Biographies of Participants

Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights

"Tolerance and respect: preventing and combating antisemitic and anti-Muslim hatred in Europe"

01-02 October 2015

Justice and Consumers

Please note that the biographies were sent by the participants.

ABBAS RAZAWI Syed Ali

Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi is an international scholar, with training in Islamic Sciences and degrees in History, Comparative Philosophy and Law. Sayed chairs the external-policy wiFreappng of the Shi'a Council of Scholars Europe, an umbrella organisation for European Shi'a Muslims. He also advises on policy regarding religion, integration and counter-terrorism. He was one of the cross-denominational Imams leading a 2014 media campaign against ISIS, publicised on 350+ media outlets worldwide.

He is a trustee of the Maimonides Interfaith Foundation, a representative on the National Council for Imams and Rabbis, a core member of the Global Covenant of Religions, a committee member in promoting the UN International Day of Peace, a founder of the Muslim Forum in the British Armed Forces, the Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society and faculty member for the Cambridge Coexist Leadership Programme.

ABTAN Benjamin

Benjamin Abtan is the founder and president of EGAM – The European Grassroots Antiracist Movement. He has been very involved in civil society activism, in particular as Member of the Board of SOS Racisme, President of the French Union of Jewish Students (UEJF) or Co-founder of the "Darfur Urgency" coalition. In the last years, he has acted as political advisor to former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner and to the current French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira. In addition, he has been engaged in consulting activities for international public or private organizations, such as the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations or luxury brands. He graduated from Telecom Paris Engineering School and ESSEC Business School.

ADAMO Chiara

Chiara Adamo is the head of the "Fundamental Rights and Rights of the Child" unit in the European Commission, DG Justice, since June 2014. The unit oversees respect and promotion of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in all EU measures. Particular attention is also devoted to the EU policy against racism, xenophobia and all other forms of intolerance, the dialogue with religions and non-confessional organisations and the promotion of the rights of the child within the EU. Between 2009 and May 2014, Chiara Adamo worked as head of the "Union Citizenship and Free Movement" Unit in DG Justice.

She studied International and Diplomatic Relations in Gorizia, Italy, and in Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium. She specialised in European Law in Rome (ISTUD) and in European Political and Administrative Studies at the College of Europe, Bruges. Since joining the Commission, in 2000, she has been working in the Justice and Home Affairs area. Before joining the Commission, she has been working for civil society organisations and local administrations on cooperation developments, human rights and immigration issues and wrote several publications in these areas.

ARPELS LEZER Marcus

Max Arpels Lezer, born in 1936, spent the WW2-years in hiding with a family in the province of Friesland. He is the only survivor of his maternal family. The last 25 years of his career he was employed by the Netherlands Credit Insurance Comp.N.V. as manager of domestic and foreign debts recovery dept. He is still active in the following social groups:

1996: Chairman “The Hidden Child Association of the Netherlands”, 1997-2014: Vice-President World Federation Jewish Child Survivors o.t. Holocaust”. 2005: President ”European Association Jewish Survivors o.t. Holocaust”. 2007: Member Board of Directors ”Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany,” inc. 2014: Executive Vice President World Federation Jewish Child Survivors o.t. Holocaust”. 2007: Arpels Lezer was granted a knighthood in the order of Oranje-Nassou by Queen Beatrix.

ASADI Shams

Shams Asadi is the Human Rights Commissioner of the City of Vienna. She has graduated in architecture and urban planning and has many years of practical experiences. European and international cooperations are a central focus of Asadi’s career.

ASMUSSEN Dan

Dan Rosenberg Asmussen, Chairman of the Jewish Community in Denmark since May 2014. Board member 2013-2014. Board of delegates 2011-2013. Civilian profession: Deputy CEO, Association of Danish Pharmacies

BAKER Andrew

Rabbi Andrew Baker is Director of International Jewish Affairs for the American Jewish Committee (AJC). In 2009, he was appointed Personal Representative of the OSCE Chair-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism and continues to serve in this position. He is an officer of the Jewish Claims Conference and has served on restitution and historical commissions in the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia. In recognition of his work in Europe he was decorated by the Presidents of Germany, Lithuania, Latvia and Romania. He is a past President of the Interfaith Conference of Washington, a former Commissioner of the District of Columbia Human Rights Commission, a past President of the Washington Board of Rabbis and a former chaplain at San Quentin Prison.

BARASZ Johanna

PhD in History, Johanna Barasz worked as a high school teacher in the Paris area for a few years, before entering the cabinet of the French Minister of Education, Vincent Peillon 2012-2014), where she was in charge of “societal issues” (equality policies, education in underprivileged zones, secularism, moral and civic education, collective memory…).

Johanna Barasz joined the “DILCRA” (Délégation interministérielle à la lutte contre le racisme et l’antisémitisme) in january 2015 as Advisor for education matters.

BATISTA João

Diplomat from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Portugal, currently at the Portuguese Permanent Representation to the European Union, following Human Rights, Middle East and the Gulf and United Nations. Degree in European Studies by the Universidade Moderna, Lisbon, where he took a teaching position as university assistant before joining the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Postings at the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mexico. Assumed a position as Head of Division for South America and the Caribbean at the MFA before being posted at Buenos Aires.

BAUSSAND Pierre

Pierre Baussand is the Director of Social Platform, the largest civil society alliance fighting for social justice and participatory democracy in Europe. Social Platform is committed to the advancement of the principles of equality, solidarity and non-discrimination. Fundamental rights have been at the core of Social Platform’s work since its establishment in 1995, and it is currently pushing for comprehensive EU equal treatment legislation and extended EU legislation to combat all forms of bias violence through criminal law.Prior to joining Social Platform, Mr Baussand worked on human rights for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Disability Forum, and in the Middle East conducting field research on human rights and migration.

BENTOW Mette

I am married and have 3 children age 14, 13, and 8. All children attend the Jewish school. I have been an active member of the Danish Jewish community in the past 16 years. My family were celebrating my daughter Hannah’s Bat Mizvah on 14 February 2015 at the Copenhagen synagogue, when terrorist attacked the synagogue. The Jewish security guard Dan Uzan z’l was killed, while protecting the entrance and two police officers were wounded. Meanwhile we and the remaining 44 guest, most of them children, were in hiding in a safe-room and evacuated after 3 hours.

BOTONJIĆ Nermin

Nermin Botonjic - Secretary of Meshihat of Islamic Community in Croatia and Head of Mufti Cabinet in Croatia. Born in Pula (Croatia) in 1985. Education: Medresa “dr. Ahmed Smajlović” Zagreb, Faculty of Islamic studies in Sarajevo, Master's degree in Democracy and Human Rights, Center for interdisciplinary postgraduate studies of University of Sarajevo. Editor of the “Minber” - official magazine of Islamic Community in Croatia, research/teaching Assistant on the Faculty of Philosophy of the Society of Jesus (Zagreb), involved in education courses (about Islam) of Croatian soldiers participating in NATO peacekeeping/building missions. Regularly participating in round tables, symposiums and interreligious dialogue process (The world Conference of Religions for peace, The spirit of Assisi).

BRADEN-GOLAY Jane

Jane Braden-Golay is originally from Schaffhausen, Switzerland, and studied Religious Studies, Public Law and Education at the University of Zurich. She was elected vice president of the European Union of Jewish Students and served for four years in that position. From January 2014 to September 2015, she was the president of the organization and based in Brussels, Belgium. Her intercultural activism includes the international Muslim Jewish Conference and “Europe of Diasporas”, a project bringing together Jewish, Roma and Armenian activists. She will begin graduate studies at the University of Cambridge in the fall of 2015, working on educational methods for prevention of extremism.

BUTLER Israel

Israel Butler is an independent researcher and analyst on human rights and EU affairs. From 2012-2015 he was senior policy analyst on fundamental rights, justice and home affairs at the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels. Prior to this, he worked for three years at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights in Vienna as a legal researcher and speechwriter. He holds a doctorate in International Law and Human Rights and began his career in academia as a lecturer at Lancaster University covering EU Law and Human Rights Law.

CAMPBELL Neil

Neil Campbell is Acting Director of the Open Society European Policy Institute. He is responsible for developing the positions and profile of the Open Society Foundations on cross-cutting EU policy issues, and acts as deputy to the director on advocacy matters. He undertakes analysis and advocacy in the thematic areas of development, governance, and accountability in areas relevant to the EU and the Open Society Foundations, and he is also responsible for advocacy work on EU enlargement towards Turkey and the Western Balkan countries. He joined the Open Society Foundations in April 2010.

Campbell holds a BA from Durham University and an MA in international studies and diplomacy from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Before joining the Open Society Foundations, he was EU advocacy manager and senior research analyst (2003–2010) at the International Crisis Group, dealing with EU policies on conflict prevention and crisis management, and managing Crisis Group’s targeted advocacy in Brussels. He has published articles on a range of EU foreign policy issues and speaks French.

CAZANCIUC Robert Marius

Education: 1995  Graduation from The Faculty of Law, University of Bucharest 1996  Graduation from the National Institute of Magistracy, Bucharest 1998-2004  Participation in various training courses and study visits in France, Germany and the USA 2009  LLM degree in ”Judicial Security”, ”Lucian Blaga” University, Sibiu, Romania Career:

1995 – 1998  Prosecutor, Prosecutor's Office attached to the Court of First Instance, Ilfov 1998 – 2000  Prosecutor, Office for Relations with the Media, Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice 2000 - 2001  Spokesperson, Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice 2001 – 2004  General director and, subsequently, Under-state secretary within the Control Body of the Prime-Minister 2004 – 2005  State Secretary within the Department for Program Implementation and Structural Adjustment 2005  Deputy General Director within the National Administration of Penitentiaries 2005 – 2009  Chief Prosecutor of the Office for Relations with the Media, Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice 2009 – 2012  Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Since 2013  Minister of Justice

Didactic experience:

2007 - 2009  Judicial trainer at the National School of Clerks and the National Institute of Magistracy, Bucharest (teaching ”Communication and public relations”)

Honours and awards:

2001 Judicial Merit Order, 5th class, for the activity conducted in the administration 2011 ”The Emblem the Honor of the Romanian Army” awarded by the Ministry of Defense for the operations of evicting Romanian and foreign citizens from Libya 2012 Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the coordination of the Consular Crisis Center

ČERIN Boris

Boris Čerin, (C.V.) (and/or - Boris Cherin Levy - as author of SF novel edited in English), President of Jewish Community of Slovenia. I was born in Maribor, Slovenia, 02.03.1946, I am Jewish by my mother Mazalta Lilia Levi and Slovene by my father Dušan Čerin. After high school I enrolled in the study of mathematics at University of Ljubljana, but prior to enrollment in the third year I interrupted my studies with the decision to go to the literature, and so, all next years, I worked in two fields, I worked as a journalist and as a writer. 4 my SF novel were edited, but my most important literary work is "They Came to Get Me." Novel's subtitle is Battles and Conflicts between Sensis and Acutins.« The possible continuation of our life in the Universe for the time of our life and after death is given in reflection. It is also professionally translated into excellent English and available on the Internet at several addresses and different formats: (PDF, EPUB, MOBI.)

CERF Martine

Martine Cerf led communication companies in France and Belgium, before becoming General Secretary of the organization EGALE, Equality, Secularism, Europe (www.egale.eu), whose purpose is the promotion of equality and secularism in France and Europe. She is a member of citizen reserves of Education. She co-led The Dictionary of secularism (Armand Colin, 2011), which received the award of secular initiative in 2012. She is also co-author of My freedom is secularism (Armand Colin, 2012), prefaced by Robert Badinter. These books are now recommended by Ministry of National Education. She is the author of numerous articles on secularism and fundamental rights in magazines or websites. She designs and delivers training to secularism for children and adults.

COLLINS Evelyn

Dr Evelyn Collins CBE has been Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland since March 2000. Evelyn is a law graduate of Sheffield University, and has Masters’ degrees from University of Toronto (Criminology) and Queen’s University Belfast (Human Rights and Discrimination Law). In July 2014, the University of Ulster awarded Evelyn the honorary degree of Doctor of Law (LLD) for her contribution to the promotion of equality and good relations. Evelyn has worked on equality issues since the 1980s, mostly in Northern Ireland but also as a national expert working on gender equality in the European Commission in Brussels. Evelyn is currently Chair of the Board of Equinet, the European Network of Equality Bodies and a member of the European Commission’s Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities between Women and Men.

CRESPI Elena

Elena Crespi is heading the Western Europe Programme at FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights), focusing on human rights protection and promotion in Europe and coordinating the work that FIDH is conducting with its member organisations across the continent. She previously worked as an advocate and legal officer at Amnesty International's EU office, within the legal department of Italy's Permanent Representation to the EU and in private law practice. Among her areas of expertise are economic, social and cultural rights, migration and asylum and criminal justice.

