Speakers

Alessandro Angius

Programme Manager, Civil Society, Fundamental Rights, Judiciary and Home Affairs, EU Delegation to Türkiye

Alessandro Angius

Programme Manager, Civil Society, Fundamental Rights, Judiciary and Home Affairs, EU Delegation to Türkiye

Alessandro Angius serves in the Civil Society, Human Rights, Justice and Home Affairs Section of the European Union Delegation to Türkiye, and is the coordinator of the Civil Society team. He joined the European Commission - Directorate General for Enlargement - in 2006. Before coming to Turkiye, he worked at the EU Delegation to North Macedonia and Albania. Before joining the European Commission, he was a consultant on EU affairs. Alessandro graduated in Political Science and has a Master Degree in EU affairs from the Sapienza University of Rome.

Berk Butan

Community Leader and Senior Campaign Strategist

Berk Butan

Community Leader and Senior Campaign Strategist

Berk Butan works at the intersection of ecology and human rights, advocating for alternative socio-economic systems, food security, and urban justice. He has served as a senior campaign strategist for Greenpeace International, programme manager for the Prosumer Economy Society (Türetim Ekonomi Topluluğu), community developer for Good4Turst, and lead campaigner for Greenpeace Mediterranean. During his career, Berk has led numerous advocacy initiatives on climate change, biodiversity protection, and promotion of green and circular economies. He graduated from Ege University and earned his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Cologne.

Bürge Akbulut

Child Rights and Labour Expert, Founder of Humanist Büro

Bürge Akbulut

Child Rights and Labour Expert, Founder of Humanist Büro

Bürge Akbulut is a founding partner and general manager of Humanist Bureau, which promotes and advises on compliance with international and national child and human rights frameworks. Her focus areas include child and migrant labour, human trafficking, and other child protection matters. UNICEF, the Food and Agricultural Organisation, the International Labour Organisation, the Fair Labour Association, the Mother-Child Education Foundation (AÇEV), and the İstanbul Policy Department (İstanbul Emniyet Müdürlüğü) are among her clients. Bürge coordinated child protection programmes for UNICEF. She was educated at Middle East Technical University (METU) and the University of Pittsburgh.

Prof. Cristina Vanberghen

Academician at the European University Institute, former Secretary of State for Justice for Romania

Prof. Cristina Vanberghen

Academician at the European University Institute, former Secretary of State for Justice for Romania

Cristina Vanberghen is an academic, political commentator, and policy advisor at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. She is an internationally recognised authority on digitalisation, artificial intelligence, consumer policy, and cybersecurity. As a Senior Expert at the European Union, she works to advance Europe’s digitalisation policies and values through multilateral forums and bilateral partnerships. Previously, Dr Vanberghen held senior roles as a Director with Deloitte & Touche in Brussels and Ernst & Young, where she led regional reform programs for Central and Eastern European countries. She was Director of the Council of the Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) in Brussels and a diplomat at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has published extensively on AI, cybersecurity, foreign affairs, and Russia’s cyberwar in Ukraine. Cristina earned her doctorate in Cyber Consumer Law and Unfair Trading Practices at Leiden University and continued her academic work at Queen Mary College, University of London, where she was awarded an MPhil degree.

Çiğdem Çımrın

Founder and Executive Director, Business and Human Rights Association

Çiğdem Çımrın

Founder and Executive Director, Business and Human Rights Association

Ciğdem Çımrın is a lawyer specialising in human rights, corporate law, labour standards, sustainability, compliance, and business and human rights. She is the co-founder and chairperson of Minerva Business and Human Rights Association. Ciğdem coordinates various projects for numerous international organisations and local partners related to responsible business conduct and human rights due diligence, the UNDP, ILO, UNICEF, UN Global Compact Türkiye Network, GİZ, and the EU Delegation to Turkey, among others. She earned her PhD in law at Istanbul University and a master’s degree from Leiden University in European and International Trade Law and currently pursues an MA degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology at Harvard University.

