The Istanbul Network Effect Forum was held on 29–31 March 2007 and looked at the role of business in promoting social development. The Istanbul event was the first in South East Europe, recognising the need to engage future leaders in the latest EU accession states and neighbourhood countries in debates about issues which affect the wider Europe.

British Council Turkey in partnership with Sabancı University developed an intensive and stimulating programme, attracting more than 50 participants from 32 countries coming to Istanbul to take part in this Network Effect project forum.

The thought-provocative issues addressed by the delegates included the following:

• What is the role of the corporate social responsibility in business, and is CSR good enough?
• Should company strategies and activities be evaluated in terms of moral principles and social impact?
• Private-Public partnership: the good, the bad, or the ugly? Do Private-Public partnerships offer a new way forward in social development?
• Can the notions of ‘public good’ be reconciled with profit making?

Apart from presentations and theoretical discussions, the programme included practical ‘real world investigations’, when smaller group of participants visited different places such as trade union, advertising agency, textile company, women entrepreneurs association, then exchanging their findings and conclusions with the forum participants.

The event provided opportunities for networking and fun, including sightseeing boat trip on Bosphorus strait uniting Europe and Asia.

Full report on the event is available. Also to get an idea of some of the issues that were discussed take a look at the provocation paper.