CUKIERMAN Roger French, born in 1936 in Paris

Education PHD in Economics BA in law Diploma of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris ESCP, Paris Business School

Business experience From 1963 to January 1999 with the Edmond de Rothschild Group. Former CEO of the Edmond de Rothschild Group in France. Also former CEO of Israel General Bank. Former Director of Club Med, Bolloré, PEC New York and many international companies. Presently, chairman of Soparexo-Chateau Margaux

Publications Author of “The Capital in the Japanese Economy” and of “Ni fiers ni dominateurs”

Nonprofit activities President of CRIF (Roof body of French Jewish organisations) Vice-president of the World Jewish Congress Vice-president of the Alliance Israélite Universelle Treasurer of la "Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah"

CUMMISKEY Siobhan

Siobhán Cummiskey is the Policy Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Facebook. Siobhán and her team write and interpret the policies governing what content people can share on Facebook, and how advertisers and developers can interact with the site. Siobhán worked as a private practitioner and human rights lawyer for 5 years before joining Facebook. Prior to this, she lectured and published in the areas of Human Rights Law and Contract Law. Siobhán serves as co- chair on the board of directors of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. Siobhán has also worked on a pro bono basis with the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre in London, Vigil India Movement in Bangalore, the Legal Aid Department of Malawi, the Irish Human Rights Commission and the International Human Rights Network. She is a qualified lawyer in Ireland and the State of New York and holds a LL.B. from the University of Dublin, Trinity College and a first class honours LL.M. in Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham.

DAVIS Jacqueline

Jacki Davis is a leading commentator and analyst on European Union affairs. She is an experienced journalist, speaker and moderator of high- level events both in Brussels and in EU national capitals, the editor of many publications, a regular broadcaster on television and radio news programmes, and a Senior Adviser to the European Policy Centre think tank. Jacki has been based in Brussels for 23 years, and was previously Communications Director of the European Policy Centre; editor-in-chief of E!Sharp, a magazine on the EU launched in 2001; and launch editor of European Voice, a Brussels-based weekly newspaper on EU affairs owned by The Economist Group, from 1995-2000.

DE KERCHOVE Gilles

Mr. Gilles de KERCHOVE was appointed EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator on 19 September 2007. In this function, he coordinates the work of the European Union in the field of counter-terrorism, maintains an overview of all the instruments at the Union's disposal, closely monitors the implementation of the EU counter-terrorism strategy and fosters better communication between the EU and third Countries to ensure that the Union plays an active role in the fight against terrorism. Before that he was Director for Justice and Home Affairs at the Council Secretariat .He is also a European law professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, the Free University of Brussels and at the Université Saint Louis-Brussels. He was deputy secretary of the convention that drafted the charter of the fundamental rights of the European Union from 1999 to 2000. He has published a number of books on European law.

DI LILLO Francesco

Francesco Di Lillo is Head of the European Union Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brussels, Belgium. He was appointed in 2013. He focuses on freedom of religion or belief, humanitarian assistance, volunteerism and youth. Prior to this assignment, he was Assistant Area Director of Public Affairs at the Church’s European headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. He holds a Master’s in Theory of Communications from the University Roma Tre (cum laude) specializing on the proactive use of media as tools for conflict resolution and peacebuilding. He also completed a Master in International Relations at the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI). Francesco was born in Rome, Italy. He is married to Emanuela and has four children.

DIENSTBIER Jiri

Minister of the Czech Republic´s Government for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation, Chairman of the Government Legislative Council.

In July 2010 he became the Shadow Minister of Justice for ČSSD. In 2010 he headed the ČSSD list of candidates for the elections to the Prague City Assembly. From March 2011 to March 2013 he served as the Vice-Chairman of ČSSD. In March 2011 he was elected the Senator for the Kladno district. Before becoming the Minister in January 2014 he served as the Vice-Chairman of the ČSSD Senate Club, a member of the Legal and Constitutional Committee and Organisation Committee of the Czech Senate. He was also a member of the Standing Senate Commission on the Czech Constitution and Parliamentary Procedures. In 2013 he ran for the Office of the President of the Czech Republic. In January 2014 he was appointed the Minister of Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and Legislation and Chairman of the Government´s Legislative Council in the Government of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka. In 2014 he was re-elected to the Senate in the Kladno district.

DORAZILOVÁ Zuzana

Zuzana Dorazilová is a policy officer at the European Commission. She works in the Directorate General for Justice and Consumers where she is responsible for financial programmes and training in the area of fundamental rights. She is currently managing a Holocaust education project for EU officials. She also worked for three years as a programme manager of several EU funding programmes in the area of prevention of and fight against crime. Before joining the European Commission, she worked in the law firm Glatzová& Co. in Prague. Her educational background includes Master degrees in Law and Political Science & European Studies from the Palacký University in Olomouc and LLM degree in human rights from the Central European University in Budapest. Zuzana was in charge of the overall coordination of this first Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights.

DOUBAKIL FATIMA

Fatima Doubakil, founder and spokesperson for the Muslim Human Rights Committee, member of the steering committee for the Swedish Muslim in Cooperation Network and Diversity Consultant at Gededucated, Sweden.

EBNER Regina

Gina Ebner is Secretary General of EAEA (European Association for the Education of Adults). Before that, she worked as a language teaching assistant in England, a trainer for German and English at different adult education institutes in Vienna (where she’s from) and as a pedagogical manager for a vocational training institute in Austria. After moving to Brussels, she was a project manager at EUROCADRES (Council for European professional and managerial staff) until changing to EAEA. From 2008 to 2013 she was also president of the European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning (EUCIS LLL).

EISSENS Ronald

Ronald Eissens is Board member and co-founder of the International Network Against Cyber Hate. (INACH) He has been responsible for national and international anti-racism and Human Rights projects since 1992. He instituted the world's first Complaints Bureau for hate on the Internet, created the First Sailing Internet connection, organized food and medicine transports to the besieged city of Sarajevo, did live reporting on the antisemitism during the UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, web-casted the name-reading of all Dutch Jews murdered during the Holocaust and created awareness campaigns on racism, extremism, antisemitism and Holocaust denial. He has published extensively on the subject of Cyber Hate and is a regular contributor to the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism.

EL ABBADI Khalissa

Master degree in social and economic political (UCL)

I work since 15 years in integration sector

Head of department « A reception program» newcomers

ELAMRI Lamia

She has Bachelor of Science in Education: Religion and Social Studies, Tunis 1993. She was Project leader on a study associations “Integrating and popular education” (2003-2005). She was member of the Municipal Council of Stockholm (2002-2006).She helped establish several organizations in Sweden and in Europe: she was a member of the Forum for Equal Rights / Anti-discrimination office in Kista (2003); she was member of the Swedish Committee against Islamophobia (2006); she was Chairwoman of the Muslim Women’s Association (1997-2002). She is a founder member of the European Forum of Muslim Women and she has been a Board member of EFOMW since 2006 until now. She works today as a section manager at the Swedish public employment service.

FAULL Jonathan

Born in the UK in 1954, Jonathan Faull joined the European Commission in 1978, after law studies at the University of Sussex and the College of Europe (Bruges).

He is currently Director General of the European Commission's Task Force on the British referendum on EU membership. He spent most of his early Commission career in the Directorate General of Competition, working his way up from the starting grade to become Deputy Director General. From 1989 to 1992 he worked in the cabinet (private office) of the competition Commissioner (Leon Brittan). From 1999 to 2003 he was the Commission’s chief press spokesman and Director General of Press and Communication; from 2003 to 2010 Director General of Justice and Home Affairs and from 2010 to 2015 Director General of Internal Market and Services and then of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. He is the author of many articles on European law and policy and co-editor of a leading work on European Competition Law, Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Emeritus Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Visiting Fellow at the Policy Institute at King's, King’s College and a Member of the Research Council of the European University Institute.

FERNANDEZ Claire

Claire Fernandez is the Deputy Director – Policy at the European Network Against racism (ENAR). Prior to joining ENAR in February 2013, Claire worked as an independent human rights consultant. Her previous assignments include leading the Open Society Foundations’ campaign on the reform of the European Court of Human Rights and revising the Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights’ Report on the human rights of Roma. Previously, she worked as an adviser to the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights. From 2008 to 2010, she served the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia and Kosovo, advising local authorities on good governance and minorities’ rights. She holds a Master degree in Human Rights from the Robert Schuman University in Strasbourg (France).

FIELDSEND David

David Fieldsend serves as Attaché to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the EU. He is also a Lay Minister at Holy Trinity Anglican Pro Cathedral in Brussels. He has been a licensed Reader in the Church of England since 1982. His gained his first degree in Town & Country Planning at Newcastle University in the early 1970s. He served for two years on a Christian aid team in South Sudan and Kenya after graduation. From 2002 until mid-2014 as the Brussels Representative of Christian social policy NGO CARE (Christian Action Research & Education). Between these two periods of charity work he had a professional career in town planning in the UK including local government, private practice and university teaching.

FISCHER Benjamin

Benjamin Fischer is the incoming president of the European Union of Jewish Students. He grew up in Berlin, where he graduated from the Jewish Highschool in 2010 and studied political science in Hamburg. For four years he was a scholar of the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk, a Jewish scholarship fund which is gouvernment-funded. From the beginning he was involved in building up representative structures and served as its elected president. Fischer worked in Jewish and non-Jewish youth centers and youth movements for more than nine years. Additionally, he started working as an educator for new youth leaders in January 2014. As a part time job he gave guided tours through the Synagogues of Hamburg and hereby tried to deliver a first insight into Judaism for visitors of all age and cultural background.

FOBLETS Marie-Claire

Marie-Claire Foblets, Lic. Iur., Lic. Phil., Ph.D. Anthrop. (Belgium) is professor of Law at the Universities of Leuven (Louvain in Belgium) and since 2012 also Director of the Department of ‘Law & Anthropology’ at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle/Saale (Germany). She has held various visiting professorships both within and outside Europe. From September 2009 to November 2010 she was the co-chair of the ‘Assises de l’ Interculturalité’ (The Round Tables on Interculturalism) in Belgium. Prof. Foblets has conducted extensive research and published widely on issues of migration law, including the elaboration of European migration law after the Treaty of Amsterdam, citizenship/nationality laws, compulsory integration, anti-racism and non-discrimination, etc. In the Field of anthropology of law, her research focuses on cultural diversity and legal practice, with a particular interest in the application of Islamic family law in Europe, and more recently in the accommodation of cultural and religious diversity under State law.

FRANCIS Celine

Dr Céline Francis is an expert in conflict resolution, especially mediation, and human rights. She has a Ph.D. degree in Political Science from the VUB. She was involved in fact finding and inquiry missions to the conflicts in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. She currently works for the European Federation of the Community of Sant’Egidio where she represents the work the communities vis-a-vis the European institutions and coordinates interreligious and interconvictional events. This includes the national demonstration ‘Together in Peace – Freedom and Respect’ on March 15, 2015, the first event organized by all the official convictions and beliefs in Belgium which gathered almost 5000 people in the streets of Brussels in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.

FRIGGIERI David

David Friggieri coordinated the Colloquium's Hate Speech Panel. He is a Legal and Policy Officer in the Fundamental Rights Unit within the European Commission's Directorate- General for Justice and Consumers where he focuses on the EU's fight against racism and xenophobia as well as freedom of expression. He studied law, international relations and European law at the Universities of Malta and Rennes I (France) and the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium).

FROEHLY Jean Pierre

Since July 2014, Head of the Director's Office and Senior Political Advisor to the Director of OSCE/ODIHR.

In his capacity as a German career diplomat, previous postings to the German Embassies in London, Kiev, Vilnius and Moscow, as Deputy head of office of the Deputy Foreign Minister (Minister of State) in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, and to the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the OSCE in Vienna. Before joining the German Federal Foreign Service, he had been a research fellow at the German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP). He studied International Relations and Law in Germany and France and graduated from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).

GALAND Pierre Pierre Galand, President of the European Humanist Federation

Pierre Galand became president of the European Humanist Federation in 2012 after a long career as chair of various development NGOs (Oxfam, CNCD, CNAPD and more) and as Belgian senatorHe is an economist by training and is honorary professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. As president of the Belgian francophone Centre d’Action Laïque from 2007 to 2014, Pierre Galand has confirmed his commitment to promote humanism and defend secularism in Europe. He remains president of the Organisation Mondiale contre la Torture (OMCT-Europe), l’Association belge et la coordination européenne pour la Palestine (ABP et ECCP), l’Association belge et la coordination européenne de soutien au peuple sahraoui (EUCOCO) and le Forum pour un Contrat de Génération Nord-Sud.

GANI Eve

"Eve Gani is Director of International Affairs for CRIF (Conseil Représentatif des Institutions juives de France). She became a professional in CRIF in 2009 where she developed an expertise in international relations, relations with the Muslim community and counterterrorism. In 2014 she joined the Radicalization Awarness Network (RAN) set up by the European Commission. Presided by Roger Cukierman, CRIF is a national federation, made up of 68 Jewish organizations. CRIF represent the organized French Jewish community and maintain dialogue with the authorities and the media. CRIF aim to fight against antisemitism, defend human rights, protect the memory of the Shoah and express solidarity with the state of Israel."

GARDNER Mark

Mark Gardner has worked full time for Community Security Trust (and its predecessor, Community Security Organisation) since 1989. He has been Director of Communications and Deputy Director of Operations since 2005.

