Bertil Cottier is the Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). He is the member of ECRI in respect of Switzerland since January 2019. In Switzerland, he is Professor emeritus at the University of Lausanne (Law Faculty) and the Università della Svizzera italiana (Faculty of Communication Sciences) in Lugano.

Bjørn Berge serves as the Council of Europe’s Deputy Secretary General since 1 March 2021.

As the Deputy Secretary General he is involved in a number of key areas of the work of the Organisation, including advising and overseeing the implementation of the Secretary General’s reform agenda, in line with the decisions and priorities of the Committee of Ministers.

His priorities include shaping the Programme and Budget, while ensuring that the Organisation’s activities have maximum impact in advancing democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He also oversees the Council of Europe’s staff policy, as well as other key areas of the work of the Organisation.

Before taking up his post, Mr Berge was for a period of four years Director General and Secretary to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Between 2009-2017, he served as Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General, helping to prepare, co-ordinate and implement a number of comprehensive reforms of the Organisation.

Mr Berge has over thirty years of international professional experience.

As a former Norwegian diplomat, he served as International Adviser to the Prime Minister and as Deputy Director of the Foreign Minister’s Cabinet responsible for all matters related to Parliament. He also served as speechwriter to three Norwegian Foreign Ministers.

Mr Berge has published several books on a range of issues relating to speech writing and speeches, as well as articles on the Council of Europe’s mandate and work.

He was a Fulbright Scholar and holds a M.A. in International Relations from the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C., USA.

Theodoros Rousopoulos is a Greek Member of Parliament for New Democracy, elected in the Northern Electoral sector of the 2nd District of Athens.

Active in European affairs, he was the Chairman of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, as well as the Vice-President of the European People's Party in the Assembly.

In Greece, Theodoros Rousopoulos serves as a Member of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs, the Special Permanent Committee on Environmental Protection and the Standing Committee on Social Affairs and the Special Committee on Armaments Programmes and Contracts.

He studied journalism and communication as well as culture and civilization. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Edinburgh.

Michael O' Flaherty was elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in January 2024. He is the fifth Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, succeeding Dunja Mijatović (2018-2024), Nils Muižnieks (2012-2018), Thomas Hammarberg (2006-2012) and Álvaro Gil-Robles y Gil-Delgado (1999-2006). The Commissioner's mandate lasts for six years and is non-renewable.

An Irish human rights lawyer, O' Flaherty has served as Director of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (2015-2023), as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (2004-2012), as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (2011-2013), and in various posts at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, notably in setting up operations in conflict-affected countries such as Sierra Leone and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Throughout his decades-long commitment to human rights, he has made significant contributions to their promotion and protection, including through the publication of books and articles and through teaching at various universities.

Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality (2019-2024)  

Helena Dalli was first elected to the Maltese Parliament in 1996 and re-elected in five subsequent national elections as a Labour Party candidate. Most recently she has been Minister for European Affairs and Equality (since 2017). Between 1996 and 1998, she served as Parliamentary Secretary for Women's Rights in the Prime Minister's office, going on to be appointed Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties (2013-2017). As well as equality, human rights and European affairs, her portfolio as a minister has included migrant integration, industrial relations and occupational health and safety. While in office, she put forward an Equality Act to strengthen Malta's human rights and equality framework and piloted specific laws on gender-based and domestic violence, marriage equality and rights for transgender and intersex people. She was Malta's representative in the EPSCO Council and head of delegation to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. During Malta's Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2017, she coordinated the process towards the EU's signature of the Istanbul Convention. In 2016, she won a European Diversity Award for her work in human rights and equality at the national and international level.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Postdoctoral research (National Scholarship), on “Humanitarian space discourse in the 21st century: legal framework for an effective and safe humanitarian action”, published I. Sideris, 2012.
• Ph.D. in International Law (“International responsibility for violations of international humanitarian law: state and individual responsibility in motion”), 2004.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Current positions

• Assistant Professor of International Law, International Humanitarian Law and Humanitarian Action, Panteion University of Social and Political Studies, Athens, since 2008.
• Member of the Comité pour le Concours Jean Pictet (www.concourspictet.org), since 2003. 
• Alternate Director, European Training and Research Centre on Human Rights and Humanitarian Action, Panteion University of Social and Political

Studies, since 2000.

