Rio de Janeiro – The Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce won the Best Unconventional Project prize, one of the categories in the World Chambers Competition, whose results were announced Friday (14) over the World Chambers Congress wrap-up dinner (pictured above).
The Turkish chamber’s winning project is Syria Desk, under which three in-house staff work to integrate Syrian refugees into the labor market, providing guidance of all sorts on business and entrepreneurship – including training, vocational guidance, Turkish lessons and meetings with interested parties. Gaziantep Chamber secretary-general Hasan Baran Uçaner accepted the € 3,000 cash prize (about USD 3,360 at today’s exchange rate). Uçaner said the project’s goal is integration and peace across the region, and that the next step is to focus on the Syrian female labor force.
Qatar was one of five finalists for the prize with its National Home-Based Business Program (NHBBP) for small business startups run by young people and women.
The project presentations took place on Wednesday (12). Finalists also included the Pará state chapter of the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae-PA), the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, in Russia, and the NSW Business Chamber, in Australia.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
