under the leadership of these strong women. Today, with its young population, productive potential and dynamism, Diyarbakır is undoubtedly one of the most striking cities in Türkiye’s developing entrepreneurship and economic ecosystem.”

‘No city can achieve development if women are excluded from working life’

Underlining the importance of women-friendly cities, Co-Mayor Bucak said: “As Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, we do not see being a women-friendly city as merely a slogan. We treat it as a model of governance and develop our work accordingly. We embrace an approach that protects women’s right to life, safety, employment, entrepreneurial potential, and their right to have a say over their own lives—and we seek to build an urban order in line with this. Today, the global economy shows us a clear truth: no city, no country can achieve sustainable development if women are not part of working life. With this understanding, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality must be a municipality that not only brings women into working life, but also develops innovative policies and programmes to reduce gender-based disparities within it.”

‘Women’s employment is an issue of equality, justice and social transformation’

Drawing attention to Diyarbakır as one of the modern cities where women have a voice in urban life and in political, social and economic spheres, Co-Mayor Bucak continued: “Women’s employment is certainly not just a numerical target. For us, women’s employment is an issue of equality, justice and social transformation. At the same time, as many colleagues have noted, it is also an issue of peace—of building social peace. For this reason, unlike in previous years, we are creating new occupational fields within our municipal projects where women play an active role.”

‘Our work is guided by an approach that breaks stereotypes’

Saying that they advocate strong representation for women not only in traditional occupations but also in fields requiring technical expertise, and that they will continue to pursue work in this direction, Co-Mayor Bucak said:

“I would like to say with pride that our women bus driver training programmes have become— and will continue to be—an example not only for Diyarbakır and the region, but for many local authorities across Türkiye. Through this programme, women receive both technical vehicle-operation training and safe driving instruction. Together, we are building an integrated system that brings them into the municipal transport network and the city’s wider public transport system, including privately operated public buses and minibuses. Likewise, our combi boiler maintenance training programme for women is one of the pioneering steps we have taken to support women’s participation in technical and engineering fields. We advocate strong representation for women not only in traditional occupations, but also in areas requiring technical expertise, and as Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality we are carrying out our work with this aim. These two small examples show that Diyarbakır’s approach towards women is not limited to offering support; it is driven by a policy mindset that opens up space for women, expands boundaries and breaks stereotypes.”

‘Our municipality strengthens women’s cooperatives’

Highlighting that women’s entrepreneurship is one of the strongest drivers of a city’s economy, Co-Mayor Bucak said that developing entrepreneurship requires not only motivation but also a robust economic system. She continued:

“For this reason, our municipality is strengthening women’s cooperatives. We are creating production workshops, shared production kitchens and common-use spaces. We provide training in e-commerce and branding, and offer support mechanisms to help products reach digital markets. Through our support units, we provide consultancy for women entrepreneurs. And we are in a position where we pursue serious partnerships so that these efforts can become more comprehensive and more innovative.”

‘Our work is about building the city of the future’

Co-Mayor Bucak said that women-friendly cities are not simply about bringing women into working life, adding: “It is about women feeling safe and equal—on the street, on public transport, at work, at home and in public spaces. For this reason, as the Metropolitan Municipality we prioritise safety and accessibility principles in urban design. We are accelerating our entrepreneurship programmes for young women. We are strengthening childcare support and increasing the number of our women’s life centres. Because we know that when a woman feels safe, achieves economic independence and has a say over her own life, she not only lifts herself up—she drives progress and leadership for all the women in that city, and for the city’s entire social fabric. Every project we deliver in Diyarbakır is not only designed to solve today’s problems, but also to build the Diyarbakır of the future together. With its young population, our city—with the right governance, the right education and the right investment—will of course lead a new development model together with women entrepreneurs,” she said.

‘Women lead ideas and labour’

Stating that women are the pioneers and carriers of brands, ideas and labour, Co-Mayor Bucak said: “We believe that Diyarbakır and its surroundings—cities across the region—will add value not only to their own region, but to Türkiye and the world, through brands established by women entrepreneurs. Every woman entrepreneur in this hall today is also an architect of this city’s future. Each is a pioneer and carrier of a brand, an idea and a labour. We believe this wholeheartedly. Each of them is a real actor in Diyarbakır’s economic and social transformation,” she said.

‘We are a municipality mobilising every resource’

Emphasising that they are a municipality that walks this path together with women, Co-Mayor Bucak concluded: “As Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, I want to state once again, clearly and strongly: we are not a municipality that merely supports women—we are a municipality that walks alongside women. We are not a municipality that turns women into volunteers; we are a municipality that builds a city where women lead. We are not only a municipality that believes in women’s potential; we are a municipality that mobilises every resource so that this potential can grow. We will build Diyarbakır’s future together with women—there is no doubt about this. We will continue, without pause, to work side by side for a Diyarbakır where women stand at the heart of entrepreneurship and the economic system.”

Following the opening speeches, women who supported the organisation of the summit on behalf of DİKAD were presented with plaques of appreciation.

During the summit sessions, the theme “Women Entrepreneurs Creating Brands” was discussed.