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Our Team

Every day, the GCR provides free legal and social services to refugees and individuals from third countries who are entitled to international protection, with special emphasis on the most vulnerable cases, such as unaccompanied minors and victims of human trafficking. Our ultimate goal is to protect these individuals and facilitate their smooth integration into Greek society.

Daily, the GCR provides free legal and social services to refugees and individuals from third countries who are entitled to international protection, with special emphasis on the most vulnerable cases, such as unaccompanied minors and victims of human trafficking. Our ultimate goal is to protect these individuals and facilitate their smooth integration into Greek society.

The Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) is a specialized Non-Governmental Organization that has been leading efforts to protect asylum and human rights in Greece since 1989, when it was founded by Hari Brissimi and 20 other human rights defenders.

Recognized as a specialized charitable foundation, the GCR is registered with the relevant Ministries and has held Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2001. It is also an operational partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The GCR has been a member of the Executive Committee of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) since 1991 and has participated in the Separated Children in Europe Programme (SCEP) and the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) since 1999.

In 2005, the GCR was awarded by the President of the Republic, Mr. Karolos Papoulias, as an "Island of Quality in Collective Action" for its innovative volunteer and social work in Greece.

*Hari Brissimi was the first woman in charge of an international organization as she was the Director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. She has been honored with the Silver Medal by the Academy of Athens for her “multidimensional social activity” as well as by the Greek League for Women’s Rights with the award of the “Prize of Female Social Contribution ALIKI GIOTOPOULOU-MARAGOPOULOU” for her contribution in the field of refugee protection and care.

Board of Directors
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Vassileios Papadopoulos

PRESIDENT

Responsible for the Administrative Departments
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DANINA-ELENI MANIOU

VICE PRESIDENT

Responsible for the Legal Unit
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ANASTASIA PANTAZI

GENERAL SECRETARY
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NIKOLAOS KOULOURIS

TREASURER
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MARIA ZAIMAKI

MEMBER
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POLYXENI PASSA

MEMBER

Responsible for the Social & the First Reception and interpretation Units
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ELENI SPATHANA

MEMBER
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LEFTERIS PAPAGIANNAKIS

GCR DIRECTOR
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Maria Papamina

Legal Unit Coordinator

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Vasiliki Katrivanou

Social Unit CoordinatoR

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Nasruddin Nizami

First Reception and Interpretation Unit Coordinator
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Mariana Fragkou

Programmes, Fundraising and Communications Department Coordinator
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Maria Pouli

Financial Department Coordinator

GCR is registered:

At the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs:

1.In the National Registry of Private Sector Non-Profit Institutions since 2002 with serial number 0209
2.In the Special Registry of Voluntary Non-Governmental Organizations since 2002 under serial number 0179
3. At the National Centre of National Solidarity (EKKA) since 20/01/2015 as a certified provider of primary social care
(this special certification was renewed in November 2023)

At the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum:

1.In the National Registry of Greek and Foreign NGOs with number 170830191745 since August 2017
2.In the National Registry of Greek and Foreign NGOs 240/2-4-2021 since April 2021

At the Ministry of Culture:

  1. Recognition of GCR as a Legal Entity pursuing cultural objectives since March 2007 (Government Gazette-FEK 16/A/26.1.2007)

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

  1. Certificate of registration in the Registry of NGOs number 128 from September 2001

GCR maintains and undertakes to comply with: Code of Conduct as well as Internal Regulations and Policies on :

  1. Child Protection, 
  2. Against Bullying and Harassment,
  3. Anti-corruption and Anti-Bribery,
  4. Grievances Policy,
  5. Whistleblowing Policy,
  6. Safeguarding Policy,
  7. Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Protection Policy, 
  8. Personal Data Protection Policy
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el en_GB

Vassileios Papadopoulos

Πρόεδρος του ΔΣ του ΕΣΠ από το 2019 έως σήμερα.

Δικηγόρος με ενασχόληση με τα ζητήματα προσφύγων και μεταναστών από τη δεκαετία του 90, υποστηρίζοντας υποθέσεις ενώπιον των δικαστηρίων κάθε βαθμού και δικαιοδοσίας στην Ελλάδα, όσο και στην Ευρώπη.

Εχει διατελέσει Γενικός Γραμματέας Μεταναστευτικής Πολιτικής κατά τα έτη 2015 – 2016 καθώς και έχει υπηρετήσει ως μέλος διάφορων Επιτροπών με αντικείμενο τη Μετανάστευση και το Ασυλο από το 2007 έως σήμερα.

Εχει συνεργασθεί με πολλές οργανώσεις και φορείς της Κοινωνίας των Πολιτών, ενώ ήταν Συντονιστής της Νομικής Υπηρεσίες του ΕΣΠ κατά τα έτη 2017-2019.

Εχει σπουδάσει Κοινωνιολογία στην Πάντειο Σχολή και Νομική στο Πανεπιστήμιο της Αθήνας.