Mark plays a lead role in co-ordinating UK Jewish media and political responses on CST’s core issues of antisemitism, policing, security and terrorism. He is frequently quoted in Jewish, UK and international media; and speaks regularly at public meetings and conferences on these subjects. Mark has represented CST and the Jewish community to Government and international bodies on numerous occasions, including the 2006 Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism, and various European Union committees and anti-racism research projects. He was awarded a Metropolitan Police commendation for his advisory role on behalf of all London's minority communities during the Nazi nail bombing campaign of 1999. Mark has authored many articles and CST reports on antisemitism, policing, security and terrorism.

GARRAHY David

David Garrahy leads the European Youth Forum’s Advocacy and Policy outreach on themes such as youth employment, youth organisation development and youth political participation. He also oversees work in facilitating cooperation between youth organisations members and decision-makers at Member State level. Before this, he lead the Youth Forum’s campaign for the 2014 European Elections entitled LoveYouthFuture, which saw many MEP candidates endorsing the Youth Forum election manifesto.

GASPARD Anne

Anne Gaspard is the Executive Director of Equinet – European Network of Equality Bodies since the establishment of the Equinet Secretariat in 2008.

Anne had been active and involved in the field of equality and non- discrimination at a European level since the start of her professional career, following her graduation in European studies and political science from University College London and Berlin Humboldt University.

Starting with the campaign of the European Year against Racism in 1997 for the European Parliament and a subsequent stage experience within the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) at the Council of Europe, Anne then joined and managed the UK-based secretariat of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) to support its Chair from 1998 to 2000. Anne was then responsible for the implementation of various European anti-discrimination and equality projects for a European diversity management consultancy leading the European office of Focus Consultancy in Brussels for seven years, until taking up the position of Executive Director of Equinet Secretariat in February 2008

GEENS Koen Mr. Koen Geens is the Minister of Justice in the Belgian federal cabinet. He took office in October 2014, after serving as Minister of Finance from March 2013 to October 2014. He studied law at UFSIA (University of Antwerp) and subsequently at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven), where he graduated in 1980. One year later he also received an LL.M. degree from Harvard University. From 1981 to 1985 he was a PhD fellow for the National Fund for Scientific Research. From 1985 until 1986 he worked as an assistant at the Faculty of Law of the KU Leuven. He received his Doctor’s degree of Law in 1986, for which he was awarded twice. From 1990 onward, Koen Geens has had several academic functions, and rendered many social and scientific services. He continues teaching at the KU Leuven, where he became lecturer in 1986 and senior full professor in 1993, and now is a part-time professor whilst being a federal Minister. Koen Geens is the author of many works in the field of Corporate Law, and a member of the editorial staff of several legal series and law reviews.

GIANNASI Paul

Paul works in the Ministry of Justice in the United Kingdom. Since 2007 he has lead the cross-government Hate Crime Programme which brings all sectors of government together to coordinate efforts to improve the response to hate crime across the criminal justice system. Paul is the UK National Point of Contact to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on hate crime and has worked to share good practice within the OSCE region and within Africa. Paul has 30 years experience as a police officer and is a member of the National Police Chief’s Council’s Hate Crime Group. He manages True Vision (www.report-it.org.uk) on behalf of the police and is the author of the 2014 Police Hate Crime Manual which offers guidance to all UK police officers and partners. Paul is the co-editor of the 2014 ‘Routledge International Handbook on Hate Crime’ and ‘Tackling Disability Discrimination and Disability Hate Crime - A Multidisciplinary Guide published by Jessica Kingsley in 2015. Paul was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Years Honours list for services to policing, equality and human rights.

GILLHOFF Nikola

Since September 2015 Deputy Special Representative for relations with Jewish organisations, German Foreign Office; May 2013 – September 2015 Policy officer Egypt, European External Action Service; 2010 – 2013 German Representative Working Party Maghreb/Mashrek, German Permanent Representation to the EU; 2008 – 2010 Deputy Head of Task Force Development, European Personnel Selection Office; 2005 – 2008 Deputy Head of unit European affairs, Federal Chancellery Berlin; 2003 – 2005 German Representative Working Party on Asia, German Permanent Representation to the EU; 1993 – 1995 Consular Service German Embassy Tel Aviv.

GRZYBOWSKI Samuel

Samuel Grzybowski, born 20 May 1992 in Paris, is graduated at Sciences Po and History at the University Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne. In January 2009, he founded Coexist, a youth movement for interfaith dialogue he chairs since its first general meeting on October 15, 2009. He is also the founder of InterFaith Tour a worldwide experience for youngsters around the world meeting interfaith activist in 40 countries during a year long. In 2015 he launched Convivencia, a consulting company about religions and laïcité for enterprises.

HADDOU Aicha

Aicha Haddou is an academic researcher with a background in Pedagogy, Islamic Theology and Religious Studies. She is founder and Vice-President of European Research on Islamic Development, a transnational research network, and Director of EmridDialog-Europe. Member of the Executive Committee of European Jewish and Muslim Leaders-Europe (FEU), Co- President of Women of Faith Belgium (Religions For Peace) , Co-initiator of the Women’s International Network of Jewish-Muslim Dialogue (FFEU), Representative of the European Women of Faith Network and member of Religions for Peace - Europe. She is Director of the prestigious Center for Interfaith Studies and Research of the Rabita Al- Mouhammadia of the Ulemas, Morocco. Upon appointment by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, she is Member of the Superior Council of Education, Training and Scientific Research.

HAJJI Khalid

Contributes to training imams in Europe. Introducing religious Muslim religious leaders to European culture. Member of Islam Konferenz (2011-2012 and 2012-2013). Germany Founding member of « Circle of Wisdom for Thinkers and Researchers », Rabat, Morocco. Vice President of « Maghareb Center for Studies in Civilization », Rabat/ Morocco Dr. Hajji´s Ph.D. is in Anglo–American studies. Paris-Sorbonne: 1994. His thesis covered Thomas Edward Lawrence (Alias Lawrence of Arabia) and the Experience of the Desert. Dr. Hajji speaks Arabic, French, English, German. His fields of interest and research: « Renewal of Islamic Discours »; « Muslims in Europe »; « Art and Religion »; « Geo-politics and Geo-poetics ». He has supervised many researches on these themes. Media Researcher. Founding member of Aljazeera Research Center (Doha, Qatar: 2006- 2008) Thinker and Writer. He has published dozens of Articles in various magazines, newspapers and scholarly journals. Co- Editor of Almunaataf (Quarterly scientific Arabic Magazine). Among his Books:  Khalid Hajji. Lawrence d´Arabie ou l´Arabie de Lawrence: geographie, politique, poetique, sagesse. (Paris: L´Harmattan, 2001)  Khalid Hajji. Min maddaiiq al–Hadatha ila Fadai al–Ibdaa al–Islami wa al–Arabi. (From the Narrowness of Modernity towards a New Space of Islamo–Arabic Creativity) Arabic. (Beirut, Casablanca: Arab Cultural Institution, 2005)  Khalid Hajji. Abderrahman wa al–Bahr (Abderrahman and the Sea). Novel in Arabic. (Beirut, Casablanca: Arab Cultural Institution, 2010). Translated in German.

HATHROUBI Samia

Samia Hathroubi is a young French-Tunisian commentator and social activist who specialises in the question of minorities and development in Europe generally and Paris more specifically. She is very active in anti-racism campaigning with a focus on issues relating to Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism. She is currently working on different projects to promotes the rights of minorities and inter-faith dialogue with a number of European, French and US-based institutions, including the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting racial harmony and strengthening inter-group relations. She graduated from the University of Lyon 2 with an MA in Islamic Studies and is currently studying Muslim-Jewish relations throughout history at the Woolf institute in Cambridge, a leading institute in the academic study of relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims.

HERBLIN Audrey

Audrey Herblin-Stoop is the Head of Public Policy of Twitter France and represents Twitter with French officials and political institutions. She is also in charge of social and environmental responsibility of the company in France. Audrey began her career at MEDEF (French business confederation) in 2008 as Director of Mission Public Affairs, before joining TBWA\Corporate.

HOEVENAARS Judith

Ms. Judith Hoevenaars is a policy officer at the ministry of foreign affairs in the Netherlands. She works in the European integration department, dealing with the rule of law, human rights and several justice policies.

HOKOVSKÝ Radko

Radko Hokovský is the Executive Director and Chairman of the European Values Think-Tank, which he co-founded in 2005. In addition he was active in the Association for International Affairs, European Youth Parliament and European Movement. Professionally he deals with the issues of EU internal security, immigration, integration and prevention of radicalisation and extremism. He lectures on these subjects at the Charles University in Prague (Institute of Political Studies) and the Metropolitan University Prague (Department of International Relations and European Studies). At Charles University he graduated in 2006 from the Bachelor programme of Political Science and IR. He has received his Master’s degree “Master of European Studies” at the Centre for European Integration Studies (ZEI) at the University of Bonn, Germany.

HOLLOWAY Robert

Robert Holloway has been a journalist for more than 40 years. Since 1988 he has worked for AFP international news agency and has held the positions of foreign editor, acting editor-in-chief and deputy managing editor. While UN correspondent in New York, he coordinated AFP's coverage of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. In 2007, he set up the AFP Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes press freedom through training journalists in developing countries. Much of the foundation's work has been in the Middle East, a region Mr Holloway knows well, having worked for three years in Beirut and for two years as Cairo correspondent of The Times. A British-born citizen of France, he is married with one daughter.

HÖLVÉNYI György

Mr. György Hölvényi (born 13 June 1962 in Budapest, Hungary) is a Member of the European Parliament for the EPP Group. Throughout his professional and political career, Mr. Hölvényi has been actively involved in the Christian democrat movement in Hungary and Europe. In the early 2000s, after acting as deputy state secretary at the Hungarian Ministry for Youth and Sports, Mr Hölvényi has taken up his duties at the EPP Group in the European Parliament as spokesman for the Group’s Hungarian delegation. Following this, Mr. Hölvényi acted as the leader of the EPP Group’s Secretariat for Intercultural

Dialogue and Religious Affairs. In 2012 Mr. Hölvényi was appointed to Secretary of State for the Relations with Churches, Civil Society and National Minorities in Hungary. Since 2014, Mr Hölvényi is currently working in the committees on environment and further culture and education of the EP. His additional major activity is being the Co-Chair of the EPP Working Group on Intercultural and Religious Dialogue. This dialogue aims at acknowledging the role that churches have in European society, also responding to the new legal setting based on the Article 17 of the Lisbon Treaty concerning dialogue with Churches. In this capacity, Mr Hölvényi gives a special thematic focus to persecution of Christians worldwide, the unified European response to the crisis of values and further to Christian-Muslim relations.

HOOGENBOOM Theodorus Cornelis Maria

H.E. Bishop T.C.M. Hoogenboom, Auxiliary Bishop of Utrecht (The Netherlands): Bishop T.C.M. Hoogenboom was born on 27 August 1960 in Oudewater (NL). He studied law at the University of Utrecht and worked as an academic researcher on constitutional and public administrative law with a special focus on the status of human rights. He also graduated in theology at the Theological Faculty of Utrecht and studied canon law at the Gregoriana in Rome. During this time he was ordained priest (25 September 1999). He was consecrated Bishop of Bistue and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Utrecht on 13 January 2010. Bishop Hoogenboom has been a Member of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) since 2011

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ISAL Sarah

Sarah is an independent consultant specialising in European equality, anti- discrimination and diversity. She is the Chair of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), the only pan-European anti-racist network that combines advocacy for racial equality and facilitating cooperation among civil society anti- racist actors in Europe. The organisation was set up in 1998 by grassroots activists on a mission to achieve legal changes at European level and make decisive progress towards racial equality in all EU Member States.

Sarah is also a Trustee of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE), an organisation working both inside and outside the Jewish community to provide a Jewish voice on Refugee and Asylum issues in the UK.

She has extensive research and policy experience in fields as diverse as racist violence, ethnic minority women, criminal justice and European anti-discrimination legislation. Her latest work includes research for the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities into the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic Women in Northern Ireland and an evaluation of the Open Justice Initiative's project on ethnic profiling in Europe.

Prior to that, Sarah worked for 12 years at the Runnymede Trust, Britain's leading race equality think tank, where she was Deputy Director and ran the European and international programme, as well as the Trust's criminal justice programme.

ISLAM Shadaba

Shada Islam is responsible for policy oversight of Friends of Europe’s initiatives, activities and publications. She has special responsibility for work on the future of Europe, immigration and integration issues as well as the Asia Programme and the Development Policy Forum. Shada is the former Europe correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review and has previously worked at the European Policy Centre. She writes and speaks extensively on EU topics, diversity and immigration, NATO, WTO, EU-Asia relations and development issues.