David Griffiths

Fellow, author, and strategic consultant with the International Law Programme at Chatham House,

David Griffiths

Fellow, author, and strategic consultant with the International Law Programme at Chatham House,

David Griffiths is a strategist on human rights and social impact. He is an associate at Chatham House and founder of Free Thought, a strategy and policy advocacy consultancy based in London and The Hague. David advises the International Crisis Group, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Foundation for International Law for the Environment (FILE), HURIDOCS (Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems), Human Rights Watch, and the Right to Education Initiative (RTE), among others. He served in numerous positions at Amnesty International, including Director of the Office of the Secretary-General, and the Asia-Pacific Program deputy director. He is the author of numerous publications, including Renewing Human Rights: Inequality, Climate and Technology at the Heart of the Human Rights Agenda and Human Rights Diplomacy: Navigating an Era of Polarization, published by the Chatham House. David received his master’s degree from SOAS University of London and his BA from Oxford University.

Defne Koryürek

Former Slow Food International council member, ecology activist and columnist

Defne Koryürek

Former Slow Food International council member, ecology activist and columnist

Defne Koryürek is a global advocate for slow food. She began her career as a chef in Istanbul. Defne established the Slow Food Convivium in Türkiye, bringing together farmers, producers, cooks, scholars, and consumers with a shared passion for preserving local food traditions, promoting biodiversity, and advocating for mindful approaches to eating. She later became a member of the Slow Food International Council. Defne is credited with leading successful campaigns that reformed laws on fishing and raised public awareness of overfishing. In addition, she organised the first International Slow Fish and Slow Olive conferences to be held in Türkiye. She is a frequent writer, speaker, and presenter on cooking, ecology, and food justice. She serves on the board of WWF and Good4Trust.

Dilan Kaya

Urban planner and advocate for cultural preservation

Dilan Kaya

Urban planner and advocate for cultural preservation

Dilan Kaya is an urban planner and advocate for cultural diversity and preservation, lending her expertise and coordination skills to projects implemented by UNESCO, Oxford University, the Diyarbakır Chamber of City Planners, and the Diyarbakir Cultural Heritage Preservation Association. She authored Destruction in the Tigris Valley and Hevsel Gardens and the Changed Character of Diyarbakır’s Suriçi Quarter from Residential to Commercial, published by World Heritage Watch. Dilan currently works at Gazete Duvar and hosts the Women are Talking Peace. She is a member of the Sivil Düşün Steering Committee. She has a masters’ from the Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of City and Urban Planning.

Dilek Ertükel

eam leader, European Union Sivil Düşün Programme

Dilek Ertükel

eam leader, European Union Sivil Düşün Programme

Dilek Ertükel is the Team Leader of the EU Sivil Düşün Programme. For over 30 years, she has worked to advance human rights, democratic governance, and women's political empowerment, serving in senior positions at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Amnesty International, and Emily’s List. Dilek has consulted for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Movement for Democracy, and Oxfam. Her work has included support to diverse civic organisations in Eastern Europe, the Caucuses, the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and the United States. Dilek is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley.

Fulden Ergen

Digital communications strategist

Fulden Ergen

Digital communications strategist

Fulden Ergen is a strategic communications and community engagement expert and founder of Narro Consultancy. Her clients include Association for Monitoring Equality (Eşit Haklar için İzleme Derneği), the Third Sector Foundation of Türkiye (TÜSEV), Sulukule Volunteers Association), Young LGBTQI+ Associaton, Time of Women Association, HumanistBüro and GIZ among others. Fulden has served as communications director for the Teachers’ Network and the Checks and Balances Network . She was the co-creator of the #ÜzerineBirSeyler podcast series and co-host of the live-broadcast online broadcast series “We’re Talking World Affairs” produced by Sivil Düşün. She graduated from the Middle East Technical University and earned her master’s at Uppsala University.

Gamze Gökçen Karasu Pilevne

General Counsel and Environment, Social and Corporate Governance Coordinator for Mercedes-Benz Türk

Gamze Gökçen Karasu Pilevne

General Counsel and Environment, Social and Corporate Governance Coordinator for Mercedes-Benz Türk

Gamze Gökçen Pilevne is the General Secretary and Director for Law and Compliance at Mercedes-Benz Türkiye. In addition, she directs the company’s environmental, social and corporate responsibility programme. She is a member of the board of the German-Turkish Chamber of Industry and Commerce as well as the Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association . She was previously legal counsel for Nestlé Türkiye. Gamze graduated from the Marmara University Law Faculty.

