Kindly note that keeping in mind health safety concerns, our responsibilities, and the objectives behind bringing together global invitees for the GPD, the eight co-sponsoring organisations have taken the decision to postpone the Global Policy Dialogue from 19-20 January 2022 to 1-2 March 2022.
As an initiative of the Global Governance and Innovation Network, the Stimson Center, Academic Council on the UN System, Plataforma CIPÓ, Leiden University, Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, Global Challenges Foundation, the Institute for Economics & Peace, and Club de Madrid are proud to convene the Global Policy Dialogue on Global Governance Innovation: Beyond UN75 & Our Common Agenda, from 1-2 March 2022 at the Stimson Center and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Please find the Participants List of the June 2022 GPD here.
This tab is now an archive of a previous Global policy Dialogue that took place March 2022. To see information on our current June GPD in conjunction with the ACUNS Annual Meeting please see the June GPD 2022 tab.
PARTICIPANT BIOS
Please note: many participant bios are still to be added. And click here for a list of participants involved in the GPD E-Consultation (17 January – 13 February 2022)
Dr. Adriana Erthal Abdenur is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Plataforma CIPÓ. Dr Abdenur is currently serving a second term in the UN ECOSOC Committee on Development Policy (CDP). She is also a member of the Climate Governance Commission, Co-Director of the Global Governance Innovation Network, the Expert Working Group on Climate-related Security Risks (created to provide input to the UN system on climate and security), and the Strategic Advisory Board of the Weathering Risk initiative.
Maria-Elena Aguero is the current Secretary General of Club de Madrid and was formerly a trade policy officer at the U.S. Department of Treasury and research assistant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. She has been part of the professional staff of the Interamerican Development Bank, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program, working extensively in these organizations’ Washington, Uruguay, Geneva, Brussels and Paris offices, and in their field offices.
Dr. Aisha Al-Ammari is the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the College of Law- Qatar University, and an Assistant Professor in the College. She holds a Masters from the George Washington University- Law School (2014), and an SJD from Case Western Reserve University- School of Law (2019.) She has taught numerous criminal courses in the College of Law at Qatar University and has taken part in teaching in the University of Padua Summer School Program in 2019.
Dr. Mayesha Alam is Vice President at Foreign Policy and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at UNU-CPR. She previously helped establish the Georgetown institute for Women, Peace and Security, serving as its deputy director, and has also worked with a range of inter- and non-governmental organizations. An expert on conflict, climate, and gender, Dr. Alam has published two books and numerous policy reports and articles.
Raghad Al Saadi is the Principal of Polar Lights Prime LLC. She is an expert on issues surrounding Women, Peace and Security, humanitarian assistance, conflict mitigation & prevention, and the rule of law. Ms. Al Saadi holds a Master of Science in Peace Operations form George Mason University, and is currently pursuing LLM Human Rights Law at Oxford Brookes University. She has published works in the IEEE-Global Humanitarian Technology Conference, the International Policy Digest, and Stability Operations Magazine.
Amb. Alya Al Thani is the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform, and was the co-facilitator of both the UN75 Declaration, and the Beijing Program of Action on Women in 2020. She additionally served as Chair of the 29th Meeting of the Sixth Committee, and as Chairperson of the 50th Session of the Commission on Population and Development. She has authored and facilitated numerous UNGA Resolutions pertaining to promoting the right to education in emergencies, the role of women judges and many others.
Henry Alt-Haaker is the Senior Vice President of Robert Bosch Stiftung. He heads the department “Strategic Partnerships and Robert Bosch Academy”since January 2020, which includes the Foundation’s programs addressing political decision makers, its think tank partnerships, it’s portfolio“science in society”. Before joining Robert Bosch Stiftung, he headed the parliamentary office of German Minister of Justice Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger as chief clerk, served as a political officer at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin and worked for the international NGO Humanity in Action on human and minority rights.
Dr. Gabriel Amvane currently works at the French Ministry of the Interior and serves as a consultant to the Council of Europe on trafficking in persons issues. Dr. Amvane previously worked with the Permanent Mission of the Gabonese Republic to the United Nations from September 2010 to December 2011. He has served as a legal officer over ten years in the areas of UN peacekeeping, human rights, and migration and refugee law.
