Elif Çalışkan

Elif Çalışkan

Senior Adviser | Peace and Security, Security Council Reform, GA Revitalization and First Committee

Elif Çalışkan is a Senior Adviser on peace and security, Security Council reform, revitalization of the General Assembly and the First Committee in the Office of the President of the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly.

Prior to joining the Office of the President, she has worked as a Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the UN in New York since 2014, where she has been responsible for the agenda of the General Assembly, Security Council reform and revitalization of the General Assembly, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and culture of peace issues, civil society outreach and the Committee on NGOs, elections, cultural affairs, and counter-terrorism. Her political portfolios covered the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

While at the Mission, Elif has served as the Vice-Chair of the Committee on NGOs, facilitated negotiations on resolutions and declarations on the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and worked as the Mission’s elections officer.

A career diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey since 2005, she was posted to the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, between 2009 and 2012, where she focused on conflicts, human rights, partners for cooperation, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Previously, Elif worked at the Turkish Embassy in Tbilisi, between 2007 and 2009, where she was responsible for political and economic relations and consular affairs.

Her assignments in capital include the Directorate of Protocol at the Office of the Presidency and the Department of Multilateral Economic Institutions.

She has a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Boðaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey.