Human Rights in a World of Change Conference - Conference Program
The Conference on Human Rights in a World of Change will be held within the scope of the Human Rights Platform Project, which is funded by the European Union under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community and implemented by the Human Rights Platform Association. The conference will consist of three main sessions titled 'Democracy in a World of Change', 'International Law in a World of Change' and 'Cyprus in a World of Change'
Date: 14 December 2024 (Saturday)
Time: 09:00 - 17:00
Place: Ekor Elegance, Famagusta
Conference Program
First Panel - Democracy in a World of Change
Moderator: Süreyya Çelmen Değer
Speakers
Dr. İpek Borman
Dr. Ipek Borman is an international relations expert and academic. She is a senior lecturer in International Relations at the Cyprus International University, as well as a research consultant at PRIO Cyprus Centre. She was formerly involved in the comprehensive negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus problem and served as a core member of the negotiation team of the Turkish Cypriot side between 2005-2010 and 2015-2020. She actively contributes to bicommunal civil society initiatives.
Mine Yücel
Mine Yücel was born in 1977 in Nicosia. After completing her primary education at Çağlayan Cumhuriyet Primary School and her secondary education at Türk Maarif College, she pursued two degrees in Mathematics and Economics in the United States between 1993 and 1997. She obtained her master's degree in international relations from the United States and returned to Cyprus in 1999. From 1999 to 2001, she worked as a lecturer at Girne American University. In 2002, she founded Prologue Consulting Ltd, a consultancy and research company. In 2009, she established The Center for Migration, Identity and Rights Studies (CMIRS), a think tank. Under the umbrellas of Prologue and CMIRS, she has conducted numerous reports and studies on topics such as the Cyprus issue, human trafficking, human rights, democracy, transparency, and corruption, with a particular focus on bi-communal initiatives and issues specific to Northern Cyprus. In 2007, she was recognized as one of the "100 Brave Women" worldwide by the U.S. State Department, and in 2019, she received the "Point of Light" award from the United Kingdom. She currently serves as the director of both Prologue and CMIRS.
Second Panel - International Law in a World of Change
Moderator: Yağmur İzcan
Speakers
Dr. Nadia Kornioti
Dr. Nadia Kornioti is a qualified advocate and a legal researcher specialising on humanitarian matters at an international, regional and domestic level. She holds an LLB from the University of Leicester, an LLM in Public International Law from University College London (UCL), and a PhD in Law from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), UK. Nadia has long-tern experience in policy, advocacy and consultancy with a number of international, regional and Cyprus-based institutions and non-governmental organisations, including all major EU institutions, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Research areas of interest include general Public International Law, with a focus on International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, Refugee and Migration Law, Legal History and Theory, and Comparative Public Law, at Law’s intersection with Politics, the Social Sciences and the Humanities.
Emine Dizdarlı
Rıfat Sagut
Graduating from Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 1984, Rıfat Sagut has been serving as a Public Prosecutor since 1988. In 1999, he was appointed as a Judge at the Court of Cassation and has been serving as a Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation since 2012. Specializing in human trafficking and migrant smuggling, Rıfat Sagut worked as a rapporteur judge at the 8th Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation for 12 years, handling cases in these areas. He has participated in numerous national and international projects and training programs. Since 2008, he has collaborated with organizations such as IOM, ICMPD, UNHCR, and UNFPA, contributing as an expert, moderator, and presenter in training-of-trainers programs. He has attended meetings in various cities across Europe and the world, including Vienna, Sarajevo, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, and Greece, where he elaborated on the international legal framework regarding human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Currently, Rıfat Sagut continues to actively serve as a Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, representing his institution and working in these specialized fields.
Third Panel - Cyprus in a World of Change
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Ali Dayıoğlu
Speakers
Dr. Sophia Papamichalopoulos
Dr. Sophia Papamichalopoulos is a specialist physician at the Department of Visceral Surgery and Transplantation at Zurich University Hospital. She previously worked as a senior resident and resident doctor, including rotations in emergency medicine, at Spital Tiefenau - Insel Gruppe. She completed her medical studies in 2018 at Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, where she conducted her thesis on the evolution of stromal scarring in spinal cord injuries at the Regenerative Neurobiology Laboratory of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. In addition to her medical career, Dr. Papamichalopoulos represented Cyprus as an Olympic athlete in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. She was a member and national champion of the Cyprus National Ski Team for six years and currently serves as a member of the Medical and Scientific Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Dr. Papamichalopoulos is fluent in English, German, and Greek. She holds surgical training and trauma support certifications, has contributed to numerous international publications, and has participated in innovative projects in her field.
Prof. Dr. Sertaç Sonan
Sertac Sonan is a professor of Political Science and the Head of the Political Science & International Relations Department at Cyprus International University. His research interests include political clientelism, corruption, the Cyprus conflict, and Turkish Cypriot politics and economy.
Dr. Rebecca Bryant