Gaye Tuğrulöz

Chair of the Board, Social Climate Association

Gaye Tuğrulöz

Chair of the Board, Social Climate Association

Gaye Tuğrulöz, as founding chair of the Social Climate Association, works at the intersection of ecology, equality, dialogue and youth participation. She serves on the Board of Directors of the İzmir Sustainable Urban Development Network and the National Youth Parliament. During the 2023 national and 2024 local elections, Gaye served as spokesperson for Youth Voices (Gençliğin Yüzleri), an initiative to bring the needs of youth to the political agenda. Gaye is a LabCitoye Fellow awarded by the Institut français Türkiye, a Türkiye Entrepreneurship Foundation alum, and a member of the Sivil Düşün Steering Committee. She graduated from the Politics and Public Administration Faculty of Marmara University.

Gülin Çavuş

Journalist, Yapay Gündem founder, and TEYİT co-founder

Gülin Çavuş

Journalist, Yapay Gündem founder, and TEYİT co-founder

Gülin Çavuş is a journalist and advocate for media literacy. She is a co-founder of Teyit, Türkiye’s largest fact-checking platform, an International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) Fellow, a member of the National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI), an All Tech is Human mentor and a former member of the governing board of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network. After leaving her position as Head of Strategy at Teyit, Gülin founded Virtual Agenda (Yapay Gündem), a platform dedicated to exploring the impacts of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, focusing on media, disinformation, and democracy. She graduated from the Middle East Technical University (ODTU) and Binghamton University.

Handan Uslu

Founder of Gözlemevi, former strategist at Google Trust and Safety

Handan Uslu

Founder of Gözlemevi, former strategist at Google Trust and Safety

Handan Uslu is a mechanical engineer, technologist, and rights advocate. She founded Istanbul Observatory (Gozlemevi Internet ve Toplum Araştırmaları Merkezi), which advocates for a human-centred internet ecosystem where technology companies are held accountable for their actions through legal and social mechanisms. She also founded the Women’s Rights Digital Data Platform to support women at risk of violence and provide access to information on laws and legal assistance. Handan began her technology career in Washington D.C. and New York before joining Google Ireland. She graduated from Koc University and earned a master's degree from Georgetown University. Handan is a member of the Sivil Düşün Steering Committee.

Hazal Kartalkanat

Programme Manager, imece

Hazal Kartalkanat

Programme Manager, imece

Hazal Kartalkanat is a programme manager at imece, a social innovation platform bringing together people and institutions leading social, ecological and cultural change through innovative and sustainable solutions. Hazal is responsible for imece Boot Camp, guiding impact enterprises towards B Corp Certification, and ReFi, a programme for technology and social impact communities. Before joining İMECE, she coordinated projects and educational programmes at the Social Innovation Centre (Sosyal Inovasyon Merkezi), focusing on corporate social responsibility initiatives. Hazal is a graduate with a master’s degree from the psychology faculty of Koç University.

Jean Barbé

Avrupa Birliği Türkiye Delegasyonu Sivil Toplum ve Temel Haklar Bölümü Başkanı

Jean Barbé

Avrupa Birliği Türkiye Delegasyonu Sivil Toplum ve Temel Haklar Bölümü Başkanı

Kemal Vural Tarlan

Documentary photographer, researcher, and coordinator of Kırkayak Kültür

Kemal Vural Tarlan

Documentary photographer, researcher, and coordinator of Kırkayak Kültür

Kemal Vural Tarlan is a rights-based advocate, writer, lecturer, and photographer. He is the founder and general coordinator of Kırkayak Kültür, a non-profit in Gaziantep that fosters engagement and dialogue among diverse people through art, culture, and gastronomy. Kemal’s activism and research interests include the sociology and anthropology of the Dom people and refugees. He is a member of the board of the Cross-Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants based in Lebanon. Kemal has authored numerous publications, including Encouraging Integration and Social Cohesion of Syrian Dom Immigrants Proposal for a Regional Social Inclusion Strategy Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. He lectures at Gaziantep University and serves on the Sivil Düşün Steering Committee.