JIVRAI Gulshan Aziz Husein

I was born in Eldoret (Kenya) and left Town at seventeen to study in England. After finishing my studies I joined the National Westminister Bank in the taxation dept and went on to work with Stoy Hayward in central London. Left England in 1975 to join my partner who had a tourist office in Via Veneto in Rome. We expanded the business and when we sold it in 2002 we represented as General sales agents, six Airlines, had our own Cargo office ground Services for Cruise Shipes and medical congresses out of Italy. After leaving business I qualified as an International judge for endurance horse riding. In 2005 I was asked, as a Shia Ismaili Muslim to join the consultancy group being formed by the then Minister of Internal affairs Pisanu. Subsequently I continued with other Ministers -Prof. Amato Maroni, and Ministers for Immigration and Integration Prof Riccardi and Kyenge. In 2012 I became President of club of Bordighera, where I now reside, of Amitié Sans Frontieres with the International headquarters in Monte Carlo and Prince Albert as our honrary President.I have been asked to help organise an event in December in Monte Carlo - misticism in three religions. I also at present collaborate with the Mayor of Ventimiglia and Bordighera.

JOUROVÁ Věra

Věra Jourová is the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality since November 2014. She started her career working as Secretary and Spokesperson of the Municipal Office in Třebíč, Czech Republic (1995-2000), where, among other things, she focused on integration of cultural facilities. She became the Head of the Department of Regional Development of the Vysočina Region in 2001. In 2003 she became Deputy Minister for Regional Development where she led the European Integration Section. As of 2006 she worked as the Managing Director at Primavera Consulting Ltd, focusing on EU regional funds and consultancy work related to the EU accession of the Western Balkans. In 2012-2013 she worked in a law firm Bezděk & Partners and in 2013 she was elected Member of the Czech Parliament. In 2014 she was appointed Minister for Regional Development in the Czech government. She has Master degrees in law and theory of culture from the Charles University in Prague.

KALENOVA Raya

Raya Kalenova was elected as the Executive Vice-President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC) in 2012. From 2008 till 2012, Raya served as Deputy Secretary General and was responsible for the creation and management of the EJC office in Brussels. Raya Kalenova is also a member of the Board of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation and represents the EJC at the World Jewish Restitution Organization and Claims Conference. The European Jewish Congress is the democratically-elected official representative organization of over 40 European Jewish communities.

KALHOUSOVA Irena

Irena Kalhousová is currently a PhD student at the London School of Economics. She is a Chief analyst and a member of the Program Committee at the Foundation Forum2000. In 2014 she was a Fellow at the Institute for the National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel. Between 2010-2013 she worked as a Chief Analyst at the Prague Security Studies Institute, Czech Republic. Ms. Kalhousová focuses on the the Arab-Israeli conflict, security in the Middle East, and the EU- Israel relations. Ms. Kalhousová lectured at the Anglo-American University and Metropolitan University Prague, where she was teaching courses on the Middle East and the European Union. She regularly contributes to Czech and international newspapers and journals and makes live commentaries for Czech TV and radio regarding contemporary Middle-Eastern issues. Ms. Kalhousová holds an M.Phil. degree in Contemporary European Studies from University of Cambridge and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In 2013 she was a Masaryk Distinguished Chair Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzeliya, Israel.

KANTOR Moshe

Moshe Kantor is a prominent Jewish leader and philanthropist. He has served as the President of the European Jewish Congress since 2007.

Moshe Kantor is well known worldwide for his fight against antisemitism, racism and neo-Nazism and has greatly contributed to revitalizing Jewish life in Europe and beyond. Dr Kantor is also the President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, Vice Chairman of the Council of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, President of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation and President of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe. The European Jewish Congress, the largest secular organization representing the interests of European Jewry, is an influential, international public association representing 42 national Jewish communities.

KARIUKI Peter

Senior advisor in the Ministry of Justice, unit for Democracy, Language Affairs and Fundamental Rights. Also secretary-general of the advisory board for ethnic relations ETNO, which is an expert body established by the central government mandated to consult on migration, equality and integration issues. The national board has seven regional branches that also undertake in enhancing better ethnic relations regionally.

KATHREIN Georg

Dr. Georg Kathrein – Lebenslauf. Geboren am 30.7.1957 in Innsbruck, verheiratet, ein Kind. 1984 Ernennung zum Richter des BG Innsbruck.

1986 Zuteilung an das BMJ, als Referent Mitwirkung an verschiedenen Gesetzesvorhaben im Familien- und Erbrecht (z. B. Unterbringungsrecht, Fortpflanzungsmedizinrecht, Anerbenrecht).

1995 – 2088 Abteilungsleiter in der Zivilrechtssektion des BMJ (Schuld- und Sachenrecht, Versicherungsrecht, Verbraucherrecht). Vorbereitung und Betreuung verschiedener Gesetzesvorhaben auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene im allgemeinen Zivilrecht, im Schadenersatzrecht, im Verbraucherrecht, im IT-Recht, im Versicherungsrecht und im Persönlichkeitsrecht. Seit 2008 Leiter der Zivilrechtssektion im BMJ.Wissenschaftlich verschiedene Bücher und Aufsätze im Zivilrecht. Seit 2003 Honorarprofessor am Institut für Zivilrecht der Rechtswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Wien.

KITANOVIC Elizabeta

Mag. Elizabeta Kitanovic is Executive Secretary for Human Rights of Conference of European Churches in Brussels. She is working as an senior human rights advocate vis-a-vis International Organizations. She is editor of the Human Rights Training Manuel for European Churches and is editor and founder of the first European Churches Human Rights Library and the CSC Annual Report 2007-2014. In 2009/2010 she has been a member of the Advisory Panel of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and was again nominated for 2012/2014. Ms Kitanovic completed her studies in Theology and post-graduate studies in International Affairs of the Political Science Faculty in Belgrade. She graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Serbian Government. She is also completing her PHD. Ms Kitanovic is regularly giving lectures and presentations in the area of human rights and communications. She speaks English, French, Greek and Serbian.

KJAERUM Morten

Work Experience:

 2015- present: Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Sweden;  2008-2015: First Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Vienna;  1991-2008: Director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights;  1984-91: Head of Department Danish Refugee Council.

Other experiences

 2014-15: Chairperson of the Network of Directors of EU Agencies;  2002-2008: Member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination;  2002-2006: Member of the EU network of independent experts responsible for monitoring compliance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;  2004-2008 Chair of the International Coordinating Committee for National Human Rights Institutions.

He has written extensively on human rights. In 2013 he was awarded an honorary professorship at the University of Aalborg, Denmark.

KLEIN Felix Alexander Walter

Ambassador Dr. Felix Klein is Special Representative of the German Federal Foreign Office for relations with Jewish organizations and anti-Semitism issues since March 2014. From 1996 to 1998 he was Desk Officer at the Latin America Division of the Foreign Office, followed by posts as Press and Cultural Attaché at the German Embassy in Yaoundé/Cameroon, Desk Officer at the Personnel Division for the Higher Service in Berlin, Deputy Head of Mission at the German General Consulate in Milan/Italy and Deputy Head of Division for Bilateral Relations with Southern EU Member States. From 2008 to 2011 he served as Private Secretary to the State Secretary of the Foreign Office, and from 2011 to 2014 he was Head of the Personnel Division for the Higher Service in Berlin. Ambassador Klein holds law degrees from the University of Freiburg/Germany and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

KLENER Julien

Julien Klener is a Belgian linguist born in Ostend, Belgium in 1939.

During World War II he was a hidden child in Brussels. Since 1945, being back in Ostend, he went to primary and secondary school and later on studied Germanic languages (BA) and Semitic languages (BA, MA and Ph D.). His main languages being Biblical Hebrew, Accadian, Biblical Aramaic,Talmudic Aramaic, Ugaritic, Arabic and also a non-Semitic language, Indonesian. After a few years teaching on higher secondary level he continued his career at the Dutch-speaking Ghent University where he lectured until 2004. His main teachings concerned: Judaism as a cultural system, Biblical Hebrew (undergraduate and graduate students) Comparative linguistics of the Afro-Asiatic languages (graduate students), Semitic Epigraphy (graduate students)] and General Introduction to Semitic Studies (graduate students). He also studied in Amsterdam, Jerusalem and in 1977 received a Fulbright-grant which brought him to California. During his tenure at Ghent University, he also taught, for about ten years, at the French-speaking University of Liège. He published approx. 120 monographies and articles on different aspects of his subjects, cfr. f.i. Spanish Jewry at the Eve of the Expulsion,pp. IX-XIX, in The Expulsion of the Jews and their Emigration to the Southern Low Countries, Leuven University Press, 1998 and The Throne and Reign of David in the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha,pp 455-475 in Mesopotamian History and Environment, Cinquante-Deux Reflections sur le Proche-Orient Ancien offertes en Hommage à Leon De Meyer, Peeters, Leuven, 1994. He was invited as a guest-lecturer in Paris, Madrid, Naples, Riga, Budapest, Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, Jerusalem, Porto Alegre, etc. Although being retired in 2004,[1] he was invited until 2011, to lecture on Judaism at the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Leuven. He continued lecturing,[2] on Biblical-Aramaic and Philological Analysis of Biblical Texts at the Institut d' Etudes Juives of the Université Libre de Bruxelles and on Judaism at the Instituut voor Joodse Studies at the University of Antwerp,[3] Belgium. He is an honorary active member of the section for moral and political sciences at the Royal Academy for Overseas Studies. He is also active within different,academical and non-academical, Jewish,inter-religious and inter-convictional organisations.As a gifted, voluble trilingual speaker he is often asked to address national and international meetings on subjects concerning his academical specialisms or on matters reflecting upon the present and/or the future of European Judaism, lately f.i.in Brussels(2011),Berlin (2012), in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (2013,2014,2015), at the European Parliament in Brussels and in Ottawa and Montreal (2015).

Between 2000 and the spring of 2015 he was the president of the Consistoire Central Israèlite de Belgique, which is the official Jewish umbrella organization representing Judaism vis-a-vis the Belgian State. As such he was regularly meeting with the Belgian authorities on matters concerning local Jewishness. These meetings sometimes happen together with the two other Belgian-Jewish roof- organizations: Het Forum voor Joodse Organisaties from Flanders and the CCOJB,a more French- speaking umbrella. As president of the Consistoire he represented the Jewish community of Belgium at the abdication ceremony of King Albert II and at the swearing in of king Philippe on the 21st of July 2013. The Consistoire was founded in 1808 by the emperor Napoleon I.The official celebrations of the Bicentenary were held in Brussels in 2008. One of the ceremonies was an academic session at the Great Synagogue of Brussels. Thanks to his efforts, the national event was deeply honored, and this for the first time since the Belgian independence in 1830, by the presence of the actual reigning king, H.R.H.Albert II. Julien Klener is also a Board Member of the Brussels based organization CEJI - A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe.

KLOSSA Guillaume

Guillaume Klossa, director, European Broadcasting Union

Guillaume Klossa is member of the management board of the European Broadcasting Union where he is director in charge of public affairs, communications, media research and digital. A writer and think tanker, he wrote on the question of European identity particularly on how fundamental rights are a central part of the European post-WWII identity and unity and also about the European youth and narrative. Special adviser to the French Presidency of the European Union, he served also the European Council reflection group on the future of Europe before joining EBU. Founding chairman of the EuropaNova think tank, founder of the NewPact for Europe initiative and of the EU European Young leaders programme, he also anchored political TV shows and was a European Columnist for diverse European and international media.

KLUG Brian

Dr Brian Klug is Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy, St. Benet’s Hall, Oxford; member, faculty of philosophy, University of Oxford; Hon Fellow, Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, University of Southampton; past Visiting Scholar, International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding, University of South Australia (2012). His books include Being Jewish and Doing Justice: Bringing Argument to Life (2011) and Children as Equals: Exploring the Rights of the Child (co-edited, 2002). He has published extensively on Jewish identity, antisemitism, Islamophobia race, etc., including chapters in Dynamics of Difference: Christianity and Alterity (2015) and Racialization and Religion: Race, Culture and Difference in the Study of Antisemitism and Islamophobia (2014). He is Associate Editor of the journal Patterns of Prejudice.

KOHNER Eva Deborah

Secretary General, ENNHRI

Debbie Kohner is Secretary General of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI). ENNHRI supports National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) to promote and protect human rights across wider Europe.

Debbie is a qualified solicitor, having practised law in London and Madrid. She also worked in the NGOs sector, such as co-convening a coalition of equality and human rights organisations in Northern Ireland. Previously, she coordinated a major research project to set up the first reporting system for racist incidents in New Zealand. She has also worked at Westminster, the UK Parliament. Debbie studied law at Jesus College, Oxford; Université de Paris II; and College of Europe; as well as Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ulster.

KONSTANTINIS Moysis

Moses Constantinis was born in Athens in 1932.

He comes from a family that contributed to Greek and to Jewish life as well. His father, Kanaris Constantinis, was a founding member, as well as the first President, of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (in 1945), the umbrella Organization of the Greek Jewry, founded after the War in order to reconstruct Jewish life in Greece and re-organize Community structure.

In his youth, Moses Constantinis has been highly involved within the Jewish Organizations in Athens. During the 50’s he was President of the Zionist Youth Organization and he was publishing the Jewish paper «Al Magor». A keen researcher of the Greek Jewish history, he has been the key speaker at a number of meetings and fora both Jewish and non-Jewish.

