Prof. Rita Süssmuth is former President of the German Federal Parliament and former Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Women, Youth and Health.

In 2006, Prof. Süssmuth become the Chair of the EU High Level Group on 'Social Integration of Ethnic Minorities and their full Participation in the Labor Market'. She also joined the OECD Development Center Project 'Gaining from Migration' Advisory Board in Jan 2006.

She was member of the Global Commission on International Migration, which presented a report to Kofi Annan in October 2005 called 'Migration in and interconnected World: New Directions for Action'. She is the President of the OTA-University in Berlin.

Dr. Süssmuth was Chair of the Independent Council of Experts on Migration and Integration, appointed by the German Government from May 2003 until December 2004.

She is also a member of the Steering Committee, "Intercultural Conflict and Societal Integration" at the Social Science Research Center Berlin and holds a series of other assignments and memberships with national and international bodies.

From 2000 to 2001, Prof. Süssmuth presided over the ‚Independent Commission on Migration to Germany' which resulted in the July 2001 report on 'Steering Migration and Fostering Integration'.

Dr. Süssmuth has a long distinguished political and academic career. She held several senior positions including Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Member of the German Federal Parliament. She has also been Director of the Research Institute "Woman and Society" and Professor of International Comparative Educational Science at the Universities of Bochum and Dortmund.