Dr Nicoleta Bitu is the president of the Democratic Federation of Roma from Romania (a federation of the most active Romani organization in Romania) and member of the board of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC).

She has been active in the field of human and women’s rights for over 25 years, at the forefront of the European mobilization of Romani women activists and of advocacy for the rights of Roma.

A recognized and published expert in her field, she has worked for Romani CRISS, the Open Society Foundations, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and Romano ButiQ. Her work has provoked the Romani and feminist movements to think and act based on the universality of human rights when it comes to Romani women.

The foundation of her training and development remains the work she performed in the early years of her career in local communities affected by interethnic conflicts.