Berit Lindemann
Berit is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.
For more than 20 years, Berit has worked on democracy building and human rights issues, primarily in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but also through assignments in Asia and Africa. She has extensive experience with international election observation and as an election expert and is passionate about the individual’s right to co-determination and sees the value of free and fair elections.
Berit has worked with most of the Helsinki Committee’s core countries, but has generally been responsible for Azerbaijan and Belarus. Prior to becoming the Secretary General, she was the communications manager for many years.
Berit has a law degree, specializes in foreign law, and has also learned Russian and French. She has lived for long periods in Ukraine, France and in Russia. She recently spent a three-year sabbatical year in Mali, West Africa.
Hon. Hermann Gröhe
Born in 1961 in Uedem, was Federal Minister for Health between 2013 and 2018. Since the end of March 2018, he has been Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag. There he is responsible for the topics of Labour and Social Affairs as well as Economic Cooperation and Development. From 1989 to 1994, Hermann Gröhe was Federal Chairman of the Junge Union. In 1994, he entered the German Bundestag for the first time, and has been a member without interruption since. Between 2009 and 2013 he was General Secretary of the CDU of Germany.
Hon. Amason Kingi Jeffah
Amason Kingi Jeffah is a Kenyan politician currently serving as the Speaker of the Senate of Kenya.
Kingi was sworn in as the first governor of Kilifi County on March 2013. Prior to his election as a governor, he was the Minister for Fisheries Development between 2010 to March 2013. He has also served as the Minister for East African community between 2008 and 2010. He has served as the Member of Parliament for Magarini from 2003-2013. hee
Øystein Lingroth
Øystein Lyngroth is the current Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Head of the delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, in the Section for Human Rights, Democracy and Gender Equality, in the Ministry of Foreign of Norway. As a career diplomat for almost twenty years, he has served in several posts, including at the Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as well as at the Permanent Missions of Norway to the United Nations in New York. Øystein Lyngroth obtained a master's degrees in History of Religions from the University of Oslo in 1996.
Dr. Stefanie Rothenberger
Dr. Stefanie Rothenberger is the Director of the Rule of Law Program for Sub-Saharan Africa/Anglophone countries of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS). She studied law at the Universities of Munich, Lausanne, and Heidelberg. Moreover, she has a PhD in International Environmental Law at the Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, as well as at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver/Canada.
Dr. Rothenberger has previously served as a Ministerial Counsellor for the German Parliament in Berlin. Her responsibilities included official international relations, with a focus on the Arab world and Africa which brought her to Sub-Saharan Africa on several official missions. Prior to this, she worked with ministerial and parliamentary affairs in Germany, as well as for the German Federal Council at the European Parliament in Brussels, and for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome.
Fernanda San Martin
Hon. Fernanda San Martin is the new director of IPPFoRB and has until recently been the Program Manager for Latin America of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion and Belief (IPPFORB).
San Martin obtained her law degrees from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid and Sorbonne, and holds a Master in Management and Public Policy from the University Catolica Boliviana and Harvard University. Moreover, she holds a diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution and Arbitration from the Universidad Real de la Camara de Comercio, La Paz.
San Martin is a human rights activist and a specialist in issues of substantive equality, with a particular engagement in the political participation of women, violence and political harassment against women, and freedom of religion and belief. She has professional experience in advising and consulting for several political parties, foundations and international organizations.
Her work as a parliamentarian has been an indispensable contribution to the advancement of human rights in Bolivia.
Hon. Nqabayomzi Kwankwa
Born and bred in Middledrift in the Eastern Cape, the road leading to success was not all rosey for Hon. Kwankwa, as he found himself homeless with a dream of becoming someone in the streets of Cape Town. Despite this, he has achieved a high-level degree in Economics and built a private sector career before he claiming a prominent stand in South African politics.
Today, Hon Kwankwa serves South Africans in the National Assembly as the Member of Parliament. He is a champion for human rights and social justice and in 2017 he established the African Parliamentarians Association for Human Rights (AfriPAHR) a network of African parliamentarians, who are committed to the promotion of democracy, human rights, and the right to freedom of religion or belief.
