Agnes Kittelsen, a Norwegian actress born in Kristiansand, began her career on the stage after graduating from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Transitioning seamlessly into film and television, Kittelsen became well-known for her leading roles in Norwegian hits such as 'Kon-Tiki' and 'Max Manus,' earning two awards in 2009 for her performance in 'Max Manus': the Amanda Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Kanon Award for Best Female Actress in a Leading Role. Kittelsen was also honored with the Kristiansand Municipality's Culture Award in 2023, recognizing her significant contributions to film, theater, and television.
Alex Moltzau has led the coordinating work on policy and ethics in the largest national research collaboration in Norway for the last few years. During this time, he has seen the development of a general approach to AI policy towards more specialised frameworks in different domains, in particular within healthcare. As part of his work Alex has mapped out the research labs and projects in AI on a national level while doing the same for the Norwegian government with AI, both on a detailed project-level. Last year he joined the committee under the Ministry of Research and Education managing the bilateral agreement on collaboration on AI Norway has signed with the United States Department of Energy.
Alex holds two master's degrees. The first is a MSc in Social Data Science at the University of Copenhagen and the second is a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence for Public Services from four technical European universities.
Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik was appointed State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 11 August 2023. Prior to his appointment, Mr Kravik served as Director in the Legal Affairs Department at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Kravik has extensive experience of diplomacy and multilateral affairs, particularly in the field of international law, including international human rights law, international criminal law and the law of the sea.
He has previously served as Minister Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations and as an adviser to the Office of the Co-Prosecutor of the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials (UNAKRT). Mr Kravik has also served as head of the expert committee on the independence of judges and lawyers under the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Norway).
Mr Kravik holds a master’s degree in law and a bachelor’s degree in international relations. He has also written a number of books and articles on various international law topics and teaches international law at the University of Oslo.
Alessandra Bossa is a versatile musician known for blending classical and contemporary traditions with electronic music and performance art. Her improvisational skills and inventive use of devices and navigates between avant-garde, jazz, and live remixing. She has performed at festivals such as the Toronto Jazz Festival, Stockholm Jazz Festival, and Copenhagen Jazz Festival, among others. In 2019, she won the Nuova Generazione Jazz award in Italy with her electroacoustic duo O-Janà, releasing the album "Animal Mother" in 2023.
Bossa also teaches electronic music and improvisation at the University of Agder's Institutt for Rytmisk Musikk, where she leads the Live Electronics course and contributes to the artistic production of CreaTeMe-Lab, a platform hosting events, concerts, and talks. The lab showcases new technological applications and fosters interactions among students, audiences, and artists.
Bryndís Haraldsdóttir is a member of Althingi for the Southwest Constituency since 2016 and has been a member of the Icelandic delegation to the Nordic Council since 2021.
Bilal Alnemr was born in Damascus in 1996. He discovered the violin thanks to a small toy violin given to him by his father and he continued to learn alone using only a DVD. Bilal won the Syrian national violin competition in 2007 and the Solhi Alwadi competition, and has since given concerts across India, Russia, Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon. Following his participation in the Mediterranean cultural exchange ECUME, he joined the conservatory of Aix-en-Provence in the class of Sophie Baduel and moved to Paris in 2012 to study with Suzanne Gessner at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris.
Since the age of sixteen, his professional career has brought many successful collaborations, including performances alongside Renaud Capuçon, Hélène Grimaud, Barbara Hendricks and Daniel Barenboim.
In July 2022, he created Les Rencontres Musicales de Vauvenargues, a musical festival aimed at thanking this Provençal village for having welcomed his family fleeing the war in Syria. Bilal also co-founded UGARIT, a non-profit association aimed at developing cultural exchanges in the field of music, between Syria, France and the rest of the world.
Bjørn Berge is a former Norwegian diplomat who has recently been elected as the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. He has served as Secretary of the Committee of Ministers and Head of the Cabinet of SG Thorbjørn Jagland. He will give an opening statement at the conference.