Meltem Aslan

Founding member and co-director of Hafıza Merkezi

Meltem Aslan

Founding member and co-director of Hafıza Merkezi

Meltem Aslan, a founder and director of the Hafıza Merkezi, works for collective memory, documenting and uncovering the truth about widespread and systematic human rights violations of the past and present. She served as general coordinator of Anadolu Kültür, where she led programmes designed to foster dialogue and mutual understanding through cultural and artistic exchange. She also held leadership positions at the Turkish Social and Economic Studies Foundation (TESEV) and the Citizens Network of Women Association (Kadın Yurttaş Ağı Derneği). Meltem graduated from Bosporus University and received her master’s degree at Columbia University.

Nevzat Taşçı

Director of Arayüz Campaign

Nevzat Taşçı

Director of Arayüz Campaign

Nevzat Taşcı advocates for youth representation in politics and youth-centered public policy. He is the founder and director of the Arayüz Campaign and chair of the Youth Policy and Research Association. In addition, Nevzat is a research analyst on democratisation at the Istanbul Policy Research Centre (IstanPol) and a columnist on international affairs for Tercüman Gazetesi. Nevzat was awarded an Ashoka Foundation Changemaker Fellowship in 2024 and was selected as one of ten outstanding young persons by Junior Chamber International – Türkiye in 2023. He graduated from Galatasaray University and is a Sivil Düşün Steering Committee member.

Prof. Nezih Orhon

Faculty of Communications, Anadolu University

Prof. Nezih Orhon

Faculty of Communications, Anadolu University

Nezih Orhon is a faculty member and former dean of the Communication Sciences Department at Anadolu University. His academic and teaching interests focus on communications related to sustainable development, climate change and vulnerable communities. He has published over 30 books and articles, including Crises Communications Framework and Models: Approaches with Intercultural Communications Dimensions. In addition to his academic work, Nezih is a communications expert on projects and initiatives undertaken by the International Labour Organisation, the UN Refugee Agency, the EU Delegation to Türkiye, and GIZ, among others. He has appeared on CNN International and NBC News broadcasts.

Özlem Altıparmak

Lawyer, HUDOTO Foundation Founder Director

Özlem Altıparmak

Lawyer, HUDOTO Foundation Founder Director

Özlem Altıparmak coordinates the Climate Law Clinic at Ankara University and is the founding director of the Law, Environment and Society Foundation known as HUDOTO. In addition, she serves as an expert consultant on climate change, environmental law, gender equality and access to justice initiatives, including UN Women’s Gender-Responsive Climate Change Action and Disaster Risk Reduction Civil Society Capacity Development Programme. She graduated from Ege University and is pursuing her doctorate at Dokuz Eylül University.

Ruhat Sena Akşener

Türkiye Director of Amnesty International

Ruhat Sena Akşener

Türkiye Director of Amnesty International

Ruhat Akşener is the Director of Amnesty International Türkiye. Previously, she served as Amnesty Türkiye’s Director of Campaigns and Advocacy and Coordinator for Human Rights Education. Ruhat is a regular columnist for T24 and BİANET. She authored the Human Rights Monitoring Focused Lobbying Guidebook published by the EU’s ETKİNİZ Programme. Before joining Amnesty, Ruhat was the Environment Programme Coordinator for the Foundation for the Protection and Promotion of the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ÇEKÜL) and Projects Coordinator for the Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (KEDV). She graduated from the Middle East Technical University (METU) and completed her master’s at Istanbul University.

Soli Özel

International affairs expert, academician, and columnist

Soli Özel

International affairs expert, academician, and columnist

Soli Özel is a scholar, analyst, and writer on international affairs, democracy, and the Middle East. He has held academic postings at Kadir Has University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), University of Washington, and Hebrew University and fellowships at the Institute for Human Studies, the Montaigne Institute, Yale University School of Law in New Haven, the Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and the EU Institute for Security Affairs. Soli served as Editor-in-Chief for the Türkiye edition of Foreign Policy, and many of his writings appear in The International Spectator, Internationale Politik, and the Journal of Democracy. He graduated from Bennington College and received his master’s degree from the SAIS.

