ABID RAJA (CHAIR OF IPPFORB STEERING GROUP)

Abid Raja is a Member of Parliament of the Parliament of Norway (Stortinget) and the current Chair of the IPPFoRB Steering Group. Previously, Raja has been the Minister of Culture and Equality (2020-2021) in the Norwegian government. First elected in 2013 in the Norwegian Parliament, currently, Abid is a member of the Norwegian Parliament delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and a member of the Education and Research Committee in the parliament. With a background in law, educated from University of Oslo and Oxford, he worked many years as civil rights lawyer, and was also board leader of Norwegian Immigration Appeals board. Abid establish the political think tank Minotenk.

He has long been a defender of freedom of religion or belief, both in Norway and internationally. In addition to being one of the founding members of IPPFoRB, he was a member of the IPPFoRB Steering Group until 2020. In Norway, Abid has contributed to discussions on integration, equality and immigration and in relation to his work with the youth, he received the Fritt Ord prize in 2010. He was also awarded the International Religious Liberty Association Award in 2017. Abid has authored three books (Spokesman, 2008; Dialogue, 2010 and My Fault, 2021) and been active in debates on freedom of religion or belief, integration, and justice.

NQABAYOMZI KWANKWA (VICE CHAIR IPPFORB STEERING GROUP)

Nqabayomzi Kwankwa is a Member of Parliament of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa since August 2013, and the Chief Whip of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) since May 2014 and the Deputy President of the UDM since December 2016. He joined the UDM in 2007 and was elected the party’s Deputy Secretary-General at its National Congress in December 2010, and serves as the UDM’s media spokesperson.

Kwankwa is the Chair of the Steering Committee of the African Parliamentarian Association for Human Rights (AfriPAHR), which is an independent, non-partisan network of parliamentarians from the African continent that works to advance democracy, freedom of religion or belief and human rights to build a fairer and inclusive Africa, through diplomacy and fostering strategic alliances between nations.

YB KASTHURIRAANI PATTO

YB Kasthuriraani Patto is a former Member of Parliament of the Parliament of Malaysia representing the Batu Kawan constituency in Penang and is an active member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR). She was a member of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights and Gender Equality and the Secretary of the Malaysian Chapter of Parliamentarians for Global Action. She is known for fighting for the abolition of the death penalty, ending child marriages, stopping sexual violence against children and women, and the right to freedom of religion or belief.

A microbiology graduate from the University of Malaya, YB Kasthuri has constantly pushed for a resolution on stateless children and foreign spouses as well as accessible healthcare to be available to Malaysians at an affordable cost, especially for the natives and aborigines. She is a fierce proponent of human rights and civil liberties.

SANELA SKRIJELJ

Sanela Shkrijelj is a Member of Parliament of North Macedonia. Active in the Committees on Education, Labor and Social Policy, European Affairs and Foreign Affairs. Feminist, human rights advocate and researcher with special focus on social inclusion of vulnerable groups on the local and national level.

Ms. Shkrijelj has more than 15-year experience in civil society, capacity building and policy creating processes on local and national level and extensive experience in working with vulnerable and socially excluded groups in identifying and voicing their needs and priorities.

Shkrijelj is a graduated psychologist.                                                                                                        

PAULINA Núñez URRITA

Paulina is a Member of the Parliament in Chile.

She served as the President of the Permanent Committee on Environment, Climate Change, and National Assets. Additionally, she was a member of the Special Committee of the Bicameral Group on Transparency, the Permanent Committee on Women and Gender Equity, and the Bicameral Committee responsible for reviewing the Regulations of the new constituent body.

Paulina Urrita holds a Bachelor's Degree in Law and is a qualified lawyer. Besides, she obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta Campus, in 2009. Further enhancing her expertise, she completed a Master's Degree in Government and Organizational Culture from Universidad de Navarra, Spain, in 2023.