In 2015 he won the outstanding international leadership award in Atlanta at the Extra-Ordinary Peoples award for his exceptional success in South Africa by helping improve the life of others. The award has since been renamed after him and now called (The Nqabayomzi Kwankwa Outstanding International Leadership Award) and presented annually to young people who are passionate and working in humanitarian aid, promotion of human rights, development of the youth in their countries and globally.
Charles Reed
Charles Reed is the Director of Operations for the Freedom of Religion or Belief Leadership network – a 3 year project funded by the UK’s Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has been involved with the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief since its creation in 2014. His interest and involvement in the world of FoRB has grown out of his work as the Church of England’s Foreign Policy Advisor where he provides policy support and advice to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the bishops in the House of Lords in their dealings with Parliament, Government and regional and international bodies. Prior to taking up his role with the Church of England he worked for the European Commission in Brussels and Burson-Marsteller in London. He did his undergraduate degree at the London School of Economics and his PhD at Cambridge University.
Mr. Ibrahim Maida Inusah
Mr. Inusah is the Program Officer at Africa Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA). He holds an Executive MBA and a certificate in NGO management from The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Prior to that, he obtained a Bachelor of Education (B. Ed) in Psychology and a Diploma in Religion from University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana.
Mr. Inusah coordinates the International Panel of Parliamentarians on Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB) project in Africa and has previously been in charge of Ghana, Sierra Leone and the Gambia as Programme Officer for the Freedom of Religion or Belief Leadership Network (FoRBLN).
Mr. Inusah has extensive knowledge in the use of ICT as a tool for development. He has long experience from developing and implementing network programmes about information technology, research communication and evidence-informed policy making. He has facilitated capacity building programmes for various actors, including policy makers, research scientists, parliamentarians and the media.
Prof. Kameri Mbote
Professor Patricia Kameri-Mbote studied law at the University of Nairobi, the University of Warwick, the University of Zimbabwe and pursued her doctoral studies at Stanford Law School, (Stanford University). She also an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
She has taught international environmental law at the University of Kansas. She is a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, a board member of the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE-Uganda) and Women and Law in East Africa (WLEA). She has consulted for many international and national agencies including the World Bank, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the government of Kenya. She is also the Africa Editor of the Law, Environment and Development Journal (LEAD Journal), a peer-reviewed academic journal jointly published by IELRC and SOAS.
She has published widely in the areas of international law, environmental law, women's rights and property rights. Her research interests include public international law, environment and natural resources law and policy, human rights, women's rights, intellectual property rights, biotechnology policy and law and economic law.
His Lordship Honourable Justice Mr. Mandala Dick Mambulasa
Hon. Justice Mambulasa is a Judge of the High Court of Malawi. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL. B) Honours obtained from the University of Malawi in 2002 and a Master of Laws (LL.M) obtained from the University of Pretoria, in South Africa in 2010. He was appointed Judge on 20th October, 2020. He currently sits in the Civil Division at the Principal Registry, in Blantyre.
Before being appointed Judge, he was a Managing Partner at Mambulasa & Co. Advocates, a private law practice which he founded in January 2011. Hon. Justice Mambulasa served as an Executive Director for the Malawi Law Society (MLS) between the years 2005-2009. He also served as an editor for The Malawian Lawyer, a magazine for MLS and manager for the Malawi Law Journal. In February 2013, Hon. Justice Mambulasa was elected President of MLS, a position that he held for two years until February 2015. He also served on various boards of public institutions and not-for profit organisations including as a commissioner on the Special Law Commission on Development of Legislation on Spent Convictions.
Hon. Justice Mambulasa also teaches law courses on part-time basis. He taught Public International Law, Law of Business Organisations, Criminal Law, Human Rights Law, Legal Ethics and Civil Procedure Law at various universities and is currently a part-time lecturer in Civil Litigation at the Malawi Institute of Legal Education (MILE).
Hon. Justice (Rtd) David K. Maraga
David Kenani Maraga is a Kenyan lawyer and jurist. He was the 14th Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya.
Maraga studied law at the University of Nairobi, from which he holds a Bachelor and a Master of Laws. Moreover, he holds a post graduate diploma from the Kenya School of Law. Following his admission to the Kenyan bar, David Maraga ran a private law practice for over 25 years.