Cecilia Malmström served as European Commissioner for Trade from 2014 to 2019. She previously served as European Commissioner for Home Affairs from 2010 to 2014 and Minister for European Union Affairs from 2006 to 2010. She was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Sweden from 1999 to 2006. She holds a PhD in political science and has researched and taught in the fields of European politics, regionalism, immigration and terrorism. She is a member of the Swedish Liberals, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
Dr. Bernd Vöhringer is Lord Mayor of Sindelfingen, a city of about 65,000 inhabitants in the German Land Baden-Württemberg.He studied Economics at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart. In 2003 he completed his PhD where he focused on information and communication technology within the New Public Management. From 1994 to 2000 he was elected as city councillor of Sindelfingen. In 2001 he was elected as Lord Mayor and reelected in 2009 and 2016.
Dr. Vöhringer is politically very committed to European and global issues. For many years he served as President of the EPP Group and head of the German delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in the Council of Europe. Since 2021 he serves as President of the Local Chamber of the Congress.
Emily is 19-year-old Data Science Student at IE University, Spain. Originally from Armenia, she is honoured to contribute as a member of the Advisory Council on Youth in the Council of Europe, representing the Youth Development Center of Armenia NGO. Khachatryan passion lies in STEM fields, particularly in digitalization management and ethical AI. In pursuit of this interest, she holds the position of co-president at the Google Developers Student Club. Here, their focus is on integrating and teaching non-technical students about innovative developer tools, fostering inclusivity and knowledge-sharing within our community. Furthermore, she has worked as a marketing specialist for multiple years, where she acquired valuable expertise in strategic communication and engaging with diverse audiences.
With a background spanning the legal and governmental sectors, Guna Pūce currently serves as the Chief Digital Officer at the Ministry of Justice LV, leading digital strategy and transformation efforts. She previously worked as an External Expert for the EU AML/CFT Global Facility, sharing Latvian expertise on beneficial ownership registers at an EU level. Guna's career also includes roles as Director General at the Register of Enterprises Latvia, Deputy Chief State Notary, and Legal Advisor. She holds a Magister degree in Law from Biznesa augstskola Turība.
Broomfield has experience from both the public and private sectors, as well as from the research sector. She has extensive experience in law and data sharing from a proactive perspective. She has worked particularly with open data, artificial intelligence, and data-driven governance and economics, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree on how to achieve data-driven governance in a responsible manner.
In addition to being involved in specific cases, her research findings will contribute to the knowledge base of the resource center. Broomfield holds an LLM master's degree in Innovation, Technology, and Law from the University of Edinburgh and a bachelor's degree in Public Administration from the University of Limerick. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in law at the University of Oslo
Igor Cvetkovski is international expert on reparations, transitional justice and housing, land and property restitution. He is currently serving as Senior Advisor on Reparations and Transitional Justice and Reparations with the office of the International Organization for Migration in Ukraine. Before that Igor provided consultancy services, expert advice and technical support to various organizations. Until July 2020, Igor was the Head of the Land, Property and Reparations Unit in the IOM Headquarters in Geneva.
Igor studied philosophy and has more than 20 years of experience in the humanitarian, peace, human rights, transitional justice and development sectors, particularly on issues related to reparations for human rights violations and land and property restitution. Over the years he has worked on a variety of programmes and initiatives, including the German Forced Labor Compensation, the Holocaust Victims Assets Programmes and the Roma Holocaust Survivors Programme, as well as national reparations and restitution programmes in Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Germany, Chile, Colombia, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Igor advocates for a survivor-centric, inclusive and pragmatic approach in the development of reparations policies and mechanisms, a broad notion of accountability to prevent and respond to human rights violations, and comprehensive but not sequenced transitional justice pathways. He is also engaged in advocating for innovative financing mechanisms for reparations, including repurposing sanctioned assets, strategic litigation, social bonds and other pathways for securing financing for reparations for victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and gross human rights violations.
