Mar 22: Chosen to be among 22 high-potential youth globally to participate in a virtual, design-thinking workshop focused on “Building Back Better for SDG 5”.
Nour Barakeh
Public Policy Specialist Innovative Presenter
Through her scientific study, artistic work, and academic training in public policy, Nour Barakeh strives to understand society from different viewpoints and to communicate complex topics. She is a talented content and communications consultant and an accomplished playwright aiming at post-conflict peacebuilding.
Nour Barakeh serves as an Energy and Communications consultant at the International Forum for Understanding. She is also an Agents of Change Youth Fellow at the Wilson Center, a joint fellowship from the Environmental Change and Security Program and the Middle East Program, whereby, her developed project will be presented at COP28. Nour is especially interested in nuclear energy and climate nexus. In that regard, she recently participated in a panel discussion on “Bridging Climate Divides” at the United Nations in Vienna as part of World Youth Skills Day 2023.
Her M.A. in Public Administration from Central European University emphasized the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) and environmental policies to combat climate change. She previously studied at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus and graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Damascus University.
As a sought-after speaker on the SDGs, refugee, and migration issues, she has spoken on numerous high-profile panels, such as: Beyond Borders Scotland 2023, a Learning Session for the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2022, International Peace Institute (IPI) 2021, UNHCR Austria in 2020, and European Forum Alpbach 2018 alongside former UN SG Ban Ki-moon and former Austrian President Heinz Fischer.
Nour Barakeh has experience ranging from research and strategy to social work and journalism. She aims at supporting the establishment of sustainable educational projects focused on empowering people through raising awareness and counselling governments, NGOs and corporations on polices with a specific focus on the Sustainable Developments Goals. As a Global Citizen, she believes in proactively pursuing the necessary goal of peace.
Sept 21: Participated on a panel together with the head of UNHCR Austria in the Landesgalerie in Lower Austria to discuss over 70 years of the Geneva Refugee Convention.
Aug 19: At the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. Part of a media team interviewing Dr. Heinz Fischer, former President of Austria on wide-ranging topics.
Jun 19: Part of a panel at the 49th Annual International Peace Institute at the Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs under the theme: “Partnering with Young People for Prevention: Sustaining Peace and Addressing Violence, Crime, and Corruption.”
Nov 18: Nour speaking at the RELX Group SDG Inspiration Day in Amsterdam
Sept 18: Nour’s theater piece was performed again at an event hosted by the Second President of the Austrian Parliament.
Sept 18: Nour joined a panel discussion at the Diplomatic Academy (credit: Abdulla Abood)
Mar 18: (German-language) International Women’s Day Talk: ‘I Believe in the New Generation.’ From the (English-language) ‘Then and now: refugee lives in sharp focus‘ series of UNHCR
Jul 22: In London, performed an original dance solo on breaking free from trauma at an event on the World Day against Human Trafficking held by the International Forum for Understanding.
Nov 21: As part of the COP26 Youth Council for the International Forum for Understanding, I provided public policy input on climate change intersectionality.
Dec 19: Contributed to the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens’ online course on Women‟s Empowerment in a discussion video: “Becoming Global Citizens for a Sustainable Society.”
Aug 19: Interviewed Dr. Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the World Trade Organization, at European Forum Alpbach. Topics ranged from building cooperation between the EU and the MENA region to dealing with global inequalities.
Feb 19: Participating in the 2019 Vienna V-Day performance of ‘A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer.’
Sept 18: Group photo following the International Day of Peace event at which Nour’s theater piece was presented.
Sept 18: After speaking at the multimedia event on “Global Citizenship in a Time of War” at the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens (credit: Minji Kwag)
Aug 18: At European Forum Alpbach, Nour joined a panel including former UN SG Ban Ki-Moon and former Austrian President Heinz Fischer.
Jul 22: Part of a panel for Learning Session 10 of the UN’s High Level Political Forum: a live, interactive, capacity-building and crowdsourcing approach to human trafficking prevention and mitigation
Q1-Q2 22: Co-developer/Artist in this global, anti-polarization project using an interview process to create understanding of the people behind their beliefs.
Jan 20: Participated in an exchange seminar about integration and aspects of social work in cooperation with UNHCR and a delegation of the Turkish Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Affairs.
Aug 19: Interviewed Dr. Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations at European Forum Alpbach. We discussed the SDGs in relation to refugee issues as well as the importance of empowering women in achieving sustainable progress.
May 19: Contributed to ISCAN’s training on conflict analysis and intervention strategies with an emphasis on inequalities among groups in Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Sept 18: Shooting a television segment for the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation at the KAICIID Dialogue Centre.
Sept 18: Nour participated in the Migraspectives scientific/artistic collaboration.
Aug 18: At European Forum Alpbach, Nour’s theater piece ‘Not a Fate’ – about peace-building among youth in conflict situations – was performed