In October 2003, Maraga joined the bench as a High Court Judge and subsequently served as a judge of the High Court in Mombasa, Nakuru, and Nairobi. He has also served in various leadership roles, including as the resident judge for the High Court of Kenya in Nakuru and as the presiding judge of the Family Division of the High Court in Nairobi. Moreover, Maraga has served in the Court of Appeal in Nairobi and as the presiding judge of the Court of Appeal in Kisumu, before being appointed as Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya in October 2016. He remained in this capacity until his retirement in 2021.
Hon. Moses M. Wetang'ula
Hon. Moses Masika Wetang’ula is an active member of the Law Society of Kenya and the 8th Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, where he has served for five cumulative terms.
Hon. Wetangula has served in various capacities in the Kenyan Senate, including as Senate Minority Leader and as a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations. Moreover, he has served as Minister for Trade, Chairperson of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the Minster for Foreign Affairs.
Internationally, Hon. Wetang’ula seeks to continue building and strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and the long and rich relationship the Parliament of Kenya has had with key players including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and the OACPS.
Isabel Ximenes
Isabel Ximenes is a member of National Parliament of Timor Leste, where she has devoted her expertise in various areas including human rights, public finance, anti-corruption and social communication. Ximenes is the country representative for Timor Leste in the executive committee of South East Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC) and represents Timor Leste in the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC).
Isabel Ximenes is passionate about human rights and an active member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR). Her passion for Freedom of Religion has recently taken her to be engaged more on the issues of Freedom of Religion or Belief in the South-East Asian through Parliamentarians network SEAFoRB. She has been a strong advocate for the promotion of the Human Fraternity Document that has been adopted and ratifies unanimously by the Parliamentarians of Timor Leste.
Hon. Lana Prlić
Lana Prlić is a Member of Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prlić has a bachelor's degree in international and public Relations and a master's degree in international business and finance, and is currently a PhD student. In 2018, she was elected to the Parliament of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the youngest member of the Parliament, and she was re-elected as MP in 2022. Prlić has attended numerous domestic and international seminars and educational programs, including the Young Women's Leadership Academy (YWLA), the School of Political Studies at the Council of Europe and the I the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). She is originally from Mostar but is nowadays working and living part time in Mostar and part time in Sarajevo.
Dr Thiago Alves Pinto
Dr Thiago Alves Pinto (DPhil Oxon) is the Director of Studies in Theology and Religion and a Departmental Lecturer in Legal Studies and Diplomatic Studies at the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford.
He is also an Academic Affiliate at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, an Ordinary Fellow at Kellogg College, an Associate Member of the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford, and a Project Coordinator at the University of Oslo.
Thiago has been actively involved with NGOs, think tanks, academia, as well as national and international organisations, such as UNESCO, OSCE, IOM, UN OHCHR, the UK Parliament, Chatham House, and IPPFoRB.
Hon. Asiya Nasir
Ms. Asiya Nasir is one of the founding members of IPPFoRB and has been an important contributor to the network since its establishment in Oslo in 2014. She is an eminent politician and a former member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. She holds a master's degree in English Literature and has a Diploma in Participation of Women in Planning and Development from the University College London. Ms. Nasir is a recognized human rights defender, social worker, philanthropist and a former educationist.
As a parliamentarian, Ms. Nasir has been a member of Asian Women’s Parliamentary Caucus and was one of the founding members of the first ever Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC). She has represented Pakistan at various international forums like the United Nations (UN), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Today, Ms. Nasir is the Executive Director of the Resilient Women’s Network (RWN) and a Coordinator in the Freedom of Religion or Belief Leadership Network (FoRBLN). As a human rights activist, she delivers talks at national and international forums on the rights of women and religious minorities. Her vision is to promote the idea of inclusive democracy, social cohesion and culture of mutual respect and dignity for all citizens based on equality.
Hon. Maina Karobia
Hon. Maina Karobia Mwangi is elected as the youngest member of parliament in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). He is a graduate of the Mount Kenya University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in education. As an MP, Hon. Karobia serves in the Committee of agriculture, tourism, and natural resources, whilst chairing the sub-committee on natural resources. Furthermore, he is in the Committee of General-purpose encompassing health, education, youth, sports, finance, and budget. He is a strong advocate of youth participation in EAC matters, climate change, food security, cybersecurity, mental health, and drug abuse.