Banou Arjomand is a Research Assistant with the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program at the Stimson Center. Her research interests include Iranian Foreign Policy, geopolitics of the Middle East and Peacebuilding efforts of the UN. She holds a B.A. in Middle East and South Asian studies and Persian Language and Literature from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a member of the Iranian-American Women Foundation and spent two summers volunteering in the outskirts of Tehran, Iran. She has done research internships at the International Crisis Group and The Asia Society.
Adewale Bakare is a Theorist and the Director of Global Governance 2.0 Research and Innovation Project at the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, Abuja Nigeria. Adewale is additionally a semi-finalist in both the Global Challenge Prize: A New Shape, and the Educators’ Challenge Prize by Swedish Global Challenges Foundation. He developed the“21st century global governance approaches, axioms, frameworks, theories and models”for unmasking a UN 2.0 System, Multilateralism 2.0 and Intercontinental Relations.
Kristin Bennett is the President of Nonprofit Resources. She has spent the past 28 years sharpening her management skills, specializing in helping small and medium-sized nonprofits succeed. Hired into her first Executive Director role very early in her career, it became apparent right away this would be her life’s work. Kristin aspires to move Nonprofit Resources more actively into the international community as her retirement years come into focus.
Sue Biniaz is the Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Climate at the U.S. Department of State. For more than 25 years, Ms. Biniaz served as the lead climate lawyer for the U.S.G. In that capacity, she played a central role in all major international climate negotiations, including the Paris Agreement. Prior to that, she led the Department’s legal office for Oceans, Environment, and Science, as well as the legal office for European and Canadian Affairs. Between 2017 and 2020, Ms. Biniaz taught at Yale University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago, and was a Senior Fellow at the UN Foundation. She continues to be a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.
Andreas Bummel is the Founder and Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders (DWB), a civil society group with chapters and associates in over 20 countries. DWB promotes global governance, global democracy and global citizenship. Andreas is one of the convenors of the “We The Peoples” campaign for inclusive global governance and has been spearheading the international efforts for a UN Parliamentary Assembly for 15 years. He is co-author of the book“A World Parliament” (2018).
Tom Brookes is a Policy Advisor at The Elders since 2015. Within The Elders’ Secretariat, he leads the organisation’s work on Ethical Leadership and Multilateral Cooperation, with a particular focus on UN reform issues, multilateralism and nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament issues. He additionally has previous experience working on conflict resolution for the mediation organisation InterMediate. Brookes has a Masters in History from Cambridge University.
Craig Charney is a pollster and political scientist with more than two decades’ experience in over 45 countries. He is an expert in strategic communication, democracy promotion, and development evaluation. His clients include leaders in marketing, development, and security, from Samsung and Monsanto, to USAID and the World Bank, and the Defense Department and the International Peace Institute. He helped multinationals develop sales strategies for engineers in China and Vietnam and drivers in South Africa and India.
Sohini Chatterjee is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Executive Office to Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. She has previously served as a political appointee and Senior Advisor in the Obama Administration, where she led multiple White House and Department of State initiatives on global development. Ms. Chatterjee holds a law degree from Duke University and a Master’s degree in international relations and international economics at John Hopkins University.
Laura Chinchilla is Vice President of Club de Madrid, and was the first female President of Costa Rica. Previously, she served as minister of public security (1996-1998), congresswoman (2002-2006), minister of justice (2006-2008), and vice president (2006-2008). Additionally, Ms. Chinchilla has worked as a consultant with various international organizations, such as: the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Ambassador Cho Hyun is the 26th Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations. During his 40 years of diplomatic career, he held various senior positions in the Government of the Republic of Korea, including, among others, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (2018-2019), Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017-2018) and Ambassador to the Republic of India (2015-2017). Ambassador Cho received a PhD in international politics from the University of Toulouse in 2008.
Michael Collins is the Executive Director of Americas at the Institute for Economics & Peace. Michael develops working partnerships with Americas-based governments, civil society organizations, foundations, universities, businesses and think tanks and seeks new opportunities to build IEP’s presence and impact throughout the Americas, with particular focus on expanding the use of IEP’s Positive Peace Framework as a training tool and an evidence-based metric for peace-centered development.
