Dr. Meltem Onurkan-Samani is the founding director of the Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Centre (CPDC). Holding a Ph.D. in history, she specializes in the socio-political history of Cyprus and the critical role of history education in conflict and peacebuilding. As a former Special Advisor to Turkish Cypriot leader President Mustafa Akıncı (2015–2020), Dr. Onurkan Samani played a central role in coordinating UN-led bicommunal technical committees. She was also the co-chair of the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Education. Between 2004 and 2009, she co-authored revised history textbooks for the Turkish Cypriot community, which garnered international recognition. Dr. Onurkan Samani was instrumental in establishing the Home for Cooperation (H4C) in the Buffer Zone in 2011, an initiative spearheaded by Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR). She also served as co-chair of both AHDR and H4C during her tenure. In addition, she is a member of the Greek-Turkish Forum (GTF) and the founding coordinator of the Cyprus Women Bi-communal Coalition (CWBC) and a board member of CVAR. Dr. Onurkan Samani is also a researcher at the University of Cyprus.