He began his political career in 2017, when he spearheaded county wide campaigns under the flagship Youth for Ruto-22 as the Chairman during the period 2017-2022. He played a key role in championing for political inclusion of the youth and promotion of peace during and after elections. In 2020, Hon. Karobia founded the Forum for Progressive Future, a Kenya based NGO that promotes good governance and public policy, climate change policy, youth interest, access to quality education and promoting peace and cohesion. Outside of his political pursuits, Hon. Karobia is actively involved in community development initiatives. He has spearheaded several projects aimed at improving access to education, healthcare and other basic services both in Kenya and abroad.
Mr. Issifu Lampo
Issifu Lampo is Governance, Social Accountability and Organizational Development Specialist with over 18 years of active engagement in parliamentary strengthening, capacity building, civil society advocacy, and institutional strengthening both internationally and in Ghana. He has played a lead role in the development of and delivering training modules for strengthening Parliaments, Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil society advocacy efforts, enabling to apply participatory tools in engaging government and public policy reform.
Mr. Lampo is Senior Governance Advisor at the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA). He plays a lead role in capacity enhancement efforts for MPs and Parliamentary staff across Africa.
As the lead Governance Specialist for the Institutions for Inclusive Development (I4ID) project in Tanzania (August 2016-2017), Mr. Lampo provided technical leadership and management for the project work relating to democratic institutions (political parties, parliament, and elections) in Tanzania. Moreover, Mr. Lampo served as one of the lead specialists and trainer for Parliamentary oversight of Poverty Reduction under the auspices of the Austrian Parliamentary Support Programme (2007-2012) through community‐based monitoring of poverty in several African countries including Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Mr. Issifu Lampo holds an MSc. In Development Studies from South Bank University, London, United Kingdom, (2001-2002) and BA and MA (1982-1988) in International Relations from Kiev State University, Ukraine.
Professor Tomasz Milej
Professor Tomasz Milej is an academic specialising in public international law, law of regional integration and comparative constitutional law. He is a lecturer of Law at the Kenyatta University.
Prof. Milej holds degrees from the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt/Ode, the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan and Jean Moulin University in Lyon. He obtained his PhD and a post-doctoral degree from the University of Cologne.
Milej has been working as a university lecturer throughout his professional career, starting in Frankfurt/Oder later at the University of Cologne. Early 2014, he moved to East Africa taking up a position as a lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, before he joined Kenyatta University in Kenya. He has been awarded the Law Teacher of the year award by the Nairobi Branch of the Law
Rev. Dr. Linda Ochola-Adolwa
Rev. Dr. Linda Ochola-Adolwa is an ordained Anglican minister, and the executive director of Hatua Trust, a faith-based organization. Rev. Dr. Linda also works as the church partnerships coordinator for International Justice Mission, Kenya. She completed her doctorate from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California in 2017 and has created materials to inspire and encourage Christians to embrace their identity as Kenyan citizens, and to practically take up their civic responsibilities and transform the places they live and work in.
Ed Brown
Ed Brown is Secretary General of the Stefanus Alliance International, a small Norwegian NGO focused on promoting and protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief for everyone and strengthening the presence of the church in areas of the world where there is extensive discrimination and persecution on the basis of religion or belief.
He has also worked as Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and as Leader of the Norwegian Secretariat of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Ed's work has entailed teaching and facilitating seminars, workshops and conferences on the topics of Freedom of Religion or Belief and Human Rights as well as engaging in lobby and advocacy work with grassroots religious leaders and top political leaders. His fields of interest include human rights, freedom of religion or belief, minority rights and broader rule of law and good governance issues. Ed has studied Psychology, pedagogy, religion and theology and human rights.
Dr Rasheed Draman
Dr. Rasheed Draman holds a wealth of experience and knowledge in the field of parliamentary development. He is the Executive Director of the African Center for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA). Prior to setting up ACEPA, he was Director of Africa Programs at the Canadian Parliamentary Centre during which time he oversaw the implementation of parliamentary support programs across more than 20 African countries. He consults for several major development agencies - the UNDP, the World Bank, and reputable NGOs and parliamentary institutions like the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) HQ and Africa Region, the Westminster Foundation and International IDEA.