Monique Cuillerier co-leads the media & communications team for the Coalition for the UN We Need. Based in Ottawa (Canada), she works as a consultant in the global governance and women, peace and security areas. Her work focuses on communications and administration, including implementing online solutions for collaboration and information sharing and providing technical advice, management, and support for online events of all sizes, from small consultations to multi-day congresses.
Dr. Tad Daley is Director of Policy Analysis at Citizens for Global Solutions, former advisor to 3 members of the US House and 2 US Senators, and author of the book“APOCALYPSE NEVER: Forging the Path to a Nuclear Weapon-Free World from Rutgers University Press”. He received his PhD in Public Policy Analysis from the RAND Graduate School and the RAND/UCLA Center for Post-Soviet Studies. He has published around 150 articles on American politics, international policy, and the human prospect.
Sam Daws is Director of the Project on UN Governance and Reform, Centre for International Studies at the University of Oxford. His previous practitioner roles included serving as First Officer to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Senior Principal Research Analyst (Multilateral Directorate) in the FCDO, Deputy Director (UN) in the British Cabinet Office, and the Executive Director of UNA-UK. Author or co-editor of 13 books on the UN including The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations (Oxford University Press, 2018).
Dr. Adam Day is the Director of Programmes at UN University Centre for Policy Research and an Associate Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He is co-lead on UNU-CPR’s role as secretariat of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Global Public Goods, and has published extensively on climate-security and global governance.
Fernando de la Mora is currently a Coordinator for Economic, Social, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN. He is a Governing member of the Association of Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection and Associate of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI). He is a career diplomat in the Mexican Foreign Service.
Felix Dodds is an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina. He has been a leading thinker in the area of global governance for thirty years, and chaired the first UN Conference to come out with a set of indicative SDGs in September 2011. He has edited or written 21 books on sustainable development. His new book “Tomorrow’s People and New Technology: Changing The Way We Live Our Lives” will be out in October, 2022.
Ben Donaldson is the Head of Campaigns at UNA-UK. Ben coordinates the charity’s advocacy work including priority campaigns on strengthening civil society engagement with the UN, arms control and nuclear disarmament. In 2014,Ben co-founded the ‘1 for 7 Billion’ campaign which was instrumental in reforming the selection process for the UN Secretary-General. He is currently campaigning through the Together First campaign for a UN champion for civil society.
Jessica Duque is the Outreach and Development Officer at the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), where she manages IEP’s public engagement and education efforts in the United States and Americas more broadly. This includes actively engaging with high-level multi-laterals, civil society organizations, universities, and other research institutes to expand IEP’s network and reach.
Alistair Fernie is the CEO of The Elders. His career spans three decades, with roles with the UK Department for International Development leading British aid programmes in Kenya, Somalia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East and North Africa, and latterly as Director for International Finance. Alistair was a diplomat with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a strategy consultant with McKinsey, an aid worker with Médecins Sans Frontières, and a human rights campaigner with Amnesty International.
Brian Finlay is the President and CEO of the Stimson Center. With expertise in nonproliferation, transnational crime, counter-trafficking, and supply chain security, Brianholds an M.A. from the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University and a graduate diploma from the School of Advanced International Studies, the Johns Hopkins University. Under his tenure, Stimson has transformed its business model, launched pioneering new engagements across Asia, and industry-defining programming on environmental security, renewable energy, and technology.
Maiara Folly is a Co-Founder and Programme Director of Plataforma CIPÓ, a Brazil-based research institute dedicated to issues across the Global South. She leads research projects and advocacy initiatives in the areas of environmental crime, international peace and security and climate justice. She obtained a master’s degree from the Department of International Development at the University of Oxford and a degree in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.
María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés is the President of the seventy-third session of the General Assembly and has more than 20 years of multilateral experience in international negotiations, human rights and climate change. She has served Ecuador as Minister of Foreign Affairs (twice), Minister of National Defence, and Coordinating Minister of Natural and Cultural Heritage. She currently serves as co-chair of the Coalition for the UN We Need, is a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy, and is a member of the Global Women Leaders for Change and Inclusion. Additionally, Espinosa acts as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Latin American and Caribbean Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples and the Common Home of Humanity.
