We are deeply saddened by the loss of our board member Fuat Keyman on October 18. It was an honor for us to have worked with Professor Keyman. He initially supported the foundation as a member of the advisory board and later became a board member. Despite his illness, he continued to attend meetings and share his insights. Following global, conceptual debates closely, he guided us in conceptualizing our work and shaping the direction of our efforts.
Professor Keyman, who conceived the idea of the ASULIS Discourse, Dialogue, Democracy Laboratory, hosted needs assessment meetings during its establishment and drew the roadmap for this initiative. He facilitated collaboration with Sabancı University for our ongoing artificial intelligence project aimed at detecting hate speech. He provided us with a vision for our Turkey-Armenia projects, supporting Armenian scholars by hosting them and enhancing the program. He offered insights on strengthening solidarity within the civil society sector as part of our relevant projects. His introductory article to the “Civil Society Debates” report, where he reflects on reviving civil society in the 2020s is available through the link in the below article. Finally, the Istanbul Policy Center, under his directorship, has been a long-time supporter of the International Hrant Dink Award Ceremony. We will always honor his contributions to the foundation.