Meet our Speaker: Şadiye Işısal

Şadiye Işısal is a young peace activist with Şadiye Işısal is a peacebuilding and climate advocate and youth empowerment leader from Cyprus, working to advance reconciliation, inclusive dialogue, and meaningful youth participation in her divided homeland. She is a UN Youth Champion for Environment and Peace, recipient of the British Council/Study UK Alumni Awards Cyprus 2025 Social Action Award, and a Peace Ambassador with AHDR and Generation Nexus. She has also contributed to UNDP initiatives and youth-led climate and peacebuilding efforts, including the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Cyprus.

Şadiye currently serves as Administrative and Operational Coordinator for the EU Scholarship Programme for Cypriot Youth at UWC, where she supports educational and cross-community opportunities for young people across Cyprus. Her work focuses on creating spaces for young people from different communities to connect, collaborate, and develop the skills to contribute to peace and inclusive development.

She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Peace, Conflict and Democracy at the University of Cyprus, following an MSc in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London, and undergraduate studies at the University of Essex. Her work brings together youth participation, peacebuilding, climate action, and intercultural dialogue, with a particular focus on creating meaningful opportunities for young people to contribute to Cyprus’s future.