Dr. Arunabha Ghosh is the Founder and CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). In 2018, the UN Secretary-General nominated him to the UN’s Committee for Development Policy. In 2020, the Government of India appointed him Co-Chair of the energy, environment and climate change track for India’s Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP2020). He advises governments, industry, civil society and international organisations around the world.
Maja Groff, Esq., is Convenor of the Climate Governance Commission and an international lawyer based in The Hague, assisting in the development and servicing of international multilateral treaties, at international criminal tribunals and teaching at the Hague Academy of International Law. She holds degrees from Harvard, Oxford and McGill Universities, is an attorney admitted to practice in New York and serves on Advisory Boards of two ethical business organizations. She was a winner of the 2018 New Shape Prize for global governance innovation.
Nandini Harihar is a Research Analyst in the CEO’s Foresight Team at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Her current research broadly covers the governance of global commons, including climate risks and adaptation, natural disasters, the marine environment and climate-friendly technologies. Prior to joining CEEW, she interned with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and the CGAIR-Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) research programme.
Aditi Hate is the Policy Officer at the United Nations’ Office of the USG for Policy, Executive-Office of the Secretary-General. Aditi serves as the team lead for UN system coordination and project manager for the UN Secretary-General’s “Our Common Agenda”, delivered in September 2021 as mandated by the UN General Assembly. Our Common Agenda aims to deliver the Secretary-General’s vision on reinvigorating inclusive and networked multilateralism and global governance to address current and future challenges in a post-COVID world.
Dr. Daisaku Higashi is a Professor of International Relations at Sophia University in Tokyo. Having obtained his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia in 2012, he has since worked for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as a team leader for reconciliation (2009-2010) and as the Minister-Counsellor in the Japanese mission to the UN (2012-2014.) His publications include “Inclusivity in Mediation and Peacebuilding” and “Challenges of Constructing Legitimacy in Peacebuilding: Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, and East Timor”.
Dr. Peter J. Hoffman is an Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in International Affairs at The New School. His main focus is on the dynamics of war and global responses, concentrating primarily on the international humanitarian system. Other areas of his work encompass the United Nations and global governance; asymmetric warfare and Fourth Generation Warfare; armed non-state actors (guerrillas, warlords, militias, terrorists, and private military and security contractors); and, United States foreign policy.
Dali ten Hove currently serves as a reporting officer in the The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). A keen UN observer, he was involved in affairs around the UN75 process of consultations and OCA through association with the Igarape Institute, UN Foundation and UN75 Secretariat.
Dr. Lise Morjé Howard is Professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and President of the Academic Council on the United Nations System. She publishes and teaches on the themes of war, security, and international relations. She is the author of two award-winning books about UN peacekeeping, both published by Cambridge University Press. Dr. Howard earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, and her A.B. from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Jeffery Huffines is Senior Advisor of the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) promoting the follow up to the 75th anniversary of the United Nations as an important opportunity to promote the renewal, innovation, and strengthening of the UN system. Based in New York since 1996, he has led a number of UN NGO campaigns and networks on behalf of the advancement of human rights, sustainable development, civic engagement and global governance reform.
Sarmad Khan is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University (NYU) and a Board Director for the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS). He also sits on the Advisory Boards of the UAE University’s ‘University of the Future’ initiative and Emerging Health International (EHI). In 2020, Sarmad was recognized by the BMW Foundation Hebert Quandt as a Responsible Leader for his contributions to the SDGs.
Dr. Ai Kihara-Hunt is Associate Professor for the Graduate Program of Human Security, Director of International Law Training and Research Hub, and Director of the Global Research Center for Sustainable Peace at the University of Tokyo. She also serves as Secretary at the Academic Council on the United Nations System, and is a member of the Board of Directors in the Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ).
Dr. Magnus Jiborn is Head of Research at the Global Challenges Foundation and holds a PhD in Political Philosophy at Lund University. At the GCF he has, among other tasks, led the Foundation’s work on Climate Governance. In addition, he has held positions as chairman of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, opinion page editor at the newspaper Sydsvenskan, and is co-founder and CEO of a company developing offshore windpower in the Baltic Sea.
Steve Killelea is the Founder of the Institute for Economics & Peace and the Global Peace Index. An accomplished entrepreneur, published author and philanthropist, Steve is at the forefront of philanthropic activities focused on sustainable development and peace. In 2001, he established The Charitable Foundation, which has substantially impacted the lives of over 3 million people in some of the world’s poorest communities.
