Fatma Şahin

Fatma Şahin has been the Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality since 2014. Ms Şahin is also the President of the United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA) and the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB). She was founding member of the Justice and Development Party’s (JDP) Provincial Office in Gaziantep, the President of the JDP Women Branch in 2007, member of the Parliament between 2002 and 2015 and the Minister of Family and Social Policy between 2011 and 2013. During his term in the parliament, Ms Şahin took an active role in the Parliament’s Commissions for Industry, Commerce and Energy and for Harmony with EU, and was President of the Commission for Honor Killings and Investigation of Violence against Children. She is the first woman parliament member and Mayor of Gaziantep and the first women Minister of South-East Anatolia Region of Turkey. Ms Şahin has also an 18-year private sector experience as operation engineer and manager. She is a chemical engineer with a university degree from İstanbul Technical University. Ms Şahin is married and has two children.