Nursuna Memecan is a member of the Turkish Parliament representing Istanbul. She is a member of Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AK Party (Justice and Development Party).
She holds an MBA from Temple University, USA, and a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from Bogazici University, Turkey. She is a graduate of Robert College-high school, Turkey. Her work experiences include software engineering, investment banking, public relations and most recently, licensing and publishing.
She is currently the Deputy Chairman of AK Party Presentation and Media Department. She is a member of the Turkish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). She is the Secretary General of the Turkish-American Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. She is the Head of the Working Group of the Turkish-Italian Cooperation Protocol of the Turkish Parliament.
Nursuna Memecan is married and has a son and a daughter. She is fluent in English.
Speech synopsis
The speech makes a very brief introduction of the history of women's rights in Turkey, especially as it relates to gender discrimination. The historical context is important in comparing Turkish women's experiences with other countries. This information is illustrated by some statistical data and information about gender discrimination in Turkey today. The report also touches upon some of the policies implemented and legal amendments made in the last decade in order to fight discrimination.
Also the report provides examples from the work of the General Directorate of Women's Status under the Prime Ministry, which has led awareness-raising campaigns on gender discrimination, collaborated with various ministries to train public officials, the police and judges on gender discrimination, and worked with European countries to create a National Action Plan to eradicate gender discrimination, among other things. The report will also describe the various campaigns led by the Ministry of Education, most importantly those that promote girls' education. Additional campaigns relate to occupational and literacy courses for women, work to eradicate gender discrimination from school text books and conditional cash transfers to mothers for their children's education. Other programs she might talk about are those that relate to women's employment, which include microcredit programs and tax breaks for women who produce and sell goods at home.
The report also refers to legal changes in the last decade to the Turkish Penal Code, Turkish Civil Code, and labor laws; establishment of family courts; and recent constitutional amendments that promote positive discrimination. In addition, information on the work of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women in the Turkish Parliament, established in 2009, is provided.
The report also touches briefly on the work of civil society organizations, which have been especially instrumental in reforming the Penal Code and promoting women's political participation.