Moses Constantinis has been President of the Public Relations Committee of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) from 1980 to 1997. He was the Secretary General of KIS Board from 1991 to 1997. He is also being serving as Vice President at the Board of the Jewish Museum of Greece since its foundation in 1977.

In January 1998 he was for the first time elected President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS). From January 2001 to January 2010 he was being re-elected at the Presidency of KIS Board by the General Assembly of Representatives of the Jewish Communities in Greece. In January 12, 2015, he once again assumed the Presidency of the Board of KIS.

In his private life, Moses Constantinis works as a Special Advisor at the Hellenic Post for more than 40 years and he has many times officially represented Greece in international meetings. He is the author of many books on Jewish and non-Jewish subjects, for which he has received the Award of the Academy of Athens. He is honorary member of the Thessaloniki Jewish Community. His work for the benefit of Judaism and Jewish issues has been awarded by the American Jewish Committee and Keren Hayesod. Moses Constantinis has two children, six grand-children and he is married to Graciella Bourla.

KOSTADINOVA Evgeniya

 Graduated from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. MA in Bulgarian Philology and English language as second speciality.  2007 – Multimode specialisation in European Institutions, Sofia University;  2013 - Specialisation in EU functioning, Public Administration Institute, Maastricht.  For more than 13 years has worked as Bulgarian Literature and Language teacher. After a two years period as a chief expert, in 2004 was appointed Director of Curricula and Study Contents Directorate in Ministry of Education and Science.  Main responsibilities in the field of development and implementation of State educational Requirements, national syllabi and curricula for pre-primary, primary, secondary and vocational education as well as for organisation and analyses of national assessments and mature.  Co-author of two textbooks in Literature for 11th and 12th grade as well as of some teaching materials and workbooks in literature.

KUCUKAKIN Sami

Mr. Sami Kücükakin is Chairman of the Muslim Council of Denmark, the largest umbrella organization for Muslim associations in the country, with 35-40.000 members. He is member of the Contact Group for Muslim and Christian Leaders in Denmark, which debates topical issues and publishes statements encouraging cooperation and peaceful coexistence. Kücükakin is also member of the Jewish-Christian-Muslim Forum in Copenhagen, which focuses on how religion can be a constructive foundation for the individual and an integral part of the development of society.Finally he is the founder of Dialogue Forum, which has introduced the annual Dialogue Award given to prominent figures in the Danish society facilitating and promoting peaceful and fruitful coexistence between people of different faith and origin.

KUHNKE Alice

Alice Bah Kuhnke holds the position as Minister for Culture and Democracy in the Swedish Government since October 2014. She belongs to the Green Party. Ms Bah Kuhnke has a BA in Political Science from Stockholm University and holds several diplomas in leadership. She has many years of experience and commitment in areas such as human rights, environment and civil society. Ms Bah Kuhnke was previously Director-General of the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society. Ms Bah Kuhnke has also long experience in culture and media, including as reporter for the Swedish public service broadcaster, SVT, and for TV4. She has served as a board member of several institutions as well as civil society organization.

KUKENHEIM Simone

Simone Kukenheim was already active in politics during her time studying political science at university. In 2004, she did a fellowship for the American Congressman Tom Lantos, after which she worked for two years for Lousewies van der Laan, a member of the House of Representatives. While working at the international organisation Humanity in Action she was committed to increasing the involvement of a new generation of leaders for diversity and human rights. Kukenheim was also founder and board member of the youth organisation of the Centre for Information and Documentation of Israel (CIDI). In 2006, she was Group Chair of the council group of D66 in the District of Zuid and in 2010 served as a member of the Executive Committee. As portfolio holder she was, amongst other things, responsible for the investment programme for expansion, renovation and improvement of school buildings. She was also responsible the citywide implementation of the recommendations of the Gunning Committee in response to the Amsterdam sex crimes case. Simone Kukenheim lives with her partner and has three children.

LANGE Christian

Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice Born on 27 February 1964 in Saarlouis; Protestant

Training and professional experience:

1983 Abitur (higher-education entrance qualification) in Waiblingen, followed by study of law in Tübingen 1989 First State Examination in Law at the University of Tubingen 1989-1991 Civilian service 1991-1993 Compulsory period of practical legal training in Stuttgart and Brussels 1993 Second State Examination in Law in Stuttgart Political and social functions

From 1993 until election to the Bundestag worked for the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics, initially responsible for federal and Bundesrat affairs, and later for crafts and small and medium-sized enterprises; former senior civil servant (Oberregierungsrat). Since 1998, Member of the German Bundestag, recently Parliamentary Secretary of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag.

LINK Michael Georg

Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw. Prior to that, Mr. Link served as the 1st Deputy Foreign Minister, the Minister of State for European Affairs and member of the Cabinet of Ministers of the German Government, in charge of OSCE, EU, Council of Europe and NATO affairs. As a member of the German parliament since 2005, he was a member of the German Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

LÜDERS Christine

Since February 2010, Ms Lüders has been the Head of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (FADA) of Germany.

Ms Lüders, 62, studied education. She has worked as Executive Assistant to the Board and Head of Department at Lufthansa and was in charge of the Division 'Press, Public Relations and Communication' at the Ministry for Generations, Family Affairs, Women and Integration of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Most recently, she served as Head of the Public Relations Division and Commissioner for Foundations at the Ministry for Education and Cultural Affairs of the federal state of Hesse. Ms Lüders is married and lives in Berlin and Frankfurt / Main.

MANOLOPOULOS Konstantinos

Constantinos Manolopoulos, Director a.i., EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)

Constantinos Manolopoulos graduated as an economist specialized in European politics and European studies. He started his career as an economist in the private sector followed by a period employed by the Greek government in different ministries (Ministry of Culture, Ministry of National Economy, Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and worked in Canada and Brussels (Permanent Representation). In 1996 he joined the European Commission (DG 1) dealing with trade defence mechanisms. In the summer of 1999, in the interests of the service, he participated in the task force in Kosovo contributing to the effort of the European Union to reconstruct the area as Head of the Economic and Agricultural Sector. He became the Head of Administration and acting Secretary General of the European Agency for Reconstruction in 2000, achieving the goal of maintaining very low administrative expenses in relation to the approximately 3 billion euros invested by the European Union in Kosovo, Serbia, FYROM and Montenegro. He was also the Head of Administration (2004) of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia and since 2007 he has been the Head of Administration of the FRA. He is currently interim Director of the FRA.

MARGOLIN Menachem

Rabbi Menachem Margolin has served as the General Director of the European Jewish Association since 2010. In this role, he has spearheaded the direction and activities of this umbrella organisation representing Jewish communities and organisations across Europe. The EJA lobbies European and national politicians to raise the profile of and support its initiativesto fight against anti- Semitism and intolerance and preserve religious ritual practice across EU member states and the continent of Europe. The EJA was especially instrumental in lobbying for the overturning of the Polish constitutional ban on the practice of ritual slaughter, which was successfully approved in December 2014. The EJA additionally holds regular briefings on the state of anti-Semitism in Europe, and other issues of concern for European Jewry, including a successful round-table briefing for Ambassadors to the EU and Belgium and high-level Embassy staff and the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Israeli-born Rabbi Margolin has concurrently served as General Director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe since 2006, representing more than 700 Rabbis across Europe. He has also worked assisting the Jewish communities of Budapest, Hungary and Bangkok, Thailand as part of his rabbinical ordination.

MARKKULA Markku Antero

Markku Markkula (born 15 July 1950 in Kolari, Finland) is the President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). He became member of the CoR in 2010 and has held a number of positions in the institution over the last five years, including the rapporteurship on opinions such as “European Industrial Policy Package”, “Digital Agenda for Europe”, “Horizon 2020”, and “Closing the Innovation Divide”. A long-standing politician, Mr Markkula has been member of the Espoo City Council since 1980 (holding its Presidency in 1990- 92 and 2010) and is a former member of the Finnish Parliament (1995-2003). He further sits on the Board of the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council and chairs the Espoo City Planning Board. Additionally he works at the Aalto University as advisor to Aalto Presidents, where his focus mainly lays on European Union research, innovation and education policy affairs.

MATTIJSSEN Astrid

I work as a senior policy adviser for the Minister of Security and Justice at the Department Law Enforcement and Criminal Affairs.

For the Netherlands I am a member at the Commission's expert group on hate crime (i.e. the expert group on Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on combating racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law) and the EU Working Party on hate crime.

MC GOWAN-SMYTH Iverna Maria

Iverna is the acting Director and the Director of Programmes at Amnesty International’s EU office. She leads on the implementation of the organisation’s EU strategies on the protection and promotion of human rights both within the EU and worldwide. At EU level Amnesty International advocate for the EU and its member states to put human rights at the forefront of all of their actions. Iverna has been with AI since 2012, before her current role she acted at the organisation’s representative to the EU presidency. Before joining Amnesty in 2011, Iverna gained worked as a legal researcher for the United Nations Committee on ending all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), she also worked as a human rights desk officer with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s graduate programme. She holds an LL.M from the European Law School of the University of Maastricht where she studied international and regional human rights law, and a B.A. in European Studies from Trinity College Dublin. She speaks French, German Irish, and Spanish.

MERCADE Christel

Christel Mercadé Piqueras works for the European Commission in DG Justice as legal/policy officer on EU policy against racism, xenophobia and all other forms of intolerance and protection of fundamental rights. Before joining the Commission she served as an external legal consultant for the Commission at Tipik Legal (2014), as Human Rights lawyer before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the Peruvian NGO APRODEH (2011-2012) and as labour lawyer at the Spanish Lawfirm Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves, Pereira (2008-2011). Her educational background include a degree in Economics (2006) and a degree in Law (2009) at the University Pompeu Fabra (Spain) and University of Leicester (UK), and a Master of European Law (LL M) at the College of Europe, Bruges (2012). She is a member of the Barcelona Bar association.

MEYER-SCHWERDTFEGER Kathrin

Dr. Kathrin Meyer, Executive Secretary of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), has an MA in Educational Science and a PhD in History from the Technical University Berlin. After completing her studies, she was a research fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and became a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Research on Antisemitism, Technical University Berlin. In 2004, Dr. Meyer was appointed Adviser on Antisemitism Issues at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw, Poland. At the OSCE/ODIHR, she designed and implemented a program aimed at combating antisemitism and strengthening Holocaust education and remembrance in the then 56 participating OSCE States. In 2008, Dr. Meyer was selected as the new Executive Secretary of the IHRA (formerly: ITF) to establish and lead its Permanent Office located in Berlin, Germany. In her role as Executive Secretary, Dr. Meyer advises and implements the priorities of the IHRA Chair and coordinates the activities of its 31 member countries, four expert Working Groups and several specialized committees.

MICHOU Paraskevi

Since 1st October 2014, Ms Michou is Acting Director-General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission, dealing with civil justice, criminal justice, fundamental rights, including data protection and free movement, and equality. Since 1st January 2015, the DG is also in charge of consumer policy and company law. She has been Director for Civil Justice since January 2011. This Directorate deals with civil justice policy, contract law, company law and all financial programmes of DG Justice. Previously, Ms Michou headed various units in the Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology. In the European Commission she has also worked in the Directorates-General for Enterprise and for Internal Market.

MORRICE Jane

Jane Morrice is Vice-President for Communication at the EESC.

She joined the EESC in 2006 and is a member of the Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and Information Society (TEN) and Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC) sections. She has drafted a number of opinions, focusing on the role of the EU in peace-building in Northern Ireland and beyond. In 2008, she was appointed to the Northern Ireland Equality Commission, where she has served two terms. She became a member of the Delors Task Force which established the first EU Peace Programme in Northern Ireland, and it was this work on peace-building that eventually led her into politics. Other career highlights include being deputy speaker of the first Northern Ireland Assembly set up after the Peace Agreement, head of the European Commission office in Northern Ireland, and a reporter for BBC Belfast.

MUGHAL Fiyaz

His working history includes over 15 years experience in the community and voluntary sector in positions that have included social policy lobbying, project and general management, conflict resolution work and leading organizations as the Chief Operating Officer. Fiyaz has worked in a number of organizations providing training to women right through to European transnational faith related programmes and advice and information projects. Currently, Fiyaz Mughal is currently the Founder and Director of a not for profit organization called Faith Matters (www.faith-matters.org) which works on reducing extremism and developing platforms for discourse and interaction between Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Jewish communities right across the UK. Faith Matters also works extensively on community cohesion, interfaith, conflict resolution and prevent programmes at a local, national and international level. Fiyaz is also the founder and Director of the national anti-Muslim hate crime monitoring project called TELL MAMA. TELL MAMA ensures the mapping monitoring and measuring of anti-Muslim hatred across England and Wales and is the only national project that works in this area. Since 2012, the project has assisted over 1,500 people and ensured over 100 arrests across the country. Modelled on the Community Security Trust, it has fast become a well-recognised brand in the field of hate crime work. Fiyaz was previously a Councillor in Haringey (2006-2010) and a Councillor in Oxford (2002-2004). A previous Deputy President of a mainstream political party in the UK, he has also campaigned heavily on Black and Minority Ethnic (group) inclusion within political parties and discourses. He was also appointed to be on the Working Group for Communities that was linked to the Extremism Task Force developed in 2005 after the 7/7 bombings. In early 2008, Fiyaz was successful in becoming an elected member IDeA Peer Mentor for national work with local authorities on the Preventing Violent Extremism agenda.