Ingjerd Schou is a Norwegian politician affiliated with the Conservative Party. She has been a member of the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) since 2001, representing Vestfold and later the Viken county constituency. Schou has held various positions and roles within Parliament, including serving on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and as deputy leader of the Conservative parliamentary group.
Magdi Omar Ytreeide Abdelmaguid is a Norwegian-Egyptian musician, rapper, audio visual artist and songwriter known by his stage name, "Magdi". Alongside Chirag Rashmikant Patel, the Norwegian rap duo Karpe has become the biggest rap artists in Norway. Karpes lyrical style often describe social and political themes, addressing issues such as identity, multiculturalism, and inequality. Apart from his music career, Magdi is involved in activism and has gained recognition for his contributions to causes related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice.
Maja is currently writing her masters in civil economics, with a specialization in international business at the University of Agder. In addition to her studies, she has founded and managed the youth organization, Youth for Diversity, Agder. The organization aims to break down misconceptions around and discrimination towards minorities for a sustainable and environmentally friendly future through digitalization, and local and global community work.
She has facilitated and participated in many Erasmus+ mobilities and strategic partnerships. As a result, she has experience in the facilitation of workshops and programs mainly focused on youth work and participation, non-formal learning, project management, and activism.
She was tasked in 2021 by the municipality of Kristiansand to coordinate the youth segment during the second European Conference in Kristiansand titled «The Response of the Next Generation». This year Maja serves as the coordinator for the youth participation in Kristiansand European Youth Forum 2024.
Morten Goodwin is a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of Agder. He co-founded and is the lead researcher at AI Experts and serves as the deputy head at the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research. He is recognized as one of Norway's foremost experts in artificial intelligence. Goodwin seamlessly juggles roles as a professor, educator, public debater, communicator, author, and CTO. With over 15 years of academic experience, a Ph.D., and more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, he is a dedicated researcher focusing on deep neural networks.
In 2023, he received the NORA Award for his outstanding contribution to the AI community, education, and dissemination and was listed by Khrono among the 300 most published researchers in Norway.
Goodwin is involved in numerous extensive research projects spanning fundamental and applied AI research. This includes work in agriculture, aquaculture, cultural production, education, health, industrial optimization, natural language processing, and recommendation engines. He is a passionate communicator, and as an author, debater, and public speaker, he delivers approximately 100 popular science presentations annually. His primary focus is on the potential AI offers and demystifying his field of research.
Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi is a public international law practitioner based in Kyiv, Ukraine. He serves as an Advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine and is a member of the President’s working group on the development of an international reparation's mechanism for Ukraine.
He is the executive Director of the International Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and has acted for the State of Ukraine in a number of international law matters involving claims and serves on the Advisory Board of Ukrainian Catholic University Law School.
Markiyan holds master's degrees from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and the Institute of International Relations of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko National University.
Frédéric Dolt has been working at the Council of Europe for more than 20 years. He is currently the Head of the Organisation’s Department for the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation standards (Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law). Previously, he was an adviser in the Private Office of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić, and her predecessor, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland. He also served in the Council’s Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and as a press officer at the European Court of Human Rights. Frédéric holds a postgraduate degree in law from the Strasbourg University (2002).
Nele is a legal advisor who leads the Artificial Intelligence team at the Belgian Equality Body and National Human Rights Institution. Holding a master of laws degree, she specializes in the intersection of technology and human rights, with a focus on non-discrimination. Her expertise extends to strategic litigation and advocacy.
In her role as chair of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions’ (ENNHRI) Working Group on AI, she guides the collaborative efforts of over 40 independent public institutions in matters on AI and emerging technologies. This role extends to representing ENNHRI at the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence.
She is appointed as an independent expert for the Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on Artificial Intelligence, Equality, and Discrimination (GEC/ADI-AI).
She is member of a consultative network of experts for the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.
