CO-AUTHORED UN PEACEBUILDING ARTICLE

In March 2024, together with Nicolas Kyriakides, a PhD in Law from Oxford University and recipient of the European Citizen’s Award 2022, I co-authored a peacebuilding article for the United Nations titled Bridging the Divide: Meltem Burak and Nicolas Kyriakides Call for Inclusion and Innovation to Bring Peace to Cyprus.

PEACE BEGINS WITH HER-GENEVA

Peace Begins with Her is a United Nations Peacekeeping initiative celebrating the role of women peacebuilders and peacekeepers worldwide. On 8 March 2024, I took part in a panel discussion, following the United Nations Inside Out Action, at the Uni Mail building in Geneva. The panel featured Ambassador Nathalie Chuard, Luisa Franco from Swiss Peace, Gloria Gaggioli, Director of the Geneva Academy and Professor at the Faculty of Law, and Vanessa von Virag, UNMOGIP military observer. Both events highlighted the vital role women play in peacebuilding and peacekeeping worldwide.

PEACE BEGINS WITH HER- NEW YORK CITY

Peace Begins with Her is a United Nations Peacekeeping initiative celebrating the role of women peacebuilders and peacekeepers worldwide. On 25 October 2023, an activation of Peace Begins with Her took place outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. As part of the event, my photograph was included in a mosaic of fifty women peacebuilders, displayed on the ground outside the United Nations Secretariat Building on the same day as the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security.

UNFICYP PODCAST-out loud!

Out Loud is the official podcast of UNFICYP, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. I was invited to speak on the podcast alongside Eleni Antoniou as part of the 2023 International Women’s Day initiative. In the episode, I shared my experiences as a woman podcaster from a divided country, reflecting on the role of storytelling, representation, and voice in peacebuilding.

women`s political participation and role in peacebuilding

On 21 October 2022, I was invited to speak in an Instagram Live session organised by United Nations Peacekeeping. The discussion focused on the critical role of women in peacebuilding—both at the grassroots level and in formal peace negotiations. During the session, I spoke about my podcast Sesta and its contribution to peacebuilding in Cyprus.

The session also featured Mireille Laurier Affa’A Mindzie from MONUSCO, Anny Modi from Afia Mama and the African Women Leaders Network, and was moderated by Dr Jessica Smith from the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.

SEEKING PEACE

Seeking Peace is a podcast produced by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security, in partnership with the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, Our Secure Future, and Wonder Media Network. The series highlights women’s roles in building lasting peace—from grassroots activism to diplomacy and peacekeeping.

I was interviewed in Season 3, where I spoke about my podcast Sesta and its contribution to peacebuilding in post-conflict Cyprus.

FOOD STORIES: BRINGING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER

On 12 May 2022, I moderated the fourth Global Voices discussion organised by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The conversation focused on the role of food in fostering entrepreneurship and building bridges between communities in Cyprus.