Fiyaz was also previously appointed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government (the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP) to be a member of the Local Delivery Advisory Group on Preventing Violent Extremism. He was also appointed as the Advisor to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg MP, on interfaith and preventing radicalisation and extremism between 2009 - 2010. Fiyaz was honoured in June 2009 by Her Majesty the Queen and was bestowed with the Honour of the Order of the British Empire.

MULLER Guy

Guy Muller studied Public Administration at the The Hague University of Applied Sciences and International Relations at the University of Amsterdam. After graduation Guy taught Economics and Social Sciences in secondary school. Since September 2012 he works as a chief researcher anti-Semitism and supervisor of the WWII and Shoa Educational Platform for CIDI.

MUNIR David

Entity: Islamic Centre , Karachi, Pakistan Activity: Professor of Arabic and english language in 1986 Entity : Central Mosque of Lisbon Activity: Imam of the Mosque - Teaching of Arabic Language and Religious Advisor of the Islamic Community of Lisbon since 1986 Entity: Instituto Oriental na Universidade Nova de Lisboa Activity: Professor of Arabic language, between 1991 e 1995 Entiity: Universidade Independente Activity: Professor of Arabic Language, Islamic History and Philosophy Muslim in the Graduation course in the academic year 1998/99 Entity: Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias Activity: Professor of Arabic Language in the academic year 1998/99 Obs. Since 1986, iam in the Central Mosque of Lisbon, Portugal, and an active in creating builds with other religions and culture. In 2009, considered to be one of the 500 influencial muslim of the world. Al ham du lilah.

MURRAY Alan

Alan Murray has been president of the European Network on Religion and Belief (ENORB) since 2011, one of the European Equality Networks implementing the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights. A former teacher, university lecturer, civil servant (UK Department of Education) and programme manager for the European Commission, specialising on Russia and Eastern Europe, he finished his career as an adviser on education to the Archbishop of Canterbury, retiring in 2009. He has been active in anti- discrimination and inter-faith work since the 1960s, and has been chair of All Faiths and None (AFAN), set up, like ENORB, to include atheists, as well as the main faiths, in dialogue and action against discrimination and for the common good.

NEMITZ Paul Paul F. NEMITZ is the Director for Fundamental rights and Union citizenship in the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission. The free movement of people in Europe, data protection, fight against hate speech and racism and rights of the child are key responsibilities of his Directorate. Before joining the Directorate-General for Justice, Nemitz held posts in the Legal Service of the European Commission, the Cabinet of the Commissioner for Development Cooperation and in the Directorates General for Trade, Transport and Maritime Affairs. Nemitz has extensive experience as litigator of the European Commission before the European Court of Justice and has published widely on EU law. He is visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges. Nemitz studied Law at Hamburg University. He passed the state examinations for the Judiciary and for a short time was a teaching assistant for Constitutional Law and the Law of the Sea at Hamburg University. He obtained a Master of Comparative Law from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., where he was a Fulbright grantee. He also passed the first and second cycle of the Strasburg Faculty for comparative law.

OPAČIĆ Milanka

Education • 1991: Graduated in politology from the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Zagreb, • 1987: Finished secondary school for culture and art in Zagreb • 1983: Finished the Marko Orešković Primary School in Zagreb

Political Career • 2011- Deputy prime minister and minister of social policy and youth 2008-2011 : Member of Croatian Parliament, Chairperson of the Committee for Families, Youth and Sport, Vice- chairperson of the SDP parliamentary group • 2003-2007: Member of Croatian Parliament, vice-chairperson of the Committee for Labour, Social Welfare Policy and Health Care, member of the Committee for Families, Youth and Sport, vice- chairperson of the SDP parliamentary group • 2002-2003: Member of Croatian Parliament, chairperson of the Committee for Gender Equality, member of the Legislation Committee, member of the Credentials and Immunities Committee, vice-chairperson of the SDP parliamentary group • 2000-2002: Member of Croatian Parliament, chairperson of the Credentials and Privileges Committee • 1995-2000: Staff member of Croatian Parliament • 1992-1995: Elected to Croatian Parliament - House of Representatives • 1993-1995: Member of the Central Board of the SDP • 1996-2000: Vice-chairperson of the Central Board of the SDP, member of the Central Board, member of the Executive Board of the SDP • 2000-2003: Member of the Central Board of the SDP • 2004: Vice-president of the SDP • Member of the SDP since 1990 Memberships • 2003-2011: member of the Child Protection Hotline Association

Ó RÍORDÁN Aodhán Oilibhéar

In July 2014 Aodhán was appointed as the Minister of State with responsibility for New Communities, Culture and Equality and Drugs Strategy. This brief is spread across both the Department of Justice & Equality as well as the Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht. In April 2015 he was given the additional responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy in the Department of Health. A native Northside Dubliner, Aodhán was first elected a TD in February 2011 having previously served as a member of Dublin City Council from 2004. Prior to his appointment as a Minister of State he served as Vice Chair of the Committee on Education and Social Protection and a member of both the Finance, Public Expenditure & Reform Committee and the Good Friday Agreement Implementation Committee. Before 2011 Aodhán worked as a teacher and principal in St Laurence O’Toole’s GNS in Sheriff Street where he was inspired to get involved in politics to further the causes of the disadvantaged and voiceless in our society. He served as Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin in 2006, during which time he launched his ‘Right to Read Campaign’ in an effort to challenge the poor literacy rates in disadvantaged areas. This was successful in helping promote local literacy strategies which are still in place, and also opened every library in Dublin City for 6 days a week. It was a moment of particular pride for Aodhán when the library local to Sheriff Street opened on a Saturday due to his efforts.

PALLAVICINI Yahya

Imam and vice-president of CO.RE.IS. (Comunità Religiosa Islamica) Italiana, a member of the board of the governors of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Italy at the Rome Mosque and ambassador of ISESCO (Islamic Organization for Education, Science and Culture) for dialogue among civilizations. He is an adviser on Islam in Italy at the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education. He is a member of the European Council of Religious Leaders and of the delegation of international Muslim scholars at the Catholic-Muslim Forum held in the Vatican in 2008 and 2014, and he has been included — in the category of institutional representatives — among the five hundred most influential Muslims in the world.

PAPAIOANNOU Konstantinos

• Secretary General for Human Rights, Ministry of Justice since March 2015 • President of the National Commission for Human Rights 2006- 2015. • Coordinator of Racist Violence Recording Network 2011- 2015. • Board member of Hellenic League for Human Rights 2007-2013 • Secretary General for Human Rights, Ministry of Justice since March 2015 • President of the National Commission for Human Rights 2006- 2015. • Coordinator of Racist Violence Recording Network 2011-2015. • Board member of Hellenic League for Human Rights 2007- • Chair of the Greek section of Amnesty International 1996-2003. • Responsible for programs of training of trade unionists on human rights and discrimination. Tutor In seminars organised –among others- by the National School of Jurists, Police Academy, EU Police Force In The Balkans, School Teachers Association (seminars included issues of racist violence, police brutality and the rule of law, human rights and peace keeping missions, human rights education, antiracist education etc). • History and Modern Greek Teacher in Lycée Franco-Hellénique Eugène Delacroix. Holds a degree in History and Archeology and a Master's degree in Political Science.

Books: “The clean hands of Golden Dawn, Applications of Nazi purity”, Metaihmio ed. Athens, 2013

“Let’s talk openly about the Far Right”, Hellenic League for Human Rights, 2014

PARAK Michael

Born 1973 in Dachau; since 2009 until today Non-Governmental Organization “Against forgetting – For democracy”, Berlin, Managing Director.To combine remembrance of the past with hands-on efforts to promote democracy – this was the vision shared by the founding members of „Against forgetting – For democracy” in 1993, when they got together against a backdrop of racist and xenophobic rioting. From this initial vision, a politically independent national association emerged. Today, over 2,000 members in 33 regional teams work to keep memories of National Socialist crimes and of the injustices of the SED dictatorship alive, while promoting participation in politics, civil society and the critical analysis of political extremism. Form 2003-to 2012 Joachim Gauck has been chair of the organization.

PIMIÄ Kirsi

Kirsi Pimiä, LL.M. Non-Discrimination Ombudsman in Finland since 15 May 2015. The task of the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman is to promote equality and to prevent discrimination. The Non- Discrimination Ombudsman is an autonomous and independent authority. The Ombudsman also works towards improving the rights, living conditions and status of groups at risk of discrimination, such as foreign nationals. The Ombudsman further supervises the removal from the country of foreign nationals and is the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings. Previous positions held as Director in the Ministry of Justice (2013-2014), Head of Unit, the EU Affairs Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (2012-2013), Head of Cabinet, Ministry of Justice (2007-2008), Counsel in the Parliament (2003- 2007, 2009-2011), Legal Counsel at the Permanent Representation in the EU (2001-2003).

PORTARU Adina-Ioana

Adina Portaru serves as legal counsel for ADF International (Brussels office), promoting human rights at the European Union. Prior to joining ADF International, Portaru was a research assistant at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and at the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Austria. She holds a Bachelor in Theology, an LLM in Law and Globalization and is currently concluding her Ph.D. thesis in law, which assesses how the European Court of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee interpret freedom of thought, conscience and religion

POST Soraya

Ms Soraya Post is a Swedish Roma activist and a member of the European Parliament on behalf of the political party Feminist Initiative.

She was elected on an ideologically anti-racist and feminist agenda and is the first Roma in Swedish history to list as a priority election candidate. Before being elected she worked as a Human Rights Strategist and focused on the empowerment of Roma women and the promotion of human rights as an activist. She founded the International Roma Women´s Network and co-founded the European Roma and Travelers Forum.

She is a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and of the Subcommittee on Human Rights. She is a substitute of the Foreign Affairs Committee. One of her priorities is to work against Anti-Gypsyism.

PRAWDA Marek

H.E. Mr. Marek Prawda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, is Poland's Representative to the EU.

PRIVOT Michael

Michael started as Networking and Campaigns Officer in the ENAR team in January 2006 and became ENAR Director in March 2010. He is also an international expert on radicalisation processes within Muslim communities. Previously, he worked during four years as FNRS Research Fellow at the University of Liège (Belgium). He has more than a decade of experience in community building of Muslim communities in Belgium and Europe. He holds a BA in Oriental History and Philology (Islamic Studies), a specialisation in Comparative History of Religions (University of Liège) and Arabic (IFEA, Damascus), and a PhD in Languages and Literature from the University of Liège (Belgium).

He has authored a book with T. Oubrou and C. Baylocq on imams in France, a number of academic publications, published op-ed articles and appeared in a variety of media, including Euronews, Voice of America, Al Jazeera, RT, Le Soir, RTBF and European Voice.

QURAISHI Basharat

I was born in India, but grew up in Pakistan. I have studied Engineering in Germany and USA, and later studied International Marketing in London.

I am member of a number of Commissions, Committees and Boards involved with Human Rights, Ethnic/Religious Equality Issues, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, both in Denmark and internationally. I am author of 8 books on minority issues.

On the Danish level, I am the Chief Editor of Media Watch, Chair of media monitoring organisation, Ethnic Debate Forum and member of the Advisory Council of Danish Human Rights Institute. I have my own weekly TV program on Copenhagen Channel on intercultural topics.

On the international level, from 2001 – 2007, I was President of ENAR – Brussels and since Nov 2007, I am Chairman of ENAR’s Advisory Council, member of the "Board of Trustees" of the Dutch Foundation " More colour in the media", General Secretary of the network, EMISCO -European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion and Member of Advisory Board - Migration Research Centre - Hacettepe University - Ankara. Turkey.

