Council of Europe- European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance


Ms Merja PENTIKÄINEN

Education: 2008 Doctor of Laws (LL.D.); University of Lapland, Finland. 1996 Diplôme d'études supérieures en relations internationales (DES) -degree; Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland.

Professional activities (examples):

(a) Present position:

Acting Professor of International Law, University of Turku

(b) Work at national level:

- Researcher in international law at the University of Lapland (the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law) (1996-1997, 1999-2007) and at the University of Helsinki (the Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights) (1998, 2008).

- Teacher of international law at numerous universities in Finland since 1995; Advisor to the Crisis Management Centre (CMC) Finland since 2008.

(c) Work at international level:

- Expert (consultancy) work for the OSCE/ODIHR on racial discrimination, racism and other forms of intolerance. (2003, 2004)

- Trainer at the Pilot Training Course on Human Rights in Kosovo, December 1999; a joint project of the Erik Castrén Institute of the University of Helsinki and the Human Rights Institute of the Åbo Akademi University.

- Participant to a research project on the OSCE carried out by three academic institutes: the Institute of Public Law, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany); the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Rome (Italy); the Department of Law, Åbo Akademi University, Turku (Finland). Own field of research: The Role of the Human Dimension of the OSCE in Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management. (1995-1996)

- Participant to the UN fact-finding mission in the field of international human rights and
humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia. (1994)

Fields of special expertise:

International law, particularly human rights (broadly): minority issues, indigenous peoples, gender issues, women and human rights, discrimination, racism and other forms of intolerance, the role of human rights in processes of integration within society (doctoral dissertation), democracy and human rights, conflict prevention and human rights, human security, business and human rights / corporate social responsibility (in the area of human rights), the environment and human rights, human rights based approach to development (HRBA); international humanitarian law.

Expert position and roles:

Deputy member from Finland to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) since 2000; Expert member to the Advisory Board for International Human Rights Affairs – the body that advises the Finnish Foreign Ministry in human rights matters – since 2003; Has participated in numerous international and domestic meetings, seminars and conferences as an invited expert of human rights.

Other relevant information:

- Research on the establishment of the Romani Forum at the Council of Europe; carried out at the request of the Finnish Foreign Ministry, linked to the proposal by the Finnish President Tarja Halonen. (2002)

- Has planned and implemented several training programmes on human rights, non-discrimination and diversity in Finland.

- Civil society activities: e.g. the board member (and the vice-chairperson in 2009) of the Society for Study of Ethnic Relations and International Migration (ETMU); Participation in the national NGO network against trafficking in human beings.

- Has published a number of monographs and numerous articles on the topics relating to international law, international relations and human rights.

Language skills:

Finnish (mother tongue); English (fluent); Swedish (good); French (basic); Spanish (basic); German (basic).

Ms Merja PENTIKÄINEN