Speakers
Opening remarks
Tomáš Boček
Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees
In January 2016, Ambassador Tomáš Boček was appointed Special Representative on Migration and Refugees of Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland. His mandate is to gather information on the situation of migrants and refugees in the member States, and to develop proposals for action at national and European level. He also liaises with international partners, in particular the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the European Union, the International Organisation for Migration and UNICEF.
One of his priorities is to improve the situation of the high number of refugee and migrant children in Europe. He is responsible for the implementation of the Council of Europe´s Action plan to this effect. He has also undertaken fact-finding missions to hotspots, camps and detention centres in several member States.
A lawyer by training and a career diplomat, Tomáš Boček studied at the University of Pilsen and has a degree in public international law from Paris I University – Panthéon Sorbonne. From 2004 to 2008, he was the Agent of the Czech Republic before the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg. In 2007 and 2008, he was also Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs and, from 2008 to 2009, Deputy Minister for International Relations and European Affairs at the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic. From 2010 until the end of January 2016, he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the Council of Europe and from 2013 to 2015 also Vice-Chair of the Governing Board of the Council of Europe Development Bank.
Lilja Gretarsdottir
Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department, Council of Europe
Lilja Gretarsdottir is Deputy Head of Division and Secretary to the Council of Europe Drafting Group on Migration and Human Rights within the Human Rights Directorate of the Council of Europe.
She has held various posts in her home country Iceland as well as internationally, including as the Secretary General of the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region where she worked extensively on the human rights of the indigenous people of the Arctic and environmental issues affecting them.
Keynote speeches
Christos Giakoumopoulos
Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe
Christos Giakoumopoulos was appointed Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the Council of Europe on 1 August 2017.
He was previously Director of Human Rights from 2011 – 2017 and also Director of Monitoring in the same Directorate General between 2006 - 2011.
Before joining the Directorate General of Human Rights, he was General Counsel and General Director for Legal and Administrative Affairs of the Council of Europe Development Bank (Paris).
Since joining the Council of Europe in 1987, he held posts in the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights, the Venice Commission and Director in the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, A. Gil Robles.
Languages : Greek, French, English, German, Italian
Simon Mordue
Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Simon MORDUE is the Deputy Director-General for Migration at DG Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME). Prior to this, he held various posts at the European Commission (EC) including the post of Director for Strategy and Turkey at DG Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations; Head of Cabinet of Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy and Deputy Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Günter Verheugen.
Simon has played a key role in Europe's response to the recent migration crisis on the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Mediterranean routes.
Panel I: Essential elements of effective alternatives to the detention of migrants
Ioana Pelin-Raducu
Policy Officer, Asylum Unit, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Ioana Pelin-Raducu is a policy officer at the Asylum Unit of the European Commission's Directorate for Migration and Home Affairs, which is the team contributing to the development and overseeing the implementation of the Common European Asylum System acquis.
She previously worked at the Secretariat-General of the European Commission, in a unit dealing with the transparency policy. She also holds a Phd in law from the University of Geneva on the judicial dialogue between the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union on the protection of fundamental rights standards (the European Convention on Human Rights, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the national constitutional traditions).
Frank Schürmann
former Government Agent of Switzerland to the European Court of Human Rights, Rapporteur of CDDH-MIG
1974 - 1980 Etudes de droit, Universités de Bâle et Fribourg, Suisse
1980 - 1988 Assistant et assistant en chef à l'Université de Berne (Prof. Dr. Gunther Arzt, Droit pénal et Procédure pénale)
1986 Docteur en droit, Université de Bâle (La notion de la violence dans le Code pénal suisse, Prof. Dr. Günter Stratenwerth)
1988 - 1991 Greffier au Tribunal fédéral suisse, Lausanne (Chambre de droit public)
1991 - 2018 Office fédéral de la justice (OFJ), Département fédéral de justice et police
1991 - 2002 Chef suppléant et chef de l'unité "Droit de l'homme et Conseil de l'Eu rope" dans la Division des affaires internationales; Agent suppléant du Gouvernement suisse devant la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme;
2002 - 2005 Chef de l'unité "Droit de procédure pénal", Agent suppléant du Gou- vernement suisse devant la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme;
2006 - 2018 Chef de l'unité "Droit européen et Protection internationale des droits de l'homme", Agent du Gouvernement suisse devant la Cour euro- péenne des droits de l'homme
Juillet 2018 Fin de l’activité à l’OFJ (retraite)
Depuis 1999 Professeur (temps partiel à l'Université de Berne (Convention euro- péenne des droits de l'homme)
Depuis 2001 Professeur (temps partiel) à l'Université de Fribourg (Protection international des droits de l'homme)
Activités au Conseil de l'Europe
Ancien membre de plusieurs comités directeurs (CDCJ, CDDH, CEPEJ) et comité d'experts/groupes de travail (entre autres: DH-PR, GDR, Procédures d'asile accélérées; Livre blanc Placement involontaire des personnes atteintes de troubles mentaux, CDDH-MIG),
Expert du CdE (entre autres Etudes de compatibilité de la législation internes en Lituanie, Moldavie, Roumanie avant leur adhésion à la CEDH).