Dr. Draman holds a PhD in Political Science from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and has taught courses on Politics and Development at that University and been a Guest Lecturer at Harvard University, as well as a Sessional Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Hon. Alejandra Camargo
Alejandra Camargo was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia on July 26th, 1989. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Communications from the National University of San Simon. Moreover, Camargo has obtained diplomas in College/University Education, Documentary Photography, Political Parties, Gender-focused Political Sciences and Parliamentary Management. She is currently completing a master's degree in Cultural Diversity Management.
Camarga is a politician, a craftswoman, a cultural manager, and a humanist. She has a strong passion for arts, writing and astrology, and is currently a Member of the Bolivian Congress as a Congressional Deputy for her native department, Cochabamba.
Rev. Prof. Dr. Aidan G. Msafiri
Rev. Prof. Dr. Aidan G. Msafiri is a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow for Climate Ethics, Business Ethics and Ethics of Sustainability at the Mweka College of African Wildlife Management in Moshi, Tanzania. He is also a visiting Professor at the Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. He got first class (PhD) on Environmental Ethics at the Vienna State University, Austria in 2003. He is the Founder and Managing Director (CEO) of the Kilimanjaro Consortium for Development and Environment (KCDE) and UN Climate Change Ambassador. He serves on the Advisory Board of Globethics.net East Africa representing Tanzania. He has published several books particularly with Globethics.net Focus Books, Geneva, Switzerland. He has also published many book chapters and articles in national and international journals. Most of these are e-books and are found in Amazon.com. He has travelled all over the world for conferences and symposia particularly in the fields of Climate Justice, Sustainability and Business Ethics. His latest book is titled “How Relevant and Timely Is Laudato Si for Africa”, Be & Be Verlag in Vienna Austria, 2019.
Shahnaz Karim
Shahnaz Karim is an academic turned development practitioner with 30 years experience in governance, public sector management, civil society partnerships, gender responsive programming, youth empowerment, and capacity building. She has been engaged with parliamentary strengthening programs in South Asia since 2009.
During her multifaceted career, Shahnaz has worked for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, led projects for USAID and FCDO, and held senior management positions at the British Council, the Carter Center, and Transparency International Bangladesh, among others. She has conducted research at the University of Nashville (US), and Brac University (Bangladesh). She currently coordinates the FoRBLN program in Bangladesh.
Shahnaz obtained a doctorate in development studies from the University of London (U.K), with a Chevening scholarship. She studied international relations towards a Master's degree at the University of Dhaka (Bangladesh), where she subsequently taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She also has numerous publications on governance and inclusive development.
Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora
Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora is a parliamentarian in the Punjab Provincial Assembly in Pakistan. During his time in the Parliament, he has devoted much effort to rights promotion for religious minorities in Pakistan and has chaired the standing committee on Human Rights and Minorities Affairs. As a parliamentarian, he has been a vital force in efforts to protect, develop and preserve religious shrines, properties and Sikh heritage in Pakistan. In 2016, Hon. Singh Arora was awarded the Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s National Human Rights Award, in the category of Minorities’ Rights.
Through attending meetings with delegates from neighbouring countries, Hon. Singh Arora is a strong contributor to bilateral efforts towards preserving the role of minorities in society. His contributions to the promotion of minorities’ rights and interfaith harmony are acknowledged in Pakistan as well as in international political and human right circles.
Hon. Singh Arora has a background from social work in the development sector and has served in different not-for-profit organisations. He launched various initiatives across Pakistan to address poverty and social exclusion, including micro-finance services and humanitarian assistance.
Bishop Rev. Dr. David Oginde
Rev. Dr. David Oginde is the founder of The CataLead Associates, a leadership development firm that runs Courses, Coaching, and Consultancy for individuals and organizations. He holds a PhD in Organisational Leadership from Regent University USA, a Master of Arts in Leadership from PAC University, and Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Nairobi.
Rev. Dr. Oginde runs the Leadership Forum on Hope FM and also writes a weekly column in the Sunday Standard. He has published several books and written articles in various leadership journals.
Rev. Dr. Oginde is the immediate former Presiding Bishop of Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) where he led several organisational transformation initiatives. Rev Oginde is currently the University Council Chairman of the Mama Ngina University College (MNUC). He is also the Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK), and the Vice Chair of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA).
