ODTÜ’s Acar the only name from Turkey in list of 100 most influential people in gender policy for 2018

Elif Ergu - ANKARA

Prof. Dr. Feride Acar, a prominent Turkish academic at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University with extensive knowledge and experience on women’s rights issues, has been included in the global network of Apolitical’s list of the 100 most influential people in gender policy around the world.

“Drawing on nominations from dozens of gender equality experts and leading organizations in the field, we aim to celebrate the people making our societies fairer and better to live in,” Apolitical, a global platform that curates and publishes content on what is working in policy across the world, stated after announcing its list on May 23.

Also on the list are many well-known figures such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macon, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Bill-Melinda Gates Foundation President Melinda Gates.

The fact that her name is included in this list will “encourage” her fellow women friends, working in issues related to gender, said Acar, the head of ODTÜ’s Political Science and Public Administration Department and also the president of the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO).

“I have been working for many years in both Turkey and abroad to stop social gender discrimination. That the job we do is appreciated in the international arena makes me very happy. I have also duties at the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Council of Europe. Our purpose is to make an influence in the politics of states regarding these issues,” Acar told daily Hürriyet.

“Practices to prevent all kinds of discrimination fall onto states. There are many issues - from equal opportunities in education to violence against women - that concern all states. I have many valuable friends who work on these issues like I do in Turkey. I hope they will also find a place in these lists in the future,” she added.