RÄMER Jan-Christopher

Jan-Christopher Rämer, City Councillor of Education, School, Culture and Sports in Berlin-Neukölln

education:

 Fritz-Karsen-School – university entrance diploma  Georg-August-University of Göttingen/University of Potsdam – Magister Artium, studies of geography, political science, ethnology and economics professional activities:

 assistant for a member of the German Parliament  desk officer for the vice chairman of the parliamentary group of the Social Democratic Party Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD)  personal assistant for a parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety activities as a member of the district council Berlin-Neukölln:

2006-2011 deputed member

2011-2014 chairman of a council committee

2011-2015 decreeded member party political positions (selection): since 2004 membership of the SPD Berlin-Neukölln

2005-2008 chairman of the SPD-youth organisation, Berlin-Neukölln

2008 vice chairman of the SPD-youth organisation, Berlin since 2005 member of the district executive council, SPD Berlin-Neukölln

2012-2014 member of the executive council, SPD Berlin since 2014 chairman of the SPD Gropiusstadt (Berlin-Neukölln) since 2014 vice chairman of the district executive council, SDP Berlin-Neukölln volunteer/sporting activities (selection):

2006-2011 chairman of the “Quartiersrat Körnerpark” - neighbourhood management council within the national Program “Social City”

2011-2014 member of the board of directors - “Nachbarschaftsheim Neukölln e.V.” since 1990 ice-hockey player for „OSC Berlin e.V.“, Berlin-Neukölln

RAVO Linda

Linda Ravo is a legal expert specialised in EU human rights law. Linda has been working since 2014 as a legal and policy officer on fundamental rights issues in Directorate General Justice in the European Commission. She currently is part of the "Fundamental Rights and Rights of the Child" unit, where she works on the enforcement of EU legislation on combating racism and xenophobia as well as on the definition and implementation of EU policies on combating racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance, including against LGBTI persons. She also is in charge of the mainstreaming of fundamental rights in the areas of access to justice, internal security and counter-terrorism, asylum and migration, and free movement of persons. Linda was in charge of organising discussions on "Stepping-up action to prevent and combat antisemitic and anti- Muslim hate crimes" for this first Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights. Before joining the Commission, Linda has worked as a legal research assistant in the European Institutions Office of Amnesty International in Brussels and at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in Vienna, after having practiced as a lawyer in Italy for some years. She obtained a Ph.D. in EU law at the University of Trieste, Italy (2012) and has been focussing her academic research, lecturing and publications on EU human rights related issues, in particular in the field of access to justice, non- discrimination, and asylum and migration.

REUVEKAMP Maria

Marjan de Groot-Reuvekamp is a lecturer of history education at Fontys University for Applied Sciences, School for Child studies and Education in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. She organized a number of seminars for Dutch Teacher Trainers and in 2010 she was project manager of the organizing committee for the Annual Conference of EUROCLIO in Nijmegen. There she was elected as a member of the EUROCLIO Board. She is author of a textbook on teaching history in primary education that is widely used in Dutch colleges and universities. Since 2012 she is working on her PhD on the Improvement of the understanding of historical time for pupils aged 6 -12, on which she published several articles in scientific journals and journals for teachers.

ROSCAM ABBING Friso

Friso Roscam Abbing has served as Head of Communication Department at the FRA since 2009. Prior to this, Mr Roscam Abbing was a Member of Cabinet of the European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot, the Commissioner for Freedom, Security and Justice. From 2004–2008, he was the spokesman of European Commission Vice President Franco Frattini, the Commissioner responsible for Freedom, Security and Justice issues. Between 2000 and 2004, he headed the EU Asylum Polices sector at the European Commission's DG Justice, Freedom and Security. Before this, he led the EU Office of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE, 1994-2000) after starting his career as Head of the Legal Department at the Dutch Refugee Council (1986-1994).

ROSSIDI Maria

Legal advisor at the General Secretariat for Human Rights, Hellenic Ministry of Justice, since March 2015.Representing the Hellenic Ministry of Justice in FRA Working Group on Hate Crimes and in the Greek National Commission for Human Rights.She has worked as a member of the independent committees of the Hellenic Appeals’ Authority on refugee status determination (2nd degree), for the NGO “Greek Council for Refugees” providing legal assistance to refugees and asylum seekers and she has conducted many projects/researches in the fields of asylum and human rights as an independent contractor. She has been working as an attorney at law, since 2004. Holds a degree in Law, a master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy and she is completing her PhD in International Human Rights Law.

ROTH Michael

Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office (since 2013)

Since 1998 directly elected member of the German Bundestag; 2010 to 2013 spokesperson on Europe of the SPD parliamentary group; 2009 to February 2014 Secretary-General of the SPD in Land Hesse.

Since 2014 Commissioner for Franco-German Cooperation, member of the Deutsche Welle Broadcasting Board, member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for European Politics and member of the board of the Franco-German Institute in Ludwigsburg, Chairman of the supervisory board of the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF), member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation Flight, Expulsion, Reconciliation

ROZEN Serge

The Coordination Committee of the Jewish organisations in Belgium is representing more than 35 Belgian Jewish organisations active in the areas of education, culture, sports, youth and social life. The CCOJB aims to strive for the protection, the study and the development of jewish values in Belgium, to fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia, to maintain the memory of the history and suffering of the jewish community, to fight against all attempts to trivialize or misrepresent the Holocaust, to defend the moral and material rights of the jewish community of Belgium, its members and their dependants, victims of the Nazis and to support by all appropriate means the State of Israel, the spiritual center of Judaism and haven for threatened jewish communities. As a consequence, the CCOJB is active in fighting disinformation, Middle East conflict importation in Belgium, negationism and deligitimisation of the State of Israel. Serge Rozen has been elected president of the CCOJB in March 2015 for a 3 year mandate. A graduate from the Free University of Brussels (Engineering degree) and from the Boston University (Master in Science of Management), he has spent his professional life working for multinational corporations in the oil and petrochemical fields and then as a partner in the Management Consulting arm of the professional services firm Deloitte. He is currently director and fund manager of a private equity fund and teaches at a private business school.

SAASTAMOINEN Salla Marita

Salla Saastamoinen is the Director in charge of Equality in the Directorate-General Justice and consumers, European Commission since 2014. The Directorate Equality contributes to the development and consolidation of an area of freedom, justice and equality, ensuring that citizens benefit from progress made at European level. To this end, the Directorate coordinates and promotes policy developments to combat discrimination on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, promotes awareness on gender equality and non-discrimination and coordinates policy developments in respect of the Roma. The Directorate is also responsible for the relationship to the European Institute for Gender Equality. Salla Saastamoinen headed the Unit Fundamental rights and rights of the child (2013-14) and the Civil Justice Policy Unit (2007-2013) in Directorate General Justice before taking over her current post. Salla Saastamoinen is a lawyer from the University of Helsinki, Finland. She has worked in the Commission for 18 years, in the beginning in the legal unit of the Directorate General Environment and then as legal and policy official in the Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security in the unit Fundamental rights and citizenship.

ŠAKALIENĖ Dovilė

Dovilė Šakalienė is Executive Director at the Human Rights Monitoring Institute and Managing Director of the NGO Programme Lithuania under the EEA Grants. She is also accredited journalist at the Council of Europe (representing largest Baltic media group DELFI); radio host/producer at Lithuanian News Radio; and has produced 2 human rights documentaries. Dovilė incorporates her experience in international business consulting and university teaching (Antisocial behaviour; Psychology of Criminal Behaviour) into active human rights work since 2004. Professional and academic interests include human rights (with focus on persons in closed institutions and vulnerable groups), violence in close relations, hate and extremism, ethics and value systems, cognitive information processing, extremely violent behaviour.

SCLAFANI Robin

Ms. Robin Sclafani is the Director of CEJI-A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, the leading European Jewish organisation in the field of diversity education, intercultural dialogue and anti-discrimination advocacy. With over 25 years experience in developing and delivering anti-prejudice diversity awareness training programmes, Ms. Sclafani is the architect of the suite of training programmes linked to the award-winning project Belieforama: A Panoramic Approach to Issues of Religion and Belief, and she has been coordinating one of civil society’s most promising initiatives in hate crime monitoring training, called Facing Facts!. With an MA in Conflict Resolution, she was a 1998 Fulbright Scholar to the European Commission for research on anti-racism work with youth.

SENYK Halyna

Ms. Senyk is Executive Director of the European Shoah Legacy Institute. She is an expert in human rights, asset recovery, and international law. She has 12 years of experience in civil society development and state policy evaluation. Prior to joining ESLI she had her private practice representing clients at the European Court of Human Rights, worked with leading human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, and consulted for United Nations agencies. She helped to set up the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, which played an important role in tracking the assets of the corrupted Yanukovych regime. She studied at the London School of Economics, the Central European University, the Lviv National University and the University of Essex.

SETTI Valeria

Valeria Setti works as Policy Officer in charge of migrants' integration at the European Commission, DG for Migration and Home Affairs, since end of 2013. Prior to that, she worked for Missing Children Europe as the coordinator of the 116 000 European hotlines for missing children. She also worked for the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and Human Rights Watch. She studied in Italy, France and Austria and holds a MA in International Studies.

SICHROVSKY Ilja

Ilja Sichrovsky is the Founder and Secretary General of the Muslim Jewish Conference (MJC). Born in Berlin, he is the son of a German mother and an Austrian father. His father’s family has Jewish roots in Vienna dating back centuries; in fact, one of his Jewish ancestors was knighted by Franz Josef. Ilja was a counselor in Vienna’s Hashomer Hatzair youth movement. He represented the University of Vienna three times at international Harvard student conferences. On each occasion, he won the Harvard Award for Exemplifying the True Spirit of Diplomacy. Later, he acted as faculty adviser and coach for the Viennese delegation at several conferences and he chaired the peace-building commission at EURASIAMUN. Ilja wrote a scientific article about being a Jewish student studying at an Austrian University six decades after the Holocaust. It was published by the University of Vienna and integrated into curriculum.

SIPPEL Birgit

Birgit Sippel, MEP, born on 29 January 1960 in Bochum, Germany, is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Since 2009, Ms Sippel is a Member of the European Parliament and of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. She serves in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, in which she has taken over the office of the coordinator of the S&D Group after her re-election in 2014. Furthermore, she is a substitute in the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. In the LIBE-Committee she has been actively working on fundamental rights, e.g. on the asylum package, data protection and the right to privacy as well as on procedural rights to name but a few.

ŠITLER Jiří

Jiří Šitler is a Czech diplomat and historian, designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues and Combating Antisemitism since March 2015. He dealt with World War II related issues since the 1990s, as press and foreign policy advisor to President Václav Havel (1993 - 1997), as head of the Czech delegation at the 1998 Washington Conference on Holocaust Era Assets, observer in the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims, Ambassador-at-Large for World War II - related issues, and chief negotiator for compensation of Czech Nazi victims. J. Šitler has also been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Romania ( 2010 - 2015) and to the Kingdom of Thailand, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao PDR and the Union of Myanmar/Burma (2001- 2006). He is also the author or co-author of numerous essays, articles and books, especially on Czech-German relations, World War II - related issues, Czech political history and South-East Asia history.

STAVROS Stephanos

Stephanos Stavros has been the Executive Secretary to ECRI, the Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance, since June 2009. He has also worked for the Council of Europe’s central administration, its Legal Affairs Directorate General, and the European Court and Commission of Human Rights; also for the legal department of the Greek MFA and the Greek Council for Refugees. Stephanos Stavros has studied law in Athens and London. He has a PhD and an MBA and has published extensively in the fields of human rights, minority protection and criminal law.

STOCKWELL Nathalie

Nathalie Stockwell studied law in Belgium (Université Catholique de Louvain) and specialised in European and international law in London (joint LLM – Queen's College, King's College and LSE). She worked at the Brussels Bar as an "avocat" on European law issues for four years and then joined the Court of Justice of the European Union in 1998. She stared at the European Commission in 2003 where she worked as a policy coordinator on youth and higher education mobility programmes and policies (DG Education and Culture). She has been working in DG Justice and Consumers for the past four years on fundamental rights issues. She has in particular coordinated the Commission's 2013 EU Citizenship Report and EU publications on citizens' rights. She is, within the Unit responsible for Fundamental Rights and the Rights of the Child, in charge of relations with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and contacts with the Council. She is also working on files relating to the rights of the child and to racism and xenophobia. She was the team leader for the first Annual Colloquium on Fundamental Rights.

TAKÁCS Szabolcs Ferenc

Ambassador Szabolcs Takács, Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for 2015, is a State Secretary responsible for European Union Affairs in the Prime Minister's Office of Hungary. In 2012, he was appointed Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of global affairs and in July 2013 he began serving as Political Director and Deputy State Secretary for security policy, supervising joint EU foreign and security policy while also responsible for Hungary’s bilateral relations with the countries of the Americas, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia. Szabolcs Takács has been dealing with Asia, the Pacific and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary for over a decade and also serving as Deputy Head of Mission at the Hungarian Embassy in Qatar.

THOMPSON Mischa

Dr. Mischa Thompson, Policy Advisor, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) Dr. Thompson serves as a Policy Advisor to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. In addition to racial and religious discrimination, Dr. Thompson's portfolio includes migration and integration issues in the 57 North American and European countries that make up the OSCE region. Previously, Dr. Thompson served as a Professional Staff Member and Congressional Fellow within the U.S. House and Senate working on human rights, foreign policy, appropriations, trade, economic development, and security issues. Her work includes the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network that has advanced over 100 diverse leaders committed to inclusive societies in Europe and the United States. Originally from Detroit, Dr. Thompson is a Fulbright Scholar, National Science Foundation and German Marshall Fund Fellow, who holds a B.S. from Howard University, and PhD from the University of Michigan.

THYSSEN Marianne

Marianne Thyssen is the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility. In 1991 Thyssen was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Flanders with the CD&V, the Flemish Christian Democrats in Belgium, and has since spent over 24 years in politics. In 2008 Thyssen was elected leader of the CD&V party. She also served as leader of the European People's Party's (EPP) Belgian delegation and from 2004-2009 was elected first vice-president of the EPP. She holds a degree in law from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Prior to entering politics she worked as a legal adviser for a Belgian organisation for SMEs and the self- employed, the women’s network Markant, as well as to the state secretary for public health and disability policy. In 2014 Thyssen was appointed to the Juncker administration as Commissioner in charge of Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility.