•  Consultant on International Humanitarian Law, Hellenic Red Cross, since 2000.
•  Professor of International Law, National Defence School and the Police National Security Academy.
•  Trainer of secondary school teachers, as well as of NGO volunteers and staff on the principles of humanitarian action.

Work at national level

• Member of the National Committee for Human Rights, 2009-2012.
• Counsellor of Greece before the International Court of Justice in the case on Jurisdictional Immunities of the State (Italy v. Germany, Greece intervening), 2011-2012.
• Legal Advisor of the Interministerial Committee for the Implementation of Humanitarian Law in Greece, working on a compatibility study of the Greece’s international humanitarian law obligations, 1999-2005.

Work at international level

• Member of the Greek Delegation in the United Nations Preparatory Commission for the adoption of the International Criminal Law Statute, 2000-2002.
• Protection Delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sri Lanka, 1997-1999.
• Elections observer, ODIHR/OSCE in Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1996-1997.
• Assistant researcher, UNHCR-Greece, 1995-1996.

Publications

• Numerous publications on state responsibility for serious violations of international law; war crimes; crimes against humanity and genocide, as well as on humanitarian law and action;
• human rights and refugee and migration protection (for more information see https://panteion.academia.edu/DaniellaMarouda).

• University Studies in History at the Centre Universitaire in Luxembourg and at the Universities of Strasbourg (France) and Vienna (Austria) (1967-1973)
• Dr phil (Social and Economic History), University of Vienna 1973
• Professor in History at the University of Luxembourg until April 2013
• Vice-Rector, University of Luxembourg (2003-2007)
• Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights, University of Luxembourg (2011-2019)
• National Director, E.MA Master in Human Rights and Democratisation, Venice (1998-2018)
• Member of the Board of EIUC, European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation, Venice (2002-2014)
• Chair of ECRI (European Commission against Racism and Intolerance), Council of Europe, Strasbourg (2018-2019); member of ECRI in respect of Luxembourg (2011-)
• President of the Commission consultative des droits de l’homme du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (2006-2013)
• President of Omega90, the Luxembourg Association for Palliative Care (1998-2009)
• President of the Commission “Justice and Peace” Luxembourg (2008-)
• Member of the Board of the European Network of “Justice and Peace” Commissions (2013-2019)
• Vice-President of CARE Luxembourg (2017-)
• Member of the National UNESCO Commission (2001-2019)
• Member of the Episcopal Council, delegate for human rights (2019-)
• Member of the Commission nationale d’éthique (2020-)
• Prix Lions awarded in 2001 for activities in the field of human dignity

Christian Åhlund is a Swedish lawyer and member of the Swedish Bar, who since the mid 1980´s has been specializing in human rights and international humanitarian law.

After the war in former Yugoslavia he served as Director General for Human Rights in the OSCE mission to Bosnia and Hercegovina. From 1998 to 2001, mandated by OSCE and the Special Representative, he chaired a international commission which proposed legislation in the fields of freedom of expression and access to information. The commission´s proposal was adopted as national law by the Bosnian Parliament in 2002.

From 1998 to 2003, Åhlund was the chair of the Swedish Bar Association´s Human Rights Committee. From 2003 to 2006, he chaired the Human Rights Committee of the Council of Bars and Law Societies in the European Union (CCBE).

From 2002 to 2015, Åhlund was the Executive Director of International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), an umbrella organisation for a number of international associations of judges, prosecutors and lawyers, with the objective of resurrecting judicial systems in post-conflict countries. ILAC was formed in 2002 and is head-quartered in Stockholm. ILAC´s 50+ member organisations represent more that three million jurists world-wide. ILAC has initiated legal reform activities in a number of countries, e.g Afghanistan,  Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Palestine, Haiti, Liberia and Tunisia.

Between 2005 and 2020,  Åhlund represented Sweden in the Council of Europe´s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). Between 2014 and 2018, he was the Chair of this organisation. From 2018 and onwards, Åhlund has carried out a number of consultancies for the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

In 2004, Åhlund received the International Bar Association´s annual “Rule of Law Award”. In 2015, he was named “Lawyer of the Year“ by the Swedish Bar Association. In February 2017 he was awarded H.M. The King´s Medal “for outstanding services to human rights and international humanitarian law”.