Sophie Magennis
Head of Unit, Policy and Legal Support, UNHCR Bureau for Europe
Sophie Magennis is Head of the Policy and Legal Support Unit at UNHCR’s Regional Representation for EU Affairs in Brussels. Prior to her appointment, she was UNHCR’s Head of Office in Ireland. Previously, she was Head of Policy and Legislation at the Irish Ombudsman for Children’s Office and Administrator of the Irish Human Rights Commission.
She co-founded Human Rights Consultants in 2000. Prior to that, she served as Deputy to the Irish Ambassador to the Council of Europe. She has worked with the Council of Europe as Legal Consultant to the Monitoring Unit of the Secretary General and as a Legal Expert at the Council of Europe’s Section for Equality between Women and Men.
She is an Attorney and Counselor at Law at the New York State Bar and holds a European Masters Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation from the European Inter-University Centre in Venice, Italy.
Niclas Axelsson
Specialist on Detention Issues, Swedish Migration Board
Niclas Axelsson is working as a Legal Expert at the Legal Division of the Swedish Migration Agency. The Swedish Migration Agency is, amongst other things, responsible for handeling asylum claims, for the return process and for running detention centres.
Niclas is mainly responsible for legal matters concerning detention and alternatives to detention. His work includes writing internal guidelines, considering proposed legislation, giving legal advice – internaly and externaly – and representing the Swedish Migration Agency externaly in different contexts, for instance in working groups on ATD/detention and return. He has also been the appointed expert from the Swedish Migration Agency in two commissions of inquiry regarding detention and return.
He has been working at the Migration Agency since 2003 on various positions, including executive officer and head of unit at the detention centre in Gävle and Specialist in detention issues. Since 2015 he has been with the Legal Division.
Jem Stevens
Europe Regional Coordinator, International Detention Coalition
Jem Stevens, Europe Regional Coordinator, the International Detention Coalition (IDC)
Jem has coordinated the IDC's Europe programme since 2013, working with member NGOs, governments and regional stakeholders to support and promote the development of alternatives to detention and reduce immigration detention in the region. Jem previously worked for the Association for the Prevention of Torture and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, with a focus on the human rights of persons deprived of their liberty. Jem has a Bachelor’s degree in law and French law, and a Master’s degree in human rights and democratisation. Jem is based in Berlin, Germany.
Panel II - Testing and evaluating alternatives in practice
Morten Ruud
Chair of CDDH-MIG and Vice-Chair of CDDH, Special Adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Born 1950, law degree from University of Oslo 1974.
Various positions in the Norwegian Ministry of Justice since 1976, including 6 years as Director General of the Polar Affairs Department. He was Secretary General from 1997 to 2012 and Governor of Svalbard 1998-2001.
Has represented Norway at a number of international conferences and committees, especially relating to human rights, humanitarian law, fight against terrorism and polar matters. He chaired the expert committee that drafted Protocol 11 to the ECHR (Merger of the Court and the Commission). He has also chaired the CoE committee of experts on the reform of the Court (DH-GDR) and is now chairing the working group on human rights and migration (DH-MIG).
Alison Wray
Deputy Director, Strategy and Planning Directorate, Immigration Enforcement, UK Home Office
Alison has worked for the UK Home Office for over 25 years. She has experience in immigration case management, international and European JHA policy and front line immigration enforcement.