Yoonhye Kim is the First Secretary in charge of the General Assembly Affairs at the Republic of Korea Mission.
Marcelo Knobel is A Professor of Physics at the University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil, where he was a Rector. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials (Elsevier), an Eisenhower Fellow (2007), Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (2009), Lemann Fellow (2015) and Member of the Governing Council of the Magna Charta Observatory.
Dr. Georgios Kostakos is Co-founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Global Governance and Sustainability. About half of his thirty-year work experience has been with the United Nations, including with the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and field missions for political affairs and human rights. FOGGS focuses on the need for a new globalization narrative, establishing a Global Resilience Council and supporting SDG implementation.
Giovanna Kuele is a PhD Candidate at The Graduate Center – CUNY and a Researcher at the Igarapé Institute. She is a Brazilian political scientist, who coordinated the civil society consultations in Our Common Agenda process to support the Executive Office of the Secretary-General in 2021.
Dr. Joris Larik is Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs of Leiden University, Senior Advisor and Nonresident Fellow for the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program at Stimson, and Co-Director of the Global Governance Innovation Network. Dr. Larik is an expert in EU external relations and global governance reform, having authored several books and worked on several high-level reports and policy-advisory projects. He is a former Fulbright-Schuman scholar and Research Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study.
Dr. Joshua Lincoln is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Law and Governance at the Fletcher School, Tufts University and sits on the board of the Global Governance Forum. He has 25 years of experience with the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, academia, and civil society including as Secretary-General of the Bahá’í International Community, Directeur de Cabinet to the Director-General of UNOG and Senior Officer in the Executive Office of Secretary-General in New York.
Michael Liu is the Founder and the Secretary-General of the Chinese Initiative on International Criminal Justice (CIICJ). Previously, Michael worked for Fangda Partners, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) East Asia Delegation, the International Criminal Court and the ECCC in various capacities. Michael also teaches courses on international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law at the Royal University of Law and Economics (Cambodia). Michael has an LLB and an LLM from Renmin University of China.
Augusto Lopez-Claros is the Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum and former Director (2011-2017) of the Global Indicators Group at the World Bank. Previously he was Chief Economist at the World Economic Forum. He has degrees from Cambridge University and a PhD in economics from Duke University. He has written extensively on a range of development economics and international relations topics. His latest book, published by Cambridge University Press, is on global governance issues.
Aishwarya Machani is a U.N. Foundation Next Generation Fellow. She led a consultative process bringing together hundreds of young people from around the world to contribute to the U.N. secretary-general’s “Our Common Agenda” report. She also co-authored “Our Future Agenda,” an accompanying vision and plan for next and future generations. She recently graduated from the University of Cambridge. Her weekly column for World Politics Review features every Tuesday.
Dr. Paulo Magalhães is the Founder and President of Common Home of Humanity. He is a jurist and researcher at the CIJE, University of Porto where he completed a Post-Doc in Law in the legal roots of the climate emergency. He is the author of “The Earth Condominium: From Climate Change to a New Juridical Conception of the Planet” and “SOS Treaty – The Safe Operating Space Treaty: A New Approach to Managing Our Use of the Earth System”.
Dr. Karim Makdisi is an Associate Professor of International Politics and Director of the graduate program in Public Policy and International Affairs at The American University of Beirut. He is the co-editor of Land of the Blue Helmets: United Nations in the Arab World (with V. Prashad, University of California Press, 2017), and is working on two UN-focused research projects: the international politics of eliminating Syria’s chemical weapon and the UN role during the 2006 Lebanon-Israeli war.
Tinuola D. Makinde was a research assistant with Society for Family Health (SFH) in 2014 on Global Fund Malaria and HIV/AIDS project implementation across Nigeria and, later, a field supervisor on Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) project with Family Health International (FHI 360). As the program officer in AfriGrowth Foundation, she worked on educational reform and child literacy where she implemented the re-furbishing of 15 libraries in LEA primary schools across Nigeria in 2016. She is now working as the Programs and Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD).