Hon. Esther Jailosi Jolobala
Esther Jailosi Jolobala is a member of Parliament representing a rural constituency from the Eastern part of Malawi. She is serving for the second term in parliament since 2014. Esther is Christian, representing a constituency highly populated by Muslims. She is the first female Member of Parliament to be voted into power since Malawi’s independence.
While in Parliament, Esther hasdone a lot for human rights, including fighting againagainst the killings and abductions of persons with albinism in Malawi, ending child marriages as well as trafficking in persons by way of supporting review of relevant legislations. She was the one who tabled a motion in parliament condemning the issue of killing and kidnapping of persons with albinism and called for a review of relevant legislation. In 2016 association of persons with albinism in Malawi made Esther their ambassador.
Despite having relevant laws in place, child marriage issues are rampant in Malawi. Among other things, Esther has embarked on a project in her area of ending child marriages by way of sensitizing people the need to educate their children. Apart from that, she has initiated school construction projects close to communities, seeking to reduce the long distances children travel to access primary and secondary education, in order to curb school dropout.
Hon. Thembisile Angel Khanyile
Thembisile Angel Khanyile is from Mpumalanga in South Africa. She started serving as a Councillor in 2014 and was also serving as a Whip in Council until late 2017. During her term in Council, Khanyile has co-ordinated a number of women empowerment events with women from various professions, empowering and encouraging local women to chase their dreams. She became a Member of Parliament in the South African National Assembly in December 2017 and has served in the Portfolio Committee of Social Development. Today, she serves in the Portfolio of Home Affairs.
Khanyile has been actively involved with communities living with disabilities addressing various issues they encounter in their daily lives. Her passionate engagement for this topic origins from her upbringings by a mother who is deaf, an experience which taught her a lot about what people who are differently abled go through, and the kind of abuse they are exposed to.
In addition to serving as a parliamentarian Khanyile has worked in humanitarian aid, and she is the founder of the non-profit organisation Angel Khanyile Foundation. The organisation's work includes hunger and poverty alleviation, support for people living with disability and HIV, Gender Based Violence (GBV) awareness, support to child headed households and youth development and training. To this date, the organisation has provided food supplies to more than five hundred households. In 2020, Khanyile received the first place of the "I am a Woman, I Have a Purpose” category of The Woman of the Year Award for her community engagement.
Dr. Nafisa Shah
Dr. Nafisa Shah is a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. She serves on Standing Committees for Finance and Law and Justice. Shah has also served as Nazim (Mayor) of her district from 2001 to 2004, as one of the only 2 Nazims elected in the country.
Shah has served as Chair of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), and Vice Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and General Secretary of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, working on women’s rights in the parliament.
On behalf of her public work, awards have followed her in dozen. Most remarkably, Nafisa Shah was recognized as a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in 2005. She was also nominated collectively for Nobel Prize as one of thousand prominent women activists who have made a difference in local communities in 2005. She was selected as one of the hundred women to mark women’s vote in the British Parliament in 2018.
Nafisa Shah has a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Oxford University. She has published her research on gender violence in ‘Honour and Violence: Gender Power and law in Southern Pakistan’ by Berghahn Books published also by oxford University Press in Pakistan.
Hon. Damaris Kuo
Damaris Dias Moura Kuo is a former state deputy in the State of São Paulo in Brazil. She is a lawyer and professor, and she has obtained post-degrees in Fundamental Rights from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and in Consumer Law from the Superior School of Advocacy, as well as an MBA in Management and Government Politics.
Kuo founded the Parliamentary Front in defence of Religious Freedom in the São Paulo parliament and is the author of the first Religious Freedom law in Brazil. She was founder and president of the first Commission on Religious Freedom of the Brazilian Bar Association, and has been an active member of various associations working to advance the freedom of religion or belief, including the Inter-Religious Forum of the Secretariat of Justice of the Government of São Paulo and the Advisory Board of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation.
She is the author of the first booklet and campaign on Religious Liberty in Brazil, and has devised public politics to combat religious intolerance in schools, police academies and prisons. Moreover, she has worked as a lawyer for 20 years in hundreds of cases of religious intolerance with national and international repercussions.
