Speakers and participants

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

Jette is a political scientist and former Member of Parliament (2010-2021). Today, she serves on the National Election Board and works as a Europe and security analyst at Altinget. She is currently in the spotlight with her book "Democracy, That’s Us – 10 Vulnerabilities in the World’s Best Democracy." She has also worked in executive recruitment in the private sector and has experience as a board chair.

Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen is a Sámi musician, actress, and activist dedicated to Indigenous rights and environmental protection. She won the Sámi Grand Prix in 2016 and Liet International in 2017 with her self-written song "Luoddaearru." As the lead singer of the band ISÁK, she has blended modern music with traditional Sámi joik.

Isaksen has been a vocal advocate for Sámi rights and environmental justice. She served as a leader in the environmental organization Natur og Ungdom and played a key role in the Fosen protests in 2023, demanding respect for Indigenous land rights. For her activism, she received the Fritt Ord Honorary Award and Áillohaš Music Prize.

In 2022, she starred in Ellos eatnu – Let the River Live, a film about the historic Alta protests. Her performance earned her the Best Actress award at the Norwegian Film Critics' Awards in 2024. Through her music, activism, and acting, Isaksen continues to be a powerful voice for Sámi culture and Indigenous rights.

Nils Muižnieks is a political scientist and human rights expert with more than 30 years of experience in academia, NGOs, government and intergovernmental organisations. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley and his B.A. in politics from Princeton University.

He is currently the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus. Previously, he has held a number of leadership positions, including Europe Regional Director at Amnesty International (2020-2024), Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe (2012-2018), member and chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (2005-2012, 2010-2012), Director of the Advanced Social and Political Research Institute at the University of Latvia (2005-2012), Latvian Minister of Social Integration (2002-2004), and director of the Latvian Centre for Human Rights and Ethnic Studies (1994-2002). He has published widely on human rights in Latvia and Europe, minority issues, and Russia’s relations with its neighbours.

Maria Varteressian is Norway’s State Secretary for Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, focusing on European affairs, the EEA, Arctic policy, and international climate and environmental issues.

Born in 1989 in Kongsberg, she holds a political science degree from UiA and a master’s in global politics from NTNU. She has worked as a foreign policy advisor for the Labour Party, a political advisor in the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and a personal advisor to the Secretary-General of WWF.

Maria is passionate about climate policy, green transition, and ocean conservation, with a strong commitment to restoring the Oslo Fjord. She is also deeply engaged in European affairs and Norway’s relationship with the EU.

Gabrielius Landsbergis is a Lithuanian politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from December 2020 to November 2024 in the Šimonytė Cabinet. A key figure in Lithuanian politics, he was a Member of the Seimas from 2016 to 2024, representing the Centras–Žaliakalnis constituency, and previously served as a Member of the European Parliament (2014–2016).

As Chairman of the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats from 2015 to 2024, Landsbergis played a crucial role in shaping Lithuania’s foreign policy. He was a vocal advocate for NATO solidarity, European integration, and support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. His tenure also saw Lithuania strengthen ties with the Indo-Pacific region and take a firm stance against authoritarian regimes.

Landsbergis holds degrees in history and international relations from Vilnius University. Before entering politics, he worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Lithuania’s diplomatic missions. Following the 2024 elections, he stepped down as party chairman and announced a break from politics.

He was the first president of the Romanian Humanist Organization from 2008–2012. Cernea has been a war correspondent in Ukraine for Newsweek Romania, spending over 300 days in war zones and cities under attack by the Russians since June 2022. As a Member of Parliament, he fought for various humanist causes, such as introducing ethics into the school curriculum, cutting public funding for the construction of large cathedrals, ending religious indoctrination in schools, allocating more funds for scientific research, granting LGBTQ+ individuals the right to enter into partnerships, strengthening laws to protect victims of domestic violence, ending the use of religious symbols in election campaigns, and repealing the "blasphemy law."