Maria Yiannakaki: Dialogue, cohesion and belonging in Greece

Maria Yiannakaki, former Secretary-General for Human Rights of Greece and member of the Hellenic Parliament, and currently a member of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, reflects on the role of mediation in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from migration and social polarization to the peace process in Cyprus.

Drawing on her work with Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, with refugee women during the 2015 migration crisis, and with local communities grappling with the challenges of integration, Maria demonstrates how mediation extends far beyond formal negotiations. Whether it involves helping women access services and rebuild their lives, working with local communities to overcome fears and misinformation, or promoting dialogue across cultural and religious divides, she describes mediation as an ongoing process of building trust and challenging preconceptions.

Maria argues that peace negotiations must be guided by a genuine gender perspective—one capable of recognizing the different ways conflicts affect women and men and of taking into account experiences that are all too often ignored.

This episode is part of #HerStories, the podcast of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, produced in collaboration with the IAI and Women In International Security Italy, dedicated to the voices of women mediators and peacebuilders in the Mediterranean.

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