DANINA-ELENI MANIOU

Dani Maniou is a mental health counselor. She was previously a lawyer member of the Athens Bar Association (LLM in European Public Law, UCL 2009).

She has been working on European Law and Human Rights since 2010, both as a volunteer (Amnesty International, GHM) and a professional.

She has worked for GCR (2015-2018) as a lawyer and project manager, and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2019.

ANASTASIA PANTAZI

Anastasia (aka Natasa) Pantazi was born in Athens and is the mother of two adult girls.

She has a degree in Political Science and International Relations (Panteion University) and a Master's degree in Social Anthropology (University of Kent).

She has extensive work experience working in the private sector in Greece and the UK as a development consultant.

Since 2008 she has been working in the NGO sector and has worked in organizations’ dealing with environmental issues, women's volunteering and developmental projects.

She works at GCR in the Programmes, Fundraising & Communications Department as a project manager and also in developing proposals on issues of inclusion, child protection, volunteer development and training, employment and social entrepreneurship, as well as protection of vulnerable people on issues related to gender based violence, human trafficking, etc.

She has been a member of the Board and S.G since 2019.

Νικόλαος Κ. Κουλούρης

Ο Νικόλαος Κουλούρης, ταμίας του ΔΣ του Ελληνικού Συμβουλίου για τους Πρόσφυγες, σπούδασε στις Νομικές Σχολές του ΕΚΠΑ και του ΑΠΘ, είναι διδάκτωρ Νομικής Σχολής του ΔΠΘ και Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής στο Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Πολιτικής του Δ.Π.Θ. με αντικείμενο “Κοινωνική Πολιτική και Ιδρυματική και Εξωιδρυματική Μεταχείριση Εγκληματιών”. Επίσης είναι Αναπληρωτής Διευθυντής του ΜΠΣ «Εγκληματολογικές και ποινικές προσεγγίσεις της διαφθοράς, του οικονομικού και του οργανωμένου εγκλήματος» στο ΕΑΠ, ιδρυτικό μέλος και Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Εταιρείας Μελέτης του Εγκλήματος και του Κοινωνικού Ελέγχου και μέλος του Διεθνούς Διαπανεπιστημιακού Δικτύου “Criminal Justice and Critical Criminology”.
Έχει εργαστεί ως εγκληματολόγος στο Κατάστημα Κράτησης Κορυδαλλού (2000-2010) και έχει διατελέσει μέλος από το 1998 και Πρόεδρος του Κεντρικού Επιστημονικού Συμβουλίου Φυλακών (2016-1019) και εκλεγμένο μέλος της Ομάδας Εργασίας του Συμβουλίου Ποινολογικής Συνεργασίας του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης (2016-2019), ερευνητής στα έργα “European Prison Observatory – Prison Conditions in the European Union” και “European Observatory on Alternatives to Imprisonment”. Έχει επίσης διατελέσει μέλος νομοπαρασκευαστικών επιτροπών του Υπουργείου Δικαιοσύνης και έχει συμμετάσχει σε πλήθος ερευνητικών προγραμμάτων σχετικά με το ποινικό σύστημα και τα καταστήματα κράτησης. Το επιστημονικό και συγγραφικό του ενδιαφέρον στρέφονται κυρίως σε θέματα κοινωνικού ελέγχου και ποινικής καταστολής, σωφρονιστικού συστήματος και σωφρονιστικής μεταρρύθμισης, εναλλακτικών ποινικών κυρώσεων, ποινικής μεταχείρισης ανηλίκων, αποκλίνουσας συμπεριφοράς και θυματοποίησης. Είναι μέλος της Συντακτικής Επιτροπής του περιοδικού της Ελληνικής Εταιρείας Μελέτης του Εγκλήματος και του Κοινωνικού Ελέγχου«Αντιγόνη: το ερώτημα» (εκδ. Τόπος).

MARIA ZAIMAKI

Απόφοιτος του Παντείου Πανεπιστημίου Πολιτικών και Κοινωνικών Επιστημών, τμήμα Δημόσιας Διοίκησης, κύκλος Οικονομικής Διοίκησης

Οικονομολόγος, φοροτεχνικός Α’ Τάξης, λογίστρια με εμπειρία σε Νομικά Πρόσωπα μη Κερδοσκοπικού Χαρακτήρα.

Εργάσθηκα ως λογίστρια και κατόπιν υπεύθυνη του οικονομικού τμήματος στο ΕΣΠ από την ίδρυση του (1989) έως και το 2004 και έκτοτε μέλος του, και από το 2023 μέλος του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου.

Από το 2004 έως σήμερα εργάζομαι στο οικονομικό τμήμα Οργανισμού Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης ως υπεύθυνη του διπλογραφικού συστήματος και παράλληλα σε κοινωφελές Ίδρυμα ως υπεύθυνη της οικονομικής του υπηρεσίας.