Rosa Malango was appointed Director of the Regional Commissions New York Office by the UN Secretary-General in June 2021. She has over 27 years of experience in development and humanitarian affairs, including assignments in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and UN Headquarters in New York and Geneva. Previously, Ms. Malango has served as the UN’s Resident Coordinator & Designated Official for Security for Uganda, as well as serving several notable appointments in Côte d’Ivoire, and Angola.
Eston McKeague is the President of the Young World Federalists, a global youth movement fighting to give humanity a voice. He is also a member of the Board of Citizens for Global Solutions. As a passionate world federalist, Eston advocates for a youth-led movement to unite the world. He has a BA in Global Affairs with minors in Economics and Religion & Culture, as well as, an MSc in Political Science: Public Policy and Governance.
Sarah Meschenmoser is a Senior Project Manager with Robert Bosch Stiftung. She coordinates the Foundation’s engagement regarding UN reform discussions and other UN projects. She is also a strategic advisor on political liaison on the Foundation’s global issues work. Sarah holds a LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex and previously worked with different INGOs on sustainable development, inclusion and human rights protection, including in the UN context.
His Excellency Tijjani Muhammad-Bande is the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. He has had an outstanding career as a scholar and diplomat. He started his academic career at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Nigeria, rising from Graduate Assistant in 1980 to full Professor in 1998, to Vice-Chancellor, in 2004. Between 2000 and 2004, Professor Muhammad-Bande served as Director-General of Le Centre African de Formation et de Recherche Administratives pour le Développement (CAFRAD), in Tangiers, Morocco. As Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2018-2019), he served as Vice-President of the 71st session of the General Assembly and was active in several forums, including the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34), the Advisory Board of the United Nations Counter Terrorism Centre, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Group. He later became the President of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Most notably, Professor Muhammad-Bande is a recipient of Nigeria’s Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), one of Nigeria’s highest national honors.
Chido Cleo Mpemba is the African Union’s Special Envoy on Youth, is part of the Global Shapers Community, and has held leadership roles including being selected as part of the Global Taskforce, representing the Africa region, former Hub Curator and Climate Reality Leader trained by former US Vice President Al Gore. She holds an MBA Degree from Midlands State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Cape Town.
Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron is a development worker with decades of experience in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural settings at grassroots, national, regional and international levels. She is a policy and advocacy expert on diverse thematic areas including climate justice, sustainable development, financing for development, trade, human rights, gender and women’s rights among others. She has served as co-chair in regional and global advocacy platforms and has represented civil society in different advocacy arenas, and is currently an advisor for the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.
Nayifa Nihad is a Research Intern at Plataforma CIPO and the Graduate Research Fellow for the think tank, Security in Context, through the University of Oklahoma’s Center for Peace and Development. She is from the Maldives and is currently completing her MA in climate justice at the University of Oklahoma. Her research expertise focuses on how the climate crisis affects small island nations and the broader environmental injustices in the Global South.
Jens Orback is the executive director at the Global Challenges Foundation. Former Swedish cabinet minister for integration, democracy and gender equality. Former anchorman at the Swedish Radio and Swedish television. Economist.
Anja Olin Pape is Head of UN Strategy at the Global Challenges Foundation. She leads the work of the foundations UN reform track, covering the “Our Common Agenda” process, financial support to stakeholders and advocacy. Anja has a background in the Council of Europe, as well as working with international youth policy, human rights education, and gender equality issues. She is a graduate of the University of Gothenburg in European studies.
Dr. David Passarelli is the Executive Director of the UNU Center for Policy Research. He is co-leading the Secretariat of the High-Level Advisory Board on Global Public Goods, and was formerly Executive Officer of the UN University system, and Chief of Staff to the University Rector and UN Undersecretary-General. He holds a doctorate in international development from the Department of International Development, University of Oxford.
Daniel Perell joined the Baha’i International Community UN Office as a Representative in 2011 and currently serves as co-chair of the Coalition for the UN We Need. He focuses on social and sustainable development, climate change, global citizenship, and good governance. In 2010, Mr. Perell received a JD from the University of Virginia and an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts. Mr. Perell has worked in Switzerland, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, and Chile.