Nils Muižnieks (Latvia) was Commissioner for Human Rights from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2018. He consolidated the work and visibility of the institution, by visiting all member states, publishing numerous reports, thematic papers and opinion editorials. His mandate has been characterised mainly by the extensive work carried out in Ukraine and Turkey, as well as his work in the field of migration, counter-terrorism and on women’s rights. He also consistently promoted the protection of Roma, LGBTI people, children and persons with disabilities, as well as of freedom of expression. In addition, he significantly developed the social media presence of the office.

Previously, he was Director of the Advanced Social and Political Research Institute at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Latvia in Riga (2005-2012); Chairman of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (2010-2012); Latvian minister responsible for social integration, anti-discrimination, minority rights, and civil society development (2002-2004); and Director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies (1994-2002).

Ivana Jelić, Podgorica, Montenegro

Michał Balcerzak is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political and Security Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland, and the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Szczecin. He served as judge ad hoc at the European Court of Human Rights (2018-2022). He was member of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (2015-2021). Since 2022 he is a member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (vice-chairing between 2022-2024, and chairing as of 2024).

Patrick Charlier is a lawyer by training. He has worked for the Ligue des droits humains (Human Rights Ligue), first as legal advisor (1992-1996), then as director (1996-2001). In 2001 he joined Unia, where he has held various positions: first within the Racism Department and the Migration Observatory, then as coordinator of the Discrimination Department and finally as director.

Patrick has been chairman of Equinet (European network of equality bodies) since October 2023. He is also an alternate member of the Central Supervisory Board for the Prison System.

Tomas De Jong is responsible for EPHA’s Health Equity cluster, providing input to EPHA’s advocacy outputs on health inequities through a lens of social determinants of health. He covers EPHA’s work on anti-discrimination and anti-racism in health through the ‘DisQo Stakeholder Network’, Roma health through the ‘Roma Health Network’ and early childhood development with a focus on health and wellbeing in the early years. He holds a BA in European Studies, and an MA joint degree in Euroculture with a focus on European inclusion and cohesion policy, and also has grassroots volunteer experience in Roma community in Romania.

Tamás Kádár has been working at Equinet since 2010. Previously, he worked at the Hungarian Equal Treatment Authority as a legal officer, investigating discrimination cases on all grounds and drafting decisions of the Authority. He graduated from the Faculty of Law of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, and he also holds a Master of Economic Science degree from University College Dublin in Ireland. Tamás has published articles on equality and non-discrimination, spoken at numerous international conferences and acted as a trainer and expert in various EU, Council of Europe, OSCE and USAID-funded projects.

Daris Lewis is a Legal and Policy Officer at Equinet, the European Network of Equality Bodies. His work focuses on research and equality data, different forms of racism, and age discrimination. In 2024, as a member of the Knowledge Committee, European Commission's Citizen Panel on Tackling Hatred, Daris provided expertise to guide discussions and develop actionable recommendations to combat societal hatred.

He graduated in Law from the University of Sevilla and holds an LL.M. in Public International Law from Utrecht University in The Netherlands.

Tatiana Puiu is a Moldovan attorney-at-law whose professional experience in human rights and rule of law straddles the legal, policy and practitioner fields. She has acted as an expert advisor to a wide range of international and national organisations and bodies working on human rights issues and media, including the Council of Europe. She is currently the Vice-President of the European Committee of Social Rights, challenges faced by vulnerable and marginalised communities in accessing health care services.

Ferda Ataman has been the Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination and Head of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency since July 2022. A political scientist by training, she has previously held positions at the Ministry for Intergenerational Affairs, Family, Women and Integration in North Rhine-Westphalia and as Head of Unit at the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. She also worked as a book author, journalist and columnist for publications including Der Spiegel, Tagesspiegel and Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg and set up Mediendienst Integration, a research-based information platform for journalists. Most recently, she founded a consultancy firm for diversity. Ataman has been involved in various associations that stand up for more diversity in the media and equal participation in society and was a member of the advisory board of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.

Sophie Lavagna is an accomplished Monegasque lawyer and politician with over 25 years of experience in the legal field. After beginning her career in the public sector, she practiced law in Monaco for more than two decades, during which she served two five-year terms on the National Council. Currently, she is the head of division at the Office of the High Commissioner for the Protection of Rights, where she has been making significant contributions for nearly two years. Lavagna's extensive expertise in legal matters and her commitment to public service underscore her dedication to advancing the rights and welfare of citizens in Monaco.