Alison is currently leading the implementation of a series of pilots to test different ways of supporting migrants in the community to case conclusion.
Jan Braat
Senior Policy Advisor, Migration and Integration, City of Utrecht
Since 2001 Senior policy advisor on migration
2007-2010 Member of national policy group on regularization in the Netherlands
2011- …. Member of Eurocities Working group migration and integration
2015- …. Multi level governance advisory group on undocumented migrants in the Netherlands between cities and Ministry of Justice
.. Chair of the City initiative Migrants with Irregalar status in Europe (C-MISE) (subcommittee of the Eurocities Working Group Migration and a cooperation of 11 cities from 190 EU countries together with Oxford university.
Thomas Dunning
Principal Social Worker, TUSLA Child and Family Agency, Ireland
Thomas Dunning is the Principal Social Worker of the Tusla Child and Family Agency’s Team for Separated Children Seeking Asylum and was the clinical coordinator of Ireland’s Calais Special Project to bring UAMs from Calais to Ireland as program refugees. Thomas qualified in Chicago, USA where he worked in the areas of mental health, alcohol and other drug abuse, HIV prevention and LGBT health promotion. He has been a social worker for 29 years; the last 13 of which have been specific to working with children in migration, unaccompanied minors and family reunification. He has participated in many EASO expert working groups on UAMs and has presented the Irish Model of Care and Protection for Unaccompanied Children throughout Europe.
*Tusla Child and Family Agency is the statutory body responsible for child protection and welfare in Ireland.
Radostina Pavlova
Legal Expert and Advocacy Officer, Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria, Bulgaria
Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria
Radostina Pavlova is a Legal Expert and Advocacy Officer at the Center for Legal Aid - Voice in Bulgaria (CLA). The CLA is a non-governmental organization based in Sofia, Bulgaria, founded in 2009 with the mission to promote the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, through pro bono legal consultations and court representation, as well as through advocacy and research. Prior to joining the CLA in 2014, Radostina worked as a Policy Analyst and Programme Advisor in the areas of immigration, integration and multiculturalism for the Canadian federal government. She also has worked as a counselor at legal aid clinics in Toronto, Canada, in the areas of refugee and immigration law and injured workers compensation rights. She holds Master’s degrees in Immigration and Settlement Studies, and Russian and East European Studies (Political Science stream), and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. In addition to her work at the CLA, she is an independent consultant, researcher and trainer working on migration-related topics such as prevention of human trafficking, vulnerable migrants and access to public information in the area of asylum and migration.
Panel III: Good practices and lessons for the future
Mikhail Lobov
Head of Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department, Council of Europe
Mikhail Lobov received his legal degree in 1992 from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University). In 1995, he earned a master’s degree (D.E.A) in international law from Robert Schuman University (Strasbourg), and in 2004, a LL.M. from Columbia University Law School (New York).
He joined the Council of Europe in 1997 where he served successively as a Legal Officer at the Department for the Execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and Head of Legal Division at the Court’s Registry. Since 2014 he leads the Human Rights Policy and Co-operation Department at the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law. In 1995-1997, he taught constitutional law at Robert Schuman University of Strasbourg. His academic record also includes numerous lectures and publications on the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Simon Chassard
Legal Advisor of the General Director for Foreign Nationals in France
À l'issue de sa scolarité à l'Ecole nationale d'administration, M Simon Chassard a intégré le Conseil d'Etat, juridiction administrative suprême, au sein duquel il a exercé des fonctions de magistrat et de conseil du gouvernement. Depuis juillet 2018, M Chassard est conseiller auprès du Directeur général des étrangers en France, plus particulièrement chargé de la mise en œuvre des réformes et des questions juridiques.
Ses fonctions l’ont conduit à s'intéresser à l'ensemble du champ de la politique migratoire (asile, immigration et intégration), avec un angle d'approche tant opérationnel que juridique.
Kadri Soova
Deputy Director, PICUM
Kadri has worked for the past 10 years at PICUM focusing on EU migration policies and carrying out rights-based and solution-oriented advocacy on detention and return.
Since this year she is the Deputy Director of PICUM. Her academic background is in law and human rights and she has previously worked as an Adviser to the Chancellor of Justice of Estonia.