Cristina Petcu is a Reporting Officer with MINUSMA’s Joint Operations Center in Mali. Previously, she was a Research Analyst with the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program at the Stimson Center. Before joining Stimson, she served in various roles at the United Nations, including the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Guatemala, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (Office for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions) at the UN Headquarters, and UN Habitat (Youth and Livelihoods Unit). Cristina served on the Steering Committee of the Coalition for the UN We Need, and is an alumna of AIESEC and One Young World.
Marie-Laure Poiré manages the Fundraising and Advocacy team of GPPAC, the world’s largest global member-led network of over 200 local civil society organisations active in the field of conflict prevention and peacebuilding. In her capacity, Marie-Laure develops programs that ensure that local voices and experiences are taken into account in global peacebuilding practices and policies. She also engages with donors and partners to jointly create more effective funding solutions in support of local peacebuilding.
Dr. Richard Ponzio is Director of the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program and Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center, where he also co-directs the Global Governance Innovation Network and serves on the Coalition for the UN We Need and Together First steering committees and Climate Governance Commission. Widely published, Dr. Ponzio has served in senior peacebuilding roles with the UN and U.S. State Department in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, New York, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone.
Keith Porter is the President and CEO of the Stanley Center for Peace and Security. Porter works with all center staff and its board of directors to develop and implement all aspects of the organization’s vision, mission, and strategic plan. He also promotes global collaboration across each of its programmatic areas, climate, mass violence, and nuclear weapons, with representatives from national and subnational governments, the media, the private sector, and civil society.
Prof. Dr. Vesselin Popovski is Vice Dean of the Jindal Global Law School in India (ranked by QS as the best law school in South Asia) and Founding Executive Director of its Centre for UN Studies. In 2004-2014 Senior Academic Officer at UN University, Tokyo. Prior to that Assistant Professor at Exeter University, UK. Published over twenty books and numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals. PhD from King’s College London and MSc from London School of Economics.
Dr. Edna Ramirez-Robles is Professor of International Trade Law at Universidad de Guadalajara, CUCosta, Mexico and has worked at the UNCTAD, WTO and IDB Secretariats. She also consulted for the WTO, the World Bank and currently for USAID for El Salvador. Dr. Robles has worked in +56 jurisdictions worldwide on technical assistance and capacity building projects (funded by WTO, WB, UNCTAD, IDB, USAID, IADB, OIC, UEMOA, etc.).
Mary Robinson currently serves as the Chair of The Elders, and was the first woman President of Ireland, as well as a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mary Robinson served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa from 2013-2014, and continued in this post until the successful conclusion of the COP21 Climate Summit and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In 2016, Mary Robinson served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate.
Jimena Leiva Roesch joined International Peace Institute in April 2015. From 2009 to March 2015, Jimena served as Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Guatemala to the UN. Jimena has worked on SDG goals for Guatemala and Colombia and was also Guatemala’s lead negotiator for the Paris Agreement on climate change. Since 2021, she has served as Senior Advisors to the Republic of The Maldives in UNFCCC negotiations. She currently leads IPI’s climate action program.
Natalie Samarasinghe is Global Director for Advocacy at The Open Society Foundations, and formerly CEO of UNA-UK. Samarasinghe has also worked for the United Nations in the office of the President of General Assembly, and as chief of strategy for the organization’s 75th anniversary initiative. With more than 15 years of advocacy and management experience, she has advised governments on UN policy, and supported NGOs such as the Sri Lanka Campaign and Brazilian Igarapé Institute.
Ambassador Agustín Santos is the Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations since 2018. With over 40 years of experience since he entered the Spanish Diplomatic Corps, he held senior positions both in foreign posts such as Consul in Cape Town and Perpignan, United Nations in Geneva, different Spanish government agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Spain.
Dr. Filip Savatic is a Visiting Researcher at Sciences Po Paris, specializing in the politics of international migration and European integration. He also serves as the Administrative Coordinator of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS). His research examines the role of regional integration in the evolution of public policies targeting irregular migrants in Europe, and the effects of migration on the political systems of migrant-receiving states. He obtained a PhD in Government from Georgetown University in 2021.
Dr. Mónica Serrano is Research-Professor of International Relations at El Colegio de México, Senior Fellow at the Ralph Bunche Institute, Associate Fellow of the International Institute for Strategic Studies IISS, and Senior Research Associate at the Centre for International Studies, Oxford University. She serves on the Board of Directors of ACUNS and on the editorial boards of Conflict, Security and Development, Global Responsibility to Protect, Foro Internacional and Perfiles Latinoamericanos.