Oleksandr Syenkevych was elected as Mykolaiv City Mayor on November, 24, 2015. Syenkevych is the youngest mayor of the regional centre of Ukraine. On November 22, 2020 he was reelected as the Mykolaiv City Mayor. His main task as a mayor of a half a million city is transformation of Mykolaiv into the best city for the citizens’ life. On February, 24 with the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syenkevych has become the head of the city, which has been on the front zone. He has organized the work of the city council executive bodies under martial law. Prior to his position as a mayor, Mr Syenkevych founded a public organization «Golos gromady».
Olha Volynska is an accomplished journalist, writer, documentary filmmaker, and human rights defender from Ukraine. She championed over 15 years of experience in shedding light on corruption, human rights violations, ecological concerns, and social issues, both for Ukrainian and international media outlets.
She has been honored with numerous awards, such as the Honor of Profession, Novomedia Award, and the Anti-corruption journalistic investigations in the South of Ukraine. Also, she is a Laureate of the PLURAL+ International Film Festival in New York. “Since 2018, in collaboration with SICH (a Human Rights Protection Group), Olha has built a professional and dedicated team that creates documentaries to promote human rights.
Patrick Penninckx is Head of Digital Development and Governance Department and has spent the last 30 years at the Council of Europe, focusing on transformation processes in the organisation, developing partnerships with other international organisations and national partners. Patrick coordinates standard-setting and co-operation activities in the fields of media, internet governance, data protection, cybercrime and artificial intelligence. He is also responsible for projects related to public-private partnerships and cooperation with business partners.
Mia Habib (*Houston, Texas) is an Oslo-based dancer and choreographer working at the intersection of performance, exhibitions, publications, lectures, teaching, mentoring and curating. Habib holds an M.A in conflict resolution and mediation from Tel Aviv University (2011) and a B.A. in choreography and dance pedagogy from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (2003).
With her company Mia Habib Productions her work has been presented in over 30 countries worldwide and she has published two books: Stranger Within (2021, co-edited with Jassem Hindi) and How to Die – Inopiné (2022, co-edited with Ashkan Sepahvand). Mia Habib Productions engages in and facilitates labs and research with a variety of specialists including artists, scientists, political activists and others.
In the Norwegian public she has been outspoken around topics of artistic freedom and racism related to the independent performing arts field, as well as being one of the driving forces of gathering a group of independent Jews in Norway to stand in solidarity with Palestine.
She is a former member of the board of The Norwegian Opera and Ballet, a former member of the Artistic Council at Theater Kloden, and a former board member of Performing Arts Hub Norway.
Péter Török is a 22-year-old International Relations student from Hungary, studying at Eötvös Loránd University Budapest. He advocates for human rights and democracy and is deeply committed to fostering positive change in his community and beyond. He is a representative at the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe on behalf of the Federation of Children’s and Youth Municipal Councils. Peter's passion for human rights and democracy has been a driving force in his activism. Previously involved with Amnesty International Hungary and a former member of the Youth Council of the US Embassy in Budapest, he has dedicated himself to promoting the values of democracy and equality. Currently, Peter is actively engaged in empowering young people to participate in civic life and exercise their democratic rights. Through his work, he strives to inspire a new generation of leaders committed to building inclusive, active and equitable societies
Sara Whyatt is a campaigner and researcher on freedom of artistic expression and human rights, notably as director of PEN International ‘s freedom of expression program for over 20 years and previously at Amnesty International’s Asia Research Department. In 2013 she took up freelance consultancy, working on projects among them for UNESCO, Freemuse, Culture Action Europe, PEN International, and the International Freedom of Expression Exchange.
In 2019 she was selected onto UNESCO’s Expert Facility advising on its 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. She is also the author of the chapter on freedom of artistic expression in the Convention’s 2015 and 2018 Global Reports and has developed training programs for governments and CSOs on monitoring and reporting strategies on artistic freedom.
