Exhibition 14.9.2021

Opening of the “Entrepreneurship in Your Town and Municipality” exhibition

On September 14, 2021, the Riga Business Society (RUB), the association “Marupe Entrepreneurs”, the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia and the joint photo exhibition “Entrepreneurs in their city and county” were opened in Turba. The exhibition came from the Norwegian grant project “Enhancing the Local and Regional Tripartite Social Dialogue in Latvia”.

The Vice-President of the RUB Board, Edith Alksne, promoting the presence, cooperation partners and online viewers of the exhibition, presented why the exhibition was organised at Business High School, Turba, a cooperation agreement between RUB and BA Turiba, five years ago, and this is a good way of celebrating the anniversary of the cooperation. As part of the project, the companies of Riga, Marupe, Olaine and Norwegian capital were asked to choose a representative picture of their business and a business card. This will allow visitors to the exhibition and, in particular, students to use the images as an inspiration for their business, study jobs and learn more about the participants in the exhibition.

The Chairman of the RUB Board, Juris Juhņevičs, welcomed the fact that the exhibition was taking place directly in BA Turba, where RUB is also participating in the Business incubator’s Mentorship programme, supporting students – young, emerging entrepreneurs. Underlined that the good business example helps to reconcile the business environment, both the relationship between business and municipality, employers and employees, and the exchange of experience and information.

Ba Turiba Rector Aldis Baumanis said in his speech that the exhibition is a symbolic and enjoyable event for the university, and the university is the right place for such an exhibition, because the university is a place to grow and develop for future entrepreneurs, and it is only possible in cooperation with existing entrepreneurs. Thanks to local entrepreneurs who encourage students to learn, to be part of responsible Latvian business, to develop themselves and to allow others to develop further.

Agnes Cimdiņa, Councillor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway, touched on the nature of the project in her speech, stating that the exhibition is organised within the framework of the Norwegian financial instrument programme “Social Dialogue – decent work”, for which the Norwegian State institution Innovation Norway is responsible in Latvia. Promoting workers’ rights is one of Norway’s priorities in both internal and foreign policy, and social dialogue is a key instrument for socio-economic development and good governance, playing a key role in promoting fair working relations, decent working conditions, job creation, inclusive growth and competitiveness. Decent work, on the other hand, is employment in a fair, secure and dignified environment. Decent work is not only an objective, but it also plays a crucial role in the economy of a socially sustainable world. Social dialogue contributes not only to decent work but also to trust. The Nordic model includes a low level of inequality that strengthens public confidence. And that in turn strengthens economic growth, the happiness index, innovation growth.

1. Cimdina hopes that this project will raise awareness among both employers, workers and public authorities about how successful trilateral cooperation brings benefits to society as a whole, because business is not just a product, a service, a workplace. Business generates social cultural life in general, so any investment in business is an investment in the wellbeing of society as a whole.

Silvestrs Savickis, Chairman of the Board of Marupe Enterpreneurs, the Maruppers Society, is taking part in this exhibition to show companies that operate socially responsible take care of both society, the environment and sustainability issues, and considers that working in the business community is an organic part of this process.

Ilze Garoza, executive director of the Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia, said in her speech that the Norwegian are the eighth largest investors in Latvia since the beginning of the 1990 s, and it is this year that Latvia and Norway are celebrating the hundredth of bilateral diplomatic relations, and 30 years since the Norwegian embassy has been restored in Riga. Around 260 companies with Norwegian capital are registered in Latvia. Most of them, around 170, operate in Riga or Pierga. Welcomes the initiative of such an exhibition on the part of the RUB and points out that this is a welcome symbiosis, which is shaped by taking on one another’s best practices and by creating social dialogue so that society as a whole is better.

The Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Business Union, Eduard Filippov, expressed the honour to be a co-partner in this project. Common experience, cooperation and common objectives have been measured over decades. The Latvian Business Union (LBS) works to a large extent with the support of small and medium-sized enterprises, mainly at national level, in cooperation with ministries and the European Commission. Cooperation within the project, in the development vector of social dialogue, is one of the values of the LBS. Investment is an essential measurable means to assess the effectiveness of social dialogue. Lbs is carrying out an index of the most investment-friendly municipality, which will be calculated this year in collaboration with RUB and this project.

The president of the Latvian Communications Workers’ Union, Irene Liepins, drew attention to the approaching Cworthy Work Day on October 7, which is why this exhibition is in the right time. In general, social dialogue is more current than ever, and is therefore pleased and grateful for this project.

The exhibition aims to show how many companies in different sectors have been merged into regional associations and to inspire students to develop themes for study works and build their own business.

The exhibition is viewed in BA Turiba’s 3 rd floor foyer by the end of September.