Niki Papa

Niki Papadopoulou-Papa was born in Limassol where she completed her secondary education. She
continued her education in France and in June 1980 she received the title of Doctor of Contemporary
Literature and Culture after obtaining a Bachelor's and Master's degree in the same discipline from the
Université d'Aix-Marseille I, France.

As Head of the Office of European and International Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth
and Sports of Cyprus, from its establishment in 2008 to 2019, she monitored European and international
policies in the fields of Education, Culture, Youth and of Sports and coordinated the Ministry's
participation in the relevant European bodies.

She has also coordinated the preparatory work for the signing and implementation of bilateral and
tripartite Agreements, Memoranda and Programs for education and culture, between the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports and Youth and European and third countries.

During the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, in the second half of 2012 and the Committee of
Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2017, she was responsible for the organisation,
planning, implementation and supervision of the participation of the Ministry in the four
aforementioned sectors. She was also responsible for the overall coordination and organisation of
informal councils, conferences, European meetings on Education – general, technical, professional and
higher education, culture and audio-visual, Youth and Sports in Cyprus. She was also vice-chair of the EU
education committee and contributed to the drafting of policy documents. She also coordinated the
negotiation of the European funding programs Erasmus+, European Universities, Europe for Citizens and
Creative Europe.

She was a member of the national committee of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 and the
National Committee of UNESCO. She was also a member of the Ministry's committee for the formulation
of a proposal for the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Culture

During her 39 years of service in the Public Service she served in various high-ranking positions in the
Ministry of Education, including the position of Inspector of French Language, First Education Officer,
Assistant Director of Secondary Education and Responsible for the training of French teachers at the
Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. Mrs. Papadopoulou-Papa served from 1980 to 1983 as a press officer at
the Press and Information Office of the Republic of Cyprus.

In addition, she was appointed as an expert in committees of the European Commission and the Council
of Europe.

She contributed to the accession of Cyprus to the "International Organization of Francophonie" in 2006
and continued to work as the coordinator of the annual Francophone cultural events of the Republic of
Cyprus in Cyprus and abroad.

She is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cultural Non-Governmental Organization "Alliance
Française de Limassol", member of the Board of CUT, member of the Technical Bi-Community
Committee for Education and the Board of Directors of the Franco-Cypriot School.
The French Republic, recognising her distinguished service and her outstanding contribution to the
French language and culture, awarded her the following Distinctions:

• Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Knight of Academic Palms), by ecree of the Prime
Minister of France in 1994.
• Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of Academic Palms') by Decree of the Prime
Minister of France in 2001
• Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite (Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite, by Decree of the
President of the French Republic in 2019)