Dr. Vera Gracheva graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Affairs (International Media and Communications Faculty) in 1971. In 1971 – 1991 she worked as a researcher in Russian Academy of Sciences (Ph.D., international relations), and in 1991 got a post at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Department on international humanitarian co-operation and human rights).

Dr. Gracheva has a diplomatic rank of 1st grade Counsellor. In this capacity she worked at the Russian Embassy to the USA (1993-1994), was an adviser on human rights and legal issues at the OSCE Mission to Croatia (1998), and later, in 2000-2004, a senior counsellor at the Permanent Russian Mission to the OSCE.

In 2004 – 2013, Dr. Gracheva was a staff member of the OSCE Secretariat, Office of the Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. Dr. Gracheva contributed to and co-drafted OSCE political commitments (human dimension), including OSCE Ministerial Council Decisions on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) (2000-2013). She was a Co-Chair of the OSCE Permanent Council Working Group responsible for developing the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (2003 г.), and later, in 2013, advocated for updating the Action Plan, elaboration and adoption of an Addendum to this strategic document “…One Decade Later”. She provided assistance to the OSCE Chairmanship in accomplishing this ambitious task.

Since 2014 Dr.Gracheva is an international expert/consultant on CTHB.  In 2017 Dr. Vera Gracheva became a Co-founder of Foundation against Digital Threats, Modern Slavery, Kidnappings and Exploitation (NGO, Moscow) – Foundation “Ne Dopusti” (“Don’t Let it Happen”), and Vice-Chair of the Council of this foundation.

Since September 2017 Dr.Gracheva is a consultant on CTHB issues and a volunteer in social volunteers’ movement “Alternative” active in rescuing victims of THB and forced labour all over Russia and abroad. In May 2018, on behalf of “Alternative” she participated in establishing an International Network of Organizations to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings and Other Forms of Violence that was initiated by NGOs from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia, and was appointed as a member of Council of this new Network.