‘Yılmaz’ means ‘dauntless’. ‘Argüden’ means ‘honorable’, ‘guide for integrity’ and is pronounced as ‘argue then’, as in the phrase “if you don’t agree, argue then.”
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Stratejist, Yönetim Kurullarının Doktoru Strategist, Governance Guru

A Global First From a Turkish Municipality

Kadıköy Became the First Municipality to Issue an Integrated Report

Kadıköy Municipality prepared the first Integrated Report for a local authority in the world. An integrated report is a concise communication about how an organization’s strategy, governance, performance, and prospects lead to the creation of value over the short, medium, and long term. The Model© that was developed for Kadıköy benefited from OECD Better Life Index, EFQM Excellence Model, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

“An Example for Other Public Autorities”

During the Press Conference, the Mayor Nuhoğlu presented the outcomes of the Kadıköy Municipality Integrated Report and expressed the fact that “We are proud to be the first municipality in the world to adopt Integrated Reporting which shows our commitment to transparency and accountability to our citizens and future generations.”. The Mayor also wished that “The Report will become an example for other public authorities to explain their activities and use of not only their financial resources, but also their social, natural, and human resources”. The Conference attracted the participation of Members of Parliament, Municipal Council Members, the Candidate Mayor of CHP and civil society organisations.

Kadıköy Citizens Expect More Than Essential Services

ARGE Consulting developed the Municipality Integrated Reporting Model© that adopted the International Integrated Reporting Council’s model and enriched it with the OECD Better Life Index, UN SDGs, and EFQM Excellence Model in preparing the Integrated Report for Kadıköy Municipality. Chairman of ARGE Consulting, Dr. Argüden said “Having promoted Integrated Reporting as the B20 Knowledge Partner during Turkish Presidency in 2015, we are happy to see Kadıköy becoming the first example of a local government to adopt it.” According to the Report’s findings, Kadıköy residents expected more than essential services and the Municipality’s activities were properly directed at raising the quality of life in general at the district.

Integrated Report: the Municipality Created Value for its Citizens

The Integrated Report focuses on the value creation for improving the quality of life in a sustainable world. At the Report, the district was analysed in different dimensions such as demographics, spatial, environmental, and economic aspects. The impact of Municipality’s policies and activities were evaluated for different segments of citizens. The results were measured according to the OECD’s Better Life Index criteria, UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and European Foundation for Quality Management’ Excellence Model. The Report confirmed that the Municipality improved its citizens individual well-being, social welfare, urban development, and sustainable life. It also expressed the Municipality’s participatory governance mode, civil society partnership culture, and continuous institutional development efforts.

“Advocated Public Values, Defended Public Spaces”

Mayor Nuhoğlu, who served between 2014-2019, told the participants that “when Kadıköy was ranked at the top tier by the Municipality Governance Scorecard published by the Argüden Governance Academy last year, we decided to adopt Integrated Reporting which was one of the recommendations of the report to further improve our performance”. He also added that during his term, the Municipality used the public resources in appropriate activities with utmost responsibility.and defended many historical and green spaces for the benefit of public use with the support of the citizens, City Council and civil society organisations.

A Municipality Without Debt

The Report contains detailed information about the Municipality’s financial governance. It was singled out as a fact that the Municipality carried out wide spectrum of services and made important investments without any debt. This was an eye-catching fact given the current situation in Türkiye and the world.

Innovative Municipality for Future

In addition to the activities and their impacts, the Report also highlighted that the Municipality has been innovative in its service provision and developing new approaches such as Ecological Day Nursery, Alzheimer Centre and Participatory Climate Action Plan. The Integrated Report also indicated that participation and transparency principles were crucial in creating strong partnership for common good while contributing to the sustainability efforts at global scale.

During the Press Conference, the Mayor Nuhoğlu presented the outcomes of the Kadıköy Municipality Integrated Report and said “We are proud to be the first municipality in the world to adopt Integrated Reporting which shows our commitment to transparency and accountability to our citizens and future generations.” The Mayor also wished that “The Report will become an example for other public authorities to explain their activities and use of not only their financial resources, but also their social, natural, and human resources”. The Conference attracted the participation of Members of Parliament, Municipal Council Members, the Candidate Mayor of CHP and civil society organisations.