Thomas Lahnthaler

International humanitarian, founding member of the Octopus Movement

Thomas Lahnthaler

International humanitarian, founding member of the Octopus Movement

Thomas Lahnthaler is an expert in crisis and conflict management with experience in over 30 countries. He works with companies, leaders, and change managers through his consultancy to navigate uncertainty, create results, change perspectives, and think differently. He is the author of Navigating Beyond Crises and a guest lecturer at Oslo Nye Høysko and the American International in London. Thomas is a founding member of the Octopus Movement, which promotes non-linear thinking and is a member of the advisory board of NeverDoneBefore. He established several enterprises, including The Crises Compass, based in Oslo and London, and Groundwork, based in Norway. Thomas was the South Asia/Africa Programme Coordinator for the Rainforest Foundation Norway, Conflict Transformation Advisor for Oxfam Novib, and Disaster Management Coordinator for the Red Cross Norway. He graduated from Stockholm University and the University of Salzburg and received his master’s from BI Norwegian Business School.

Umut Derin Eroğlan

Documentary filmmaker and coordinator of Muamma LGBTI+ Association

Umut Derin Eroğlan

Documentary filmmaker and coordinator of Muamma LGBTI+ Association

Umut Derin Eroğlan is a trans activist, documentarian and filmmaker. His documentaries Kekre and Kıl Tüy Erkeklik have been screened at prestigious international and national film festivals, including xxxxxx. He is the founder and general coordinator of Muamma LGBTI+ Association in Mersin that xxxxxxxx. Derin also works as a capacity-building expert for World Human Relief, assisting the organisation in delivering support to children and families traumatised by natural disasters and conflict. He graduated from Mersin University and received his master’s degree.

Ümit Şahin

Coordinator for Climate Change Research, Istanbul Policy Centre at Sabanci University

Ümit Şahin

Coordinator for Climate Change Research, Istanbul Policy Centre at Sabanci University

Ümit Şahin is an expert in green policy, climate change, renewable energy, human rights and public health. He coordinates the İstanbul Policy Center’s Climate Change Programme and serves on the board of the Istanbul Kent Konseyi. He is a founder of the Greens Party of Türkiye, the Physicians for the Environment Association, and the Three Ecologies Journal. Ümit is the author of Why Are We Waiting: Global Warming and the Climate Crises. He graduated from the Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty of Istanbul University and received a master’s in public health from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Prof. Vandana Shiva

Physicist, environmental thinker and activist

Prof. Vandana Shiva

Physicist, environmental thinker and activist

Vandana Shiva is a physicist, ecologist, activist and defender of the environment. Her work has spurred the Green movement in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria. She founded and directs the Research Foundation for Science and Technology in India. She advises the International Forum on Globalization, the Women’s Environment and Development Organization, the Third World Network, the Asia Pacific People’s Environment Network, and the World Future Council. Her writings include The Violence of the Green Revolution, Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit, and Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply. Vandana is a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, the Sydney Peace Prize, the Order of the Golden Ark, the Earth Day International Award, and the Lennon Ono Grant for Peace. Her alma maters include the Punjab University, the University of Guelph, the University of Western Ontario, the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management.

Veysel Ok

Lawyer and Director, Media and Law Studies Association

Veysel Ok

Lawyer and Director, Media and Law Studies Association

Veysel Ok, a human rights lawyer, is a co-founder and director of the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA).MLSA is Turkey’s largest provider of pro-bono legal assistance for journalists with over 200 clients. Veysel served as defence counsel to many prominent journalists, including Ahmet Altan, Mehmet Altan, Şahin Alpay, and Deniz Yücel. He is a graduate of the Istanbul University Faculty of Law. Veysel has received numerous honours for his work promoting freedom of the press and the rule of law, including the Thomas Dehler Medal from the German Ministry of Justice, the Index on Censorship’s Freedom of Expression Award, and the Berlin Association of Liberal Jurists’ Max Stadler Medal.

Prof. Yaman Akdeniz

Faculty of Law, Bilgi University, founder of CyberRights.org

Prof. Yaman Akdeniz

Faculty of Law, Bilgi University, founder of CyberRights.org

Yaman Akdeniz is a law faculty member and a former assistant rector at Istanbul Bilgi University, specialising in human rights and internet freedoms. As founder of Cyber-Rights.org and the Freedom of Expression Association, he advocates for internet security, media and academic freedoms. Yaman has won significant cases before the constitutional court of Türkiye in defence of expression and internet freedoms. He has received numerous awards, including Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression Award and the Turkish Society of Journalists’ Award for Press Freedom. Yaman studied law and completed his master's and PhD in criminal justice studies at the University of Leeds.