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Australia, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC)

Margaret Donaldson is the director of the Race Discrimination Unit of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. In this role she is responsible for the projects and activities that are undertaken by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Clth). Prior to this role she was the director of the Native Title Unit and responsible for the annual production and publication of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner’s report to parliament on native title. The Native Title Report monitors developments in native title law and policy that affect the human rights of Aboriginal people. In 2000 Margaret accompanied the Race Discrimination Commissioner to the United Nations to make submissions to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the human rights of Indigenous people in Australia. Prior to joining the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Margaret was a principal lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitor, specialising in government law, tax law and commercial law. She has a Master of Laws from the University of New South Wales.

Canada Human Rights Commission (CHRC)

Myriam Montrat is Director General of the Discrimination Prevention Branch, and as such, she is responsible for prevention initiatives, employment equity compliance audits, communications and CHRC’s regional offices. Prior to joining the Commission, Myriam Montrat was at Industry Canada, where she was the Director, Service Delivery and Partnerships, Canada Business, and as such was responsible for government service delivery to small and medium enterprises and directed several multi-jurisdictional (federal, provincial, territorial, municipal levels) initiatives requiring the creation of linkages and development of partnerships between the federal government and key stakeholders. Previously, Myriam was Director, Official Languages, Intergovernmental Affairs at the Privy Council Office, where she coordinated and facilitated the management of major horizontal files affecting the whole of government. Prior to her career in the federal government, Myriam worked for the private sector as a consultant on international issues. She is a graduate of the Career Assignment Programme and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University (Montreal) as well as a BA in International Relations from Colby College (Maine).

Piero Narducci currently heads the Prevention Initiatives and Liaison Division of the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa. He has been with the Commission since 1999 in various areas, including pay equity investigations and policy development, and has developed extensive experience in human rights investigations, policies and practices. Mr. Narducci has also worked in Personnel Psychology Centre of the federal Public Service Commission, where he conducted individual assessments of management competencies and provided feedback and coaching to aspiring executives. He carries a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.

Denmark, The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR)

Lisbeth Garly Andersen (social anthropologist 1999, University of Copenhagen) has worked as project manager at the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) for the past six years. Prior to her employment with DIHR Lisbeth worked for UN’s refugee aid agency in Burma and Thailand, where she did a qualitative survey on the conditions for refugees returning to Burma. One of the focal points for Lisbeth’s international work at DIHR has been capacity building of partners in research and advocacy for law reform. Lisbeth has also taught NHRIs in reporting for treaty bodies including how to make a good shadow report. Lisbeth was furthermore one of the main organizers of the sixth international conference for National Human Rights Institutions which was held in Copenhagen and had discrimination as the main theme. Lisbeth is currently engaged in advocacy research. Since September 2007 she has conducted a qualitative survey on the conditions for rejected asylum seekers in Denmark. The methods used in the survey are semi-structured interviews with asylum seekers and interviews with key informants. About eighty interviews have been conducted in a period of about four months, mainly with asylum seekers. Furthermore the research includes an analysis of the legal framework and regulations in the area as well as an overview over international practice. The rationale behind the method is not only to analyze the legislation, but also to hear the voice of the asylum seekers and see how they perceive the different structures. For example, "how does it feel to be a part of Danish society during ten years, but officially be excluded from it?" Apart from a book on the subject, various seminars will be held and hopefully a meeting with the responsible Minister. Besides Danish and English Lisbeth speaks French, Spanish and German.

Mrs. Huriye Aydemir Varisli has a BA in English Literature and History from the University of Copenhagen, 1999 and Master of Law from the University of Copenhagen, 2006. Huriye has been an employee of the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) since 2006 as a legal policy officer at the Complaints Committee for Ethnic Equal Treatment, where she has handled complaints regarding differential treatment on grounds of race or ethnic origin. Huriye is specialised in the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination both in and outside the labour market, taking outset in UN and European Human Rights and EU legislation. Huriye has work experience as a legal counsellor both from a specialised equality body and an NGO. During the period of 2004-2006 Huriye worked as a legal counsellor at the Danish Refugee Council. Huriye’s area of expertise is Danish immigration, asylum and integration law and policy. During her employment at DIHR, she has worked as a national expert and correspondent on projects and ad hoc assignments for the EU Commission, the European Parliament, Migration Policy Group and British Council in the area of Danish immigration, asylum and integration legislation and policy. Huriye’s qualifications cover information seeking, judicial analysis and drafting of rapports. In 2007 Huriye was national correspondent on the Migration Integration Policy Index, where she supplied information about the Danish immigration and integration legislation and policy. In 2007 Huriye was assistant to the national expert on the European Parliament study on the Conditions in centres for third country nationals (detention camps, open centres as well as transit centres and transit zones) with a particular focus on provisions and facilities for persons with special needs in the 25 EU member states, where she supplied information about the Danish asylum legislation and policy and conducted interviews with asylum seekers in the Danish asylum centres. Since August 2007 Huriye has been working on a study concerning the conditions for the rejected asylum seekers in Denmark, where she is responsible for the legal analysis with outset in international human rights conventions and Danish asylum legislation and policy. Since August 2007 Huriye has been lecturing at the Danish Police Academy in the subject of International Relations and Human Rights including EU and Danish anti-discrimination legislation and Danish immigration and asylum legislation. Since November 2007 Huriye has been the project manager and coordinator for the Anti-discrimination training for national NGOs and trade unions financed by the European Commission, which will be completed at the end of April 2008. Huriye is fluent in Danish, Turkish and English.

Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR)

Christine Njeru, Human Rights Officer, Research, Policy & Legislation, KNCHR engages in ad hoc research on topical issues including the right of migrant workers; the abolition of the Death Penalty in Kenya among others. Christine provides desk reviews and field research for KNCHR publications including the annual State of Human Rights Report in Kenya which is submitted to Parliament bi-annually and which reviews the state of human rights in Kenya. She reviews Government’s fulfillment of its International Human Rights Obligations and being part of the secretariat that coordinates the government process of compiling a National Policy and Action Plan on Human Rights. She reviews policies and legislation (domestic and international) and makes recommendations to the Government, as well as lobbies for the adoption of various bills and the signing and ratification of key international instruments. The KNCHR is currently engaging in the investigation and documentation of the post-2007 Election Violence in order to provide an impartial account of what happened and who was responsible. All members of staff at KNCHR are conducting field work for purposes of documentation.

Mexico, Human Rights Commission of the Federal District (CDHCF)

María Alejandra Nuño Ruiz Velasco, Fourth Visiting General, is a Law graduate of the Occidental Technological Institute and College A.C., of Guadalajara, Jalisco and a Master’s degree in International Law for Human Rights from the University of Essex, England. From 2001-2006, Alejandra worked as an attorney for the Center for Justice and International Rights, where she litigated and contributed in several cases of violations of human rights, before the Commission and Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Alejandra also collaborated for the Center of Justice and International Rights by organizing workshops and training sessions for several different organizations and entities of Central America and Mexico. She also contributed to the production of documents and manuals, created in order to support the implementation of international and Inter-American instruments of justice. Alejandra has written several essays, such as: The Defense of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in the Inter-American System, an article published by CODEHUCA in Costa Rica; and The Protection of Social Wellbeing in the Americas, published by Renglones Magazine of ITESO University.

Netherlands, Commissie Gelijke Behandeling (CGB)-Equal Treatment Commission

Maria Lourijsen, Policy Advisor, studied constitutional law (comparative) focusing on human rights including issues in the areas of free speech, freedom of religion, women's rights, minority rights, prisoners' rights, peace law and the freedom of elections. In the latter subject she wrote her final thesis on various electoral systems in the World. From 2002 - 2004 Maria worked for the Dutch Electoral Council and in 2004 she worked for the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands at the United Nations in New York. There she was involved in womens rights, minority rights humanitarial law and the role of UNICEF, UNDP and UNFPA worldwide. Since 2005 Maria works for the Dutch Equal Treatment Commission where she is involved in issues on minorties, education, discrimination on the grounds of race. In her private time she's closely involved in the Dutch section of the International Commission of Jurists (NJCM) and is engaged in discussions in the Netherlands on the reform of the UN, the role of the Dutch government on human rights in the Netherlands and the elimination of all forms of discrimination.

South Africa Human Rights Commission (SAHRC)

Christine Jesseman, Senior Researcher/Coordinator: Human Rights and Business Special Programme, the post draws on both Christine’s practical commercial experience and her training in human rights. Christine is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa. She obtained her B.Comm and LL.B degrees with distinction from the University of Pretoria and thereafter her LL.M (human rights and civil liberties) with distinction as a Commonwealth Scholar at the University of Leicester. Christine was the recipient of a South African National Research Foundation Prestigious Scholarship for doctoral studies abroad and commenced her PhD at Cambridge University as a member of Girton College. Having returned to South Africa, she aspires to complete her PhD at a South African institution. Christine also brings to the table her experience of the corporate sector. She has experience in private practice and has been involved in specialised commercial transactions, public private partnerships, legislative exposure and multi-party negotiations.