Hamdi Karakal, Youth Delegate from Turkey to the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2021, works for the community-based Local Initiatives Project, implemented by GIZ Turkey since 2019. In his role in the project’s Operations Team, he provides technical assistance to NGOs implementing refugee protection and development projects. Before joining GIZ, Hamdi Karakal worked for NGOs based in Ankara, Turkey in various roles including as an outreach worker and finance officer in refugee protection projects. He holds an MA degree in History and BA degree in International Relations from Bilkent University.
Hamdi Karakal has delivered academic presentations at the MESA 2019 Annual Conference in the United States, the Global History Student Conference in Germany, and the Turkish Political Science Association Graduate Conference in Turkey. He has co-authored a book chapter on the legal framework for social work in the context of local governance in Turkey. His academic and professional interests include migration, politics and historical sociology of migration, refugee protection, international development, and humanitarian aid.