TIMMERMANS Frans

Frans Timmermans is the First Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. A Member of the Dutch Parliament from 1998, he was the Netherlands' Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2012 and 2014 and Secretary of State for Foreign and European Affairs between 2007 and 2010. He started his career in the Dutch Foreign Ministry, and before joining Parliament worked as adviser to Max van der Stoel, the High Commissioner on National Minorities for the OSCE. He holds degrees in French literature, European law and history.

TOMAI Photini

Photini Tomai-Constantopoulou holds an Ambassadorial rank. She joined the Foreign Ministry in 1985. She studied History and Archaeology. In 1993 she was appointed Director of the Service of Diplomatic and Historical Archives. In 2013 she was appointed Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. In 1998 she co-edited the volume “Records on the History of the Greek Jews”. Since then she has been assigned with the documentation of the Holocaust through state sources. Author of “Greeks in Auschwitz-Birkenau”, “The Greek Righteous” (to be published) and many articles about the Holocaust. She was the first recipient of the Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Zakynthos award (Washinghton D.C, 2011). Head of the Greek Delegetion in IHRA, ITS-Bad-Arolsen and ESLI.

VAN BERGEN George

George van Bergen is Senior Policy Advisor at the Transatlantic Institute, the Brussels office of the American Jewish Committee’s network of global offices, working to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and to advance human rights and democratic values for all. George van Bergen deals with TAI's advocacy work on the EU's Middle East policy and he is involved in TAI's efforts to increase the effectiveness of Europe’s policies to combat anti-Semitism.

Before joining TAI, George van Bergen was a Dutch diplomat, serving in various capacities both in The Hague and in mostly European postings, gaining experience with the workings of the European Union. After retiring from the Foreign Service he has worked in several countries as consultant for international trade and communication, joining TAI in 2014.

George van Bergen has a law degree from the University of Leyden, the Netherlands.

VAN DEN BRANDT Antonius

Ton van den Brandt (LL.M.) studied Dutch and International Law. He worked as a journalist for many years and was the author of two published journalistic books, before working as legal professional with the Dutch Red Cross and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2007 he started as a lobbyist for Amnesty International. Currently, he is Head of the Department of Communications with the Amsterdam District Court of Law. Also, he is the Vice-Chairman of NJCM, the Dutch branch of the International Commission of Jurists.

VAN DER HAEGEN Antoine

Belgian. Has been a European Commission official for 37 years. His last post was at the European Delegation in Washington DC. Together with a British and a French friend, has founded the European Association of Free Thought (EAFT) in 2007. Its members make their views heard both in Europe’s civil society and in the Dialogue art. 17 of the treaty of Lisbon .The EAFT campaigns to promote the heritage of the Enlightenment and the separation of church and state in the EU.

VAN DRIEL Barend

Barry van Driel was educated at universities in the Netherlands and the United States. He holds a graduate degree in the Psychology of Culture and Religion with a specialization in education. He joined the staff of the Anne Frank House in 1992, where he is now international director for teacher training and curriculum development. Barry has been the Editor in Chief of the international academic journal Intercultural Education since 2000 and is currently Vice President of International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE). Barry has served as senior education consultant to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw as well as a consultant to UNESCO and the FRA (Fundamental Rights Agency). Since 2010 he has been a jury member of the prestigious United Nations-BMW Intercultural Innovation awards and was appointed chair of the jury in 2003. He has edited books entitled: Confronting Islamophobia in Educational Practice (London 2005) and Challenging Homophobia (with Lutz van Dijk; London 2007), and has published more than a dozen academic articles and book chapters.

VAN GELDER Elisabeta

1947 Born in a DP camp in Linz, Austria, a child of holocaust survivors; 1948 Smuggled in a luggage into Romania for adoption at age 10 month; 1948-66 Lived in Romania, city of Arad; 1966 Immigration to Israel; 1967-79 Lived in Canada (Montreal and Toronto) 1980- Married, living in Amsterdam 1994 Member of B’nai B’rith; 1997 I set up the committee for Central and Eastern Europe for humanitarian aid; 1998/99 Together with then the President of District 19, Bent Melchior, we applied and received from the Dutch Government 1.200.000 DFL for humanitarian aid in 6 countries; 1998 Organized the exhibition of Documentation of History of the Jews of Bulgaria at the Jewish History Museum, Amsterdam; 1999 Member of the executive committee of BBE (humanitarian aid to C. & E. E.) 2002 Started the project “Foster Grand Parent Plan, Romania” which is still running; 2007 Member of the committee for Central & Eastern Europe; 2008 Co-opted in the executive committee of B’nai B’rith Europe; 2011 Senior vice president B’nai B’rith Europe; 2012 Knighted in the Dutch Royal Order of Orange Nassau; 2012-13 “Bridges of Tolerance” opens in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia; 2014 Elected President of B’nai B’rith Europe; 2015 Award Ceremony at the Romanian Embassy in the Hague for The Romanian National Order of Merit in the rank of Officer. 2015 Starting the project Bridges of Tolerance in Romania under the patronage of the Minister of External Affairs and the Romanian Parliament, in collaboration with B’nai B’rith Forum Dr. Moses Rosen , Romania; 2015 starting talks with Romanian government, Parliament and NGO representatives, for the establishing of a new South-East European Center in Bucharest, for Combating Intolerance and anti-Semitism. 3-5 June 2015, transnational project “Bridges of Tolerance” opens in Bucharest, Romania.

VAN RAEMDONCK Dan

Dan Van Raemdonck is a Doctor in Philosophy and Literature and a Professor of French Linguistics at both Free Universities of Brussels. After years as a militant with the Ligue des Droits de l’Homme (LDH, Frenchspeaking Belgium), he served as its president from 2000 to 2006. He focused on denouncing Belgian politicians guilty of discrimination in migration matters and economical and social rights. He created and chaired the European Association for the Defence of Human Rights (AEDH, 2000-2006). Since 2006, he has been Honorary President of LDH and AEDH. He has been Vice-President of the International Federation for human Rights (FIDH, 2007-2013) and is now Secretary General. At FIDH, he specialized in issues relating to counter terrorism and death penalty.

VANHEUSDEN Alfons

Alfons Vanheusden studied law at K.U. Leuven & at University College Galway.

He is also a graduate of the National Security Law Institute (University of Virginia) & of the Hautes Etudes de Sécurité et Défense (Royal Higher Institute for Defence & Egmont). Current position: Human rights advisor (Cabinet of Belgian Minister of Justice Koen Geens). 2008-2014: Legal advisor (Cabinet of the Belgian Minister of Defence). 1999-2008: Legal advisor for international affairs (Ministry of Defence), including operational service in Afghanistan & Lebanon. 2004-2013: Guest lecturer of public international law (Royal Higher Institute for Defence & Royal Military Academy). 2003-2015: Assistant Secretary-General of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War. 1997-1998: Attorney-at-law (Bar of Tongeren).

VAZ Rosa

Degree in law and post-graduation in European Studies at the Universidade Lusiado of Lisboa. Practicing lawyer between 1993 and 2002, Advisor to the Minister of Culture (1997), Advisor to the Under-State Secretary of the Ministry of Equipment, Planning and Administration (1998-99). Between 1997 and 2002 law consultant to several institutions in the cultural area, namely the Portuguese Institute of Archeology and The Institute of Contemporary Arts.Chairman of the General Assembly of APSS – Administration of the Ports of Setúbal and Sesimbra, S.A. (1999-2001). Deputy-director of the Portuguese Institute of Archeology (IPA) in 2002, and Vice-President of the Portuguese Institute of Historical Patrimony (IPPAR) between 2003 and 2005. Advisor for Cultural Affairs and Human Resources of the City of Lisbon and Advisor of the Administrative Committee of the City Council, between 2005 and 2007. Director of the Torres Novas Hospital at the “Médio Tejo” Hospital Cluster (EPE) between 2008 and 2011. Member of the Board of Fudaçao de Guimaraes , the organization that developed, implemented and managed the Guimaraes 2012 European Capital of Culture. Chief of Staff of the State Secretary of Justice since December 2013.

VON SCHNURBEIN Katharina

Katharina von Schnurbein (German) works for the European Commission in DG Justice as Coordinator of the dialogue with churches, religious associations or communities as well as philosophical and non-confessional organisations. Before, she was Member of the Bureau of European Policy advisors, advising the President and the Colleges (2010-2014), spokesperson for Commissioner Vladimír Spidla, responsible for Employment, Social affairs and Equal Opportunities (2004-2010) and press officer at the Delegation of the European commission in Prague (2002-2004). Her educational background includes studies of Political Science and Slavonic Studies at the University of Bonn and Oxford University (Master, 1997) and a Master of European Studies from the Centre for European Integration Studies, Bonn (1999).

WARD Benjamin

Benjamin Ward, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia Division, supervises research on the EU region, the Western Balkans, and Turkey. He writes regularly about human rights in Europe. Before becoming deputy director, Ward researched Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo for Human Rights Watch. Before joining the organization, Ward worked for the United Nations in Somalia and New York, and in Bosnia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He was admitted to practice as a barrister in England & Wales in 2003, and holds a bachelor's in government from the London School of Economics and a master's in international affairs from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

WARD Julie

Julie Ward is a Labour MEP for the North West of England. She is also a writer, theatre-maker and cultural activist who began her working life on the factory floor before becoming a community arts worker. In 1984 she was appointed director of a regional arts and disability organisation covering five counties in the North of England and in 1986 she co-founded Jack Drum Arts, an artists' cooperative that provides a wide range of activities for all sections of the community.In May 2014 she was elected a Labour Member of the European Parliament (MEP) to represent the NW of England. She is a member of the parliament’s committees on Culture and Education, Regional Development as well as the Women rights' and Gender Equality Committee. She's a board member of the European Internet Forum, and a founding member of the European Caucus of Women in Parliament - a global forum. Julie is a children's rights champion, having co-founded the European Parliament cross-party and cross- committee intergroup on Children's Rights. She is also active on a number of other intergroups including Disability, Youth, Common Goods & Public Services, Creative Industries, LGBTI, Anti-Poverty, Trade Unions and Social Economy. She is now on the Labour Party’s Children and Education Policy Commission as a European Parliament Labour Party representative, as well a Culture and Education committee representative to the inter-committee network on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

She was named North East Woman Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003 and has served on the board of Culture North East and Arts Council England as well as being a school governor. In 2009 she decided to go to university and study for a Master's in Education and International Development, graduating in 2012. Julie is a Churchill Fellow and has travelled and worked all around the world with a particular focus on Europe and neighbouring countries. She sits on the Citizen’s Panel of Durham University, the executive board of National Drama and is a volunteer for the Institute of Ideas national youth debating competition.

WOOD Keith Porteous

Keith Porteous Wood has been the executive director of the National Secular Society (NSS) since 1998. Keith has made major contributions to legislation on equality, education, blasphemy, freedom of expression, constitutional, home affairs, justice and racial and religious hatred at a UK and European level. He is a member of the advisory board of the European Parliament Platform for Secularism in Politics. Keith has worked on the UN Geneva team of the International Humanist & Ethical Union and was on the EU Fundamental Rights Agency advisory board in Vienna.

In 2007 Keith received the Distinguished Service to Humanism Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union for his work building up the NSS and campaigning for secularism nationally and internationally.

ZACCHIROLI Benedetto

President of the European Coalition of Cities against Racism ECCAR (since 2015). Person in charge of the Candidature of Bologna's Porticoes at the Unesco World Heritage Centre (since 2015). Councillor of the Metropolitan City of Bologna (since 2014)Bologna City. Councillor (since 2011)Advisor on Cultural Affairs at the City of Fortaleza (2009-2010)Mayor's Advisor for Foreign Affairs of the City of Bologna (2004-2009). University degree in Theology at the Pontifical University of S. Thomas Aquinas, Rome (Vatican)

ZINSMEISTER Stefan

Stefan Zinsmeister, born 1981, is member of the executive committee of the Eugen Biser Foundation located in Munich, Germany. He studied Catholic Theology, Islamic Studies and Arabic literature. Like the foundation, he is very much engaged in the interreligious dialogue, especially between Christians and Muslims.

ZOBERI Mansour

Mansour Zoberi, Director of promotion of Diversity and Solidarity in the Casino Supermarket Group. Au sein du Groupe Casino, Mansour s’occupe notamment des partenariats nationaux avec les ministères sur la Politique de la Ville, la Prévention des discriminations, la Diversité et les engagements sociétaux dans le cadre de la RSE. Sociologue, il a conduit pour le compte de Casino, avec leurs partenaires sociaux et des administrations centrales, diverses études et accords sur la lutte contre les discriminations, l’égalité des chances et la promotion de la diversité qui font références sur le plan national. Mansour est membre du Collège Lutte contre les discriminations du Défenseur des Droits.