Sarihan, Hatice Nihan

Hatice Nihan Sarihan holds an LL.M. in International and European Law (International and Human Rights Law) from Ghent University. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of climate change, human rights, and governance, with a particular focus on mental health, migration, and environmental vulnerability.  During her research internship at UNU-CRIS, Hatice Nihan will primarily work within the Nature, Climate and Health Cluster under the supervision of Nidhi Nagabhatla. She will focus on the CLARS Project (Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategies), contributing to research on climate adaptation and resilience and supporting the preparation of a policy brief for the Lake Victoria region. Her work supports integrated, evidence-based approaches linking climate, nature, and health in policy and governance. Her internship is supported by the Flanders Trainee Programme.

Building on her academic experience in Flanders at Ghent University, she also holds a Master’s degree in Public Law from Istanbul University and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Istanbul Bilgi University, and has participated in international research exchanges, including an Erasmus+ research visit to the University of Graz. She has professional experience in legal research and rights-based project environments, including work with refugee communities and disaster-affected populations. Hatice Nihan has supported donor-funded projects through field coordination, reporting, and stakeholder engagement, particularly in protection-focused initiatives for Syrian refugees in Türkiye and post-earthquake legal assistance efforts. She is a qualified lawyer and a member of the Istanbul Bar Association.

In addition to her work on the CLARS Project, Hatice Nihan contributes to research activities related to the climate–migration nexus and supports analytical inputs, reporting, and written outputs across cluster initiatives. She is also involved in the ongoing assessment on Disaster Risk Governance in the Amazon, supporting the development of the first draft and contributing to policy-relevant research on climate resilience and inclusive governance.