Adriano Silvestri
Head of Sector, Asylum, Migration and Borders, FRA
Adriano Silvestri’s areas of expertise with respect to the FRA’s work include international human rights and refugee law as well as the EU acquis relating to asylum, borders and immigration.
Before joining the FRA he was at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where he worked in the field for several years (Armenia, the Russian Federation and Austria) as well as at UNHCR headquarters. He worked on a wide range of activities, both legal as well as operational, relating to asylum, the protection of internally displaced persons and statelessness. He was involved in the development of UNHCR tools and guidelines, for example on the best interests of the child or on assessing protection gaps for internally displaced persons. He also worked for the World Wide Fund for Nature in the Altai-Sayan region.
He studied law in Italy and international law in Geneva.
Laurent Chapuis
Regional Advisor on Migration for the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia
As Migration Regional Adviser, Laurent Chapuis provides strategic direction and technical assistance to countries where UNICEF implements dedicated refugee and migrant responses in the Europe and Central Asia region. Previously, he has played management and advisory roles in child protection and migration with UNICEF in Greece, the Middle-East and Cambodia over the last 13 years.
Prior to UNICEF, he worked for ten years with rehabilitation services for women and children with disabilities with the Red Cross and non-governmental organizations in Cambodia, Palestine, Rwanda, and Congo. He holds two Masters’ degrees, in Social Policy (University of Manchester, 2004), and in Community Disability Studies (University College London, 1998).
Eva Pastrana
Head of the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Unit, Council of Europe
Head of Unit of the Council of Europe “Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP)" Programme, Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI).
Human Rights Attaché to the EU Delegation in Georgia (2009-2015) including work with EU Adviser on Constitutional, Legal Issues and Human Rights to Georgia Thomas Hammarberg (former Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe).
Security Reform/Justice Attaché to the EU Delegation to the Philippines (2004-2009).
Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation and High Council of Judiciary in Nicaragua and Spanish NGOs working in Maghreb and Middle East (1995-2004).
Closing remarks
Satu Mattila-Budich
Ambassador, Chairperson of the Council of Europe Ministers' Deputies
Ambassador, permanent representative of Finland to the the CoE since autumn 2015.
Joined the Finnish Foreign Ministry in December 1983, has served i.e. in New Delhi, Geneva, Washington DC, Tokyo and Singapore.
Magnus Ovilius
Chair of the European Migration Network, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Magnus Ovilius is responsible for the European Commission's Return Policy formulation and Return Management for irregular migration in the EU. Magnus Ovilius is also responsible for the European Commission's European Migration Network (EMN) whose purpose is to provide up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on all aspects of legal & irregular migration and asylum for the institutions of the EU, its Member States, plus Norway. Prior to that Magnus Ovilius was responsible for coordination & direction of global government relations issues & group initiatives for Smiths Group as Senior Vice President in the private sector. Prior to joining Smiths Group, Magnus Ovilius was with the European Commission where he held various management positions most recently as Head of Sector Preparedness and Crisis Management in DG Justice Freedom and Security responsible for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of European Union counter-terrorism policies including defence related aspects of counter-terrorism, law enforcement led civil protection, critical infrastructure protection, crisis management, CBRNE policies, G8 Roma/Lyon meetings and Security Research.
Magnus Ovilius career include being posted as a diplomat responsible for operations and coordination of cooperation to the Russian Federation representing the European Commission. Magnus Ovilius has military training as an officer with the Swedish Armed Forces (Royal Coastal Artillery) and served as an operations officer for the UN Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Magnus Ovilius holds a degree of Master of Laws from the University of Lund in Sweden.
Stephen Ryan
Deputy Head of Unit, Asylum Unit, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Stephen Ryan is Deputy Head of the Asylum Policy Unit in the European Commission's DG HOME (Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs), a position he has held since October 2012. From 2008-2012, Mr. Ryan held various positions in the Border Management/Return Policy and Asylum Units at the Commission's DG HOME, and as member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Cecilia Malmström (Home Affairs), with responsibility for legal and labour migration, integration, and asylum policy. From 1993 to 2008, Mr Ryan worked as an official in the Commission's DG COMP (Competition), holding a number of different positions.
Mr Ryan is a barrister-at-law (Republic of Ireland, 1990). He holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from University College Dublin (1988), and a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Cambridge (1991).