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Harlem Désir

Fourth Representative on Freedom of the Media
Harlem Désir, former OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. (Quai d'Orsay/Frédéric de La Mure )

Harlem Désir served as the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media from July 2017 to July 2020. Prior to this position, Désir was the French Minister of State for European Affairs since 2014.

Harlem was a Member of the European Parliament as well as a member of the Committee on Industry, Energy and Research, the Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Development. He was also Vice President of the Delegation for relations with the United States (2002-2004), member of the Joint ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly (2002-2009) and member of the Delegation for relations with India (2009-2014). From 1984 to 1992 he was the president of the French NGO “SOS Racisme”, whose objective is to fight against racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination.

Harlem holds a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from the Paris I Sorbonne University. He has been awarded the Olof Palme Prize, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix and the Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.