Şafak Pavey
 Şafak Pavey     (diplomat, politician) | |
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| Born | Şafak Önal 10 July 1976 |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Alma mater | Bilkent University, University of Westminster, London School of Economics |
| Member of | European Council on Foreign Relations, Munich Security Conference/Young Leaders, WEF/Young Global Leaders/2015 |
| Party | Republican People's Party |
The first disabled woman in the Turkish parliament. Worked many years with NGOs in Iran and with Shirin Ebadi.
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Şafak Pavey is a Turkish diplomat, columnist and politician. She was a member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) representing Istanbul Province She is the first disabled woman ever elected to the Turkish parliament, and is a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.[1]
Pavey worked many years with NGOs in Iran and with Shirin Ebadi. She attended the 2013 Bilderberg meeting. She was selected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2015.[2]
Education
She married English musician Paul Pavey, whom she met in Ankara in 1994 while studying political science at Bilkent University.
Safak's academic background include graduate & postgraduate degrees in international relations and EU studies, specializing in "nationalism, ethnicity and minority rights" particularly "Property Rights of Non-Muslims in Islamic Countries" at the London School of Economics, and arts, film and media studies in Switzerland. She was left disabled after an accident while studying art and film in Zurich, which left her with one arm and leg.[3]
Career
She started working for various NGOs, developing national programs and international advocacy campaigns for human rights issues. Between 2003 and 2010, Safak worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.[3] She was the commissioner’s agent in Iran and Afghanistan. She was later assigned as the Central European Chief Agent of the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Immigrants in Hungary.[4]
After fifteen years living abroad, she left her position at the United Nations and was elected as Deputy of Istanbul at the 2011 elections in Turkey. As part of her parliamentary work, she was a member of the Turkey-EU-Accession Committee.[3]
She resigned from parliament in 2017 due to health reasons.
Pavey has published three books, including Nereye Gidersem Gokyuzu Benimdir (Wherever I go the Sky is Mine) published in November 2011, consisting of her recollections of social life and a witness account of social freedoms in Iran where she lived for some years[3].
Safak is also the managerial editor of a legal book "Refugee Rights in Iran" by 2003 Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi with whom she worked with for several years.[3]
Awards
Şafak Pavey was awarded a Woman of Courage Award by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and First Lady Michelle Obama. [5][6][3]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/2013 | 6 June 2013 | 9 June 2013 | Watford UK | The 2013 Bilderberg group meeting. |
References
- ↑ http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/chps-pavey-elected-to-un-committee.aspx?pageID=238&nID=30043&NewsCatID=338
- ↑ https://www.weforum.org/people/safak-pavey/
- ↑ a b c d e f http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRPD/Elections2012/SafakPavey.doc
- ↑ https://www.indekskonusmaciajansi.com/en/safak-pavey/#bio
- ↑ https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/chp-deputy-safak-pavey-granted-secularism-award-of-uk-based-ngo-64260
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120308231128/http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2012/bio/index.htm