Sanita Jemberga has been working in Latvian media since 1996 in various roles: from political correspondent to European editor to head of investigations. Currently, she leads the Baltic Center for Investigative Reporting “Re:Baltica” which is based in Riga, but covers the stories in the Baltics and beyond. She also represents over 50 regional member centres in the board of Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
Additionally, Sanita regularly teaches investigative journalism, newsroom management, and other training courses in collaboration with organisations such as the OSCE, UNESCO, SSE Riga, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and others. She has also worked as media analyst in over 15 OSCE election observation missions. When she has time, Sanita writes scripts for documentary films.
Sinan Ülgen is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels, where his research focuses on Turkish foreign policy, nuclear policy, cyberpolicy, and transatlantic relations. He is a founding partner of Istanbul Economics, a Turkish consulting firm that specializes in public and regulatory affairs, and chairman of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, an independent think tank in Istanbul. Sinan Ülgen graduated in 1987 from the University of Virginia with a double major in computer sciences and economics
Sidsel Wold is recognized as NRK's Middle East correspondent, where she has extensively covered significant global events. Wold has authored several books on Palestine and Israel and has been acknowledged through numerous prestigious awards. She was honoured with the Perspective Prize for Journalism by the Norwegian Refugee Council in 2011, received the Ossietzky Prize in 2018. Her remarkable contributions were further celebrated in 2023 when she was presented with the Gullruten Honorary Award.
Sunniva Whittaker is the elected rector of the University of Agder for the period 2019 – 2027 and is also the Chair of the University Board. She holds a PhD in French Linguistics from the University of Bergen. Additionally, she has studied French, Literary Science and Russian and is also a trained conference interpreter. From 2021 – 2023 Sunniva Whittaker serves as the Chair of Universities Norway. She was formerly the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at UiA and has also held positions as Department Head and Vice Rector at NHH Norwegian School of Economics.
Tor Wennesland serves as the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, as well as the Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Quartet. Wennesland has held various notable positions, including Norway’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process and the Norwegian Ambassador to Egypt-and Libya.
In addition to his diplomatic roles, Wennesland has contributed to establishing trans-boundary water agreements and has held positions at the Norwegian Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and the Norwegian Embassy in Dublin. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society in Oslo, as well as degrees in Philosophy and Sociology from the University of Oslo.
Ambassador (ret) Torbjørn Frøysnes,
Torbjørn Frøysnes is working as a consultant for public affairs. He is a retired Ambassador who served for more than 40 years in the Norwegian diplomacy, last as Norway’s Ambassador to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 2003-2008 and Ambassador of the Council of Europe to the EU in Brussels, 2008-2017. He is a former Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway and has been Chief of Cabinet to the Foreign Minister.
He served as Norway’s Chief Negotiator and Ambassador for Trade in Services in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as Deputy Director General in the Trade Department of the MFA and has been a long-time negotiator on security and arms control in East-West relations. He has been the CEO of the Norwegian Tourist Board, Chairman of the Nordic Tourist Board and Vice President of the European Travel Commission (ETC).
He has written numerous articles on politics, diplomacy, and international affairs, and participated frequently in public debates and news on these issues. He has been member of the Board of the European Trotting Union (UET, Paris), of the Board of the National Trotting Association (DNT) of Norway and of Norsk Rikstoto, the Norwegian Betting Company for Horse Racing. He is a long-time owner and breeder of racehorses.
As an artist Torfinn McKenzie embodies a unique blend of influences from John Mayer, Bon Iver and Thomas Dybdahl – captivating, distinct and engaging. Blending his Scottish folk roots with tender Scandinavian indie, he places the audience inside his unique musical universe, which dwells in the grey area between hope and melancholy.
Thorbjørn Jagland is a Norwegian politician, who was Norway's Prime Minister from 1996 to 1997, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2000 to 2001 and President of the Norwegian Parliament from 2005 to 2009. From 2009-2019 he was Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
Publisert: 21. mars 2023 8:42
Oppdatert: 10. mai 2024 21:10