Evin Elci
Program Associate
Evin Elci, Program Associate CICR at Columbia University, specializes in intrastate conflicts (mainly ethnic and religious) with a focus on reconciliation, post-conflict development and institutional capacity building. Her special interests include active civic participation and the role of women in the peace making process.
Ms. Elci has substantial field experience in Iraq, Turkey, and Kosovo. She recently worked in Northern Iraq on a USAID sponsored capacity building project designed to support civilian victims of the war. During her time at the National Democratic Institute for International Relations (NDI), she served as a program officer in capacity building and citizen participation projects in Turkey, where she developed strategies for effective partnership with academics, local politicians and NGOs. While working at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Turkey, she coordinated a $2.3 million Out Of Country Voting Program for Iraqis living abroad and served as a member of the IOM negotiating team with the Turkish Government. She contributed to the elections and democratization efforts of the UN Mission and Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Kosovo. Prior to that, Elci was involved in Turkish politics as a consultant to a progressive political party whose main goal was the resolution of the Kurdish conflict through democratic means.
Ms. Elci’s research and writing experience also include the Journal of International Affairs, Human Rights Monitor, Human Rights Watch (London) and Turkish weekly Aktuel. Ms Elci completed her B.A. degree in Sociology at the Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey with summa cum laude. She received her Master of International Affairs degree at Columbia University with a concentration on human rights and conflict resolution. Ms. Elci is a native Turkish and Kurdish speaker, who currently resides in New York City and advises as an honorary consultant to the chairman of a newly formed political party in Turkey.