Dimitris Avramopoulos is a Greek politician and Member of the Hellenic Parliament. He served as European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship from 2014 to 2019. Throughout his public career, he has held several senior positions in the Greek government, including Minister of National Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Health and Social Solidarity, and Minister of Tourism. He also served two consecutive terms as Mayor of Athens and was President of the Summit of the Mayors of the World from 2000 to 2002. He is the founder of the Global Union of Olympic Cities and the initiator of the Cities Diplomacy programme, which was endorsed by the United Nations. Through these initiatives, he has promoted city-to-city cooperation, intercultural dialogue and the role of cities as bridges of peace, trust and understanding. Before entering politics, Mr. Avramopoulos pursued a diplomatic career, serving among others as Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of the Diplomatic Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Consul General of Greece in Geneva, and Greece’s Representative to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna. He studied Public Law and Political Science at the University of Athens and completed postgraduate studies in European Studies at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He has also been a Visiting Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has been awarded the highest state decorations by 20 countries and has been named honorary citizen by 12 international capitals and more than 30 Greek cities.