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.