POLYXENI PASSA

Graduate of the Law School of the Athens’ University, member of the Athens Bar Association since 1987, dealing with civil and commercial law cases, such as family law cases in cooperation with the Society for the Protection of Minors of Athens and legal issues of Electronic Commerce at the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Since 1999, I have been a member of the Legal Unit of the Greek Council for Refugees with a focus on the social rights of asylum seekers and refugees, also supporting them before national and judicial authorities to solve legal problems during their integration into the Greek society.

From June 2010 to the end of 2021, I was a member of the Protection Unit of the Office of UNHCR in Athens, mainly dealing with Child Protection and Integration issues; I was responsible and coordinated the overall disability, health (including mental health) and education response of UNHCR Greece at country level. In addition, I focused on Community-Based Protection, in cooperation with refugee communities in Athens, to empower and engage refugees to solve issues they face.

ELENI SPATHANA

Eleni Spathana is a lawyer, member of the Athens Bar Association. She graduated from the Law School of Athens University-Greece and completed a Post-Graduate Degree in “International Public Law and International Organizations” in Paris 1-Sorbonne-France (DEA, Droit International Public et Organisations Internationales, Paris 1, Sorbonne). For more than twenty years now, she cooperates with several international organizations, NGOs and state authorities in Greece and other countries, as a policy and legal advisor, as well as legal defender in the field of human rights, focusing on asylum, migration, discrimination, gender issues, child protection, torture/degrading treatment, and trafficking. She participated as a senior expert in specialized training projects on Asylum, Migration and Human Rights in Greece and other countries. She was also a legal/policy advisor to the first Alternate Minister responsible for Migration (2015) and the General Secretary of Migration (2016). She has published a book on “Legal Assistance of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Greece” (2004) and several reports and studies on human rights issues, while she has participated in many conferences and fora. She is a member of human rights bodies, networks and organizations.

LEFTERIS PAPAGIANNAKIS

Lefteris Papagiannakis was born in France in 1971.He studied public law in the University of Lille II and holds an MA in European Community Law and International Economy.

He worked in the European Parliament as a parliamentary assistant, on the education of children of the Muslim minority in Greece, as a legal counselor for the political party Ecologists Green and the Special Secretariat on environmental inspection.

He was elected in the municipal council of Athens in 9/2014 and named Vice Mayor on Migrant and Refugee Affairs (3/2016-8/2019).

He was the President of the Council for the Integration of Migrants of the Municipality of Athens (2014 – 2019).

He was Chair of the working group Migration and Integration of the Eurocities Network (2017-2019), Vice President for Refugee Issues of ECCAR (European Coalition of Cities against Racism 2017-2019).

Since 2017 he is a member of the Board of the Hellenic League for Human Rights.

From 11/2019 – 9/2021 he was the Head of Advocacy, Policy and Research for SolidarityNow.

He is a member of the advisory board of We Need Books Athens’ first multilingual lending library and multicultural center.

He is a member of the City Initiative on Migrants with Irregular Status in Europe

Nasruddin Nizami

Nasruddin Nizami comes from Afghanistan.

Έχει συμμετάσχει στο English for Academic Purpose Program του Deree School of Graduate and Professional Education και ως υπότροφος στο πρόγραμμα Completion of the Education Unites Scholarship Program for young refugees in Greece του ιδίου Κολλεγίου τα έτη 2017-2018.

He has worked as an interpreter, cultural mediator, and case worker at the International Organization of Migration(2012-2013) and at the Greek Council for Refugees(2014-2021).

Παράλληλα ,υπήρξε εθελοντής στην πρωτοβουλία Refugees Welcome τα έτη 2015-2016.

Currently he is a member of the board and coordinator in the Reception and Interpretation Unit.

Ο Nasruddin Νιζάμη είναι μέλος του μη κερδοσκοπικού οργανισμού Solomon από το 2016, όπου παρακολούθησε το πρώτο εργαστήρι δημοσιογραφίας (LAB).

Από το 2018 είναι μέλος του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου του Solomon και Community Relations Officer εκπροσωπώντας την ομάδα σε διεθνή συνέδρια και προγράμματα και άλλες δημόσιες εκδηλώσεις.

He speaks Pashto Dari/Farsi, Urdu, English, and Greek.

Mariana Fragkou

Mariana Fragkou is the Coordinator of the Programs, Communications and Fundraising Department. She became involved with the refugee issue in 2015, through the Scouts (#gineproskopos), where she led a series of volunteer activities to relieve the refugees and the local communities that had initially welcomed them in the country. She worked in GCR at first as Volunteer Coordinator, then as a Project Manager and for the past 6 years as a Coordinator. Professionally, she comes from the field of event productions and advertising. She has studied communications and political sciences in Greece and the UK. Through her current work as well as her previous placements, she has gained experience and contributed to solving different managerial challenges, from planning and implementing organizational changes to setting short and long-term goals and systems to track the progress of people and projects. She is passionate about her work, grateful to be able to serve the GCR as part of a very dynamic team (#teamGCR), and especially proud of the services the organization provides to refugees and asylum seekers.

She is available on the following channels: https://www.facebook.com/mariana.fragkou,

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-fragkou-35676851/

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