Marijan Ponjavic is a State Councillor in the office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of North Macedonia in the Department for Protection from Discrimination and Adequate and fair representation.

Stamatia Stavrinaki, CERD member and Rapporteur for the General Recommendation No. 37 on Racial discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to health

Assistant Professor, International Human Rights Law and Public International law, University of Utrecht (Netherlands), Faculty of Law.  She worked as Human Rights Officer with the Greek National Commission for Human Rights and the UNHCR in Greece. In 2011, she co-founded and coordinated the Racist Violence Recording Network, a recognized best practice in recording hate crimes, supporting victims and building synergies between human rights institutions, civil society, and national authorities. She was elected as UN Expert Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in 2020, served as Vice-Chair (2022-2024) and was re-elected for her second term in 2023. She was appointed by the Committee as the CERD focal point for cooperation with European Mechanisms. She is the CERD rapporteur for the elaboration of General Recommendation No. 37 racial discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to health, adopted by the Committee at its 113th session on 23 August 2024.

Ana Rita Alves is an anthropologist and holds a PhD in Human Rights in Contemporary Societies by the University of Coimbra, with the thesis “Beyond Loss: Race, Displacement and the Political”. She is currently a researcher in the project “Generating Bodies: From Aggression to Insurgency. Contributions to a Decolonial Pedagogy” (CeiED – Lusófona University) and a collaborating researcher at the Centre for Social Studies at the University of Coimbra. Over the past decade, Ana Rita has produced critical knowledge inter alia on institutional racism, public policies and housing in Portugal, in consultations with civil society. She is the author of the book “When Nobody Could Stay: Racism, Housing and Territory” (Tigre de Papel, 2021).

Niall Crowley is an independent equality and human rights expert, working with various European institutions, including the Council of Europe and the European Commission, and in a range of European jurisdictions. This work has focused on equality and non-discrimination policy and legislation, and on the work of equality bodies. His work in Ireland, has focused on developing and supporting values-led approaches to equality and human rights within public sector and civil society organisations, with a particular focus on implementing statutory equality duties.

Prior to this, he was chief executive officer of the Equality Authority, the Irish equality body, for ten years. He is author of ‘To name and address the underlying problem: Structural discrimination on the ground of racial or ethnic origin’ published by the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination and the European Commission in 2022.

Neža Kogovšek Šalamon has been a Judge at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia since January 2023. She earned her degree in law in 2002 and her doctoral degree in 2011 at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law. She obtained her Master's degree (ll.m.) at the University of Notre Dame, Law School, in the USA in 2004. Between 2005 and 2018 she worked as a legal researcher at the Peace Institute in Ljubljana. From 2018 to 2022 she worked as the head of the legal investigation department of the Slovenian equality body.  Since 2022 she has been teaching law at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Primorska. She has been an ECRI member since 2018.

Nevena Peneva is a member of FRA’s Equality, Roma and Social Rights Unit. Her areas of expertise with respect to the FRA’s work include anti-racism, hate crime and bias-motivated harassment, rights of people with disabilities and older people as well as horizontal issues such as design and use of fundamental rights indicators, participatory research methods and socio-legal research.

Jelena Sesar is a Balkans Researcher for Amnesty International. She focuses on key human rights challenges in the region, including threats to the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly as well as the impact of new technologies on human rights. Jelena has years of experience working in post-conflict countries, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Libya.

Els Keytsman studied Business Management and Applied Economic Sciences (VUB). She has held various management positions in the social and public sectors. After being politically active for several years, she became head of the Politics Department of Oxfam-Wereldwinkels vzw and director of Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen.

Els Keytsman has been a member of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) since December 2023 and an alternate member of the Bureau of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) since 2021.

Annelisa Cotone has been a Member of Cabinet of EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli since 2021. She is an EU civil servant, working at the European Commission since 2009 in the promotion of social inclusion, employment and equal opportunities. This includes leading roles in the development of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the new EU legislation to strengthen national equality bodies, the inclusion of Roma communities and the rights of persons with disabilities.