Dr. Conor Seyle is a political psychologist and the Senior Strategic Advisor for the peacebuilding foundations One Earth Future and PAX sapiens. His work is centered around creating systems complementary to human psychology to reinforce long-term, sustainable solutions to complex problems. He has previously worked with Psychology Beyond Borders, Issues Deliberation Australia/America, and the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. He holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Anton Sharbin is a Programme Officer at the Dag Hammerskjold Foundation. He works on projects related to financing the UN development system while also supporting the programme on other cross-cutting projects. Anton has previously served as a Policy and Partnerships Officer with UNDP in Egypt. He has also served with UNRWA and UNDP in Jordan. Anton has BSSc in Peace and Conflict Studies from Uppsala University and is finalizing his Master’s in Religion in Peace and Conflict.
Rebekah Shirley is the Director of Research, Data & Innovation at the World Resources Institute, Africa, and former Chief of Research at Power for All. Rebekah earned her PhD in Energy Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and leads applied research on power systems and clean energy integration, working across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Hailing from the West Indies, Rebekah now lives in Nairobi, Kenya.
Alexandre Stutzmann is the Special Adviser to the 76th President of the General Assembly, in charge among others of the follow up to Our Common Agenda. He was also an adviser to the 74th and 75th PGA. A Senior Official of the European Union, he was the Director of External Policies in the European Parliament, and prior to that the Diplomatic Adviser to three Presidents of the EP. A graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the Sorbonne in Paris, he was a doctoral researcher at the European University Institute in Florence and an adjunct faculty member at NYU.
Kate Sullivan serves as Strategic Planning and External Relations Manager at the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and leads its work on strengthening multilateralism. Kate has previously held positions at the Global Challenges Foundation, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Global Partnership Alliance, and United Technologies Corporation. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Suriname 2011-2013), a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, and holds degrees from the George Washington University and the University of Michigan.
Dr. Javier Surasky is the Program Officer of the Governance for Development Area of Cepei. He is Chair of the International Cooperation Department of the International Relations Institute of La Plata National University, Argentina, and is a senior researcher of Development Studies, particularly in Global Development Agendas and the 2030 Agenda implementation and follow-up processes. He is a member of the Together 2030 Core Group and has been analyzing Latina America and the Caribbean positions at the UNGA General Debate and the primary UNGA outcomes since 2015.
Enyseh Teimory is the Head of Policy at UNA-UK. She leads the organisation’s policy work after three years leading its communications and supporting campaigns. Over the last two years, she has helped coordinate the Together First campaign for UN reform. Enyseh represents UNA-UK in a number of international coalitions, including as a steering committee member for the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN).
Mandeep Tiwana is the Chief Programmes Officer at CIVICUS and currently heads CIVICUS’s UN liaison office in New York. Previously, Mandeep advised the New Delhi Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He has also worked with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, and has published a compilation of landmark Indian Supreme Court decisions and National Human Rights Commission guidelines on human rights and policing. Mandeep holds BA and LL.B degrees from Panjab University, India and an LL.M in Law in Development from Warwick University, UK.
Dr. Danilo Türk is President of Club de Madrid and former President of Slovenia. He has previously served as a Professor of International Law, an expert on human rights, a diplomat and United Nations’ Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs. He served on the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (1984-1992). In addition, he worked as member of the UN Working Group on the Right to Development and drafted the 1986 UN Declaration on the subject.
John Vlasto is Chair of the World Federalist Movement and Democracy Without Borders UK. Based in the UK, his goal is more effective and accountable global governance, starting with the environment. He has previously served in the military and worked in finance.
Fergus Watt is the Coordinator for the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN), which works to build support for initiatives to strengthen multilateralism and the United Nations system. Based in Ottawa, Canada he works with civil society to advance global governance reforms and the rule of law has included participation in a range of broad-based networks, in Canada and internationally.
Christian Wohlert is First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations. Responsible for the follow-up of Our Common Agenda, he has supported the Swedish Permanent Representative in co-facilitating the UN75 Declaration. His previous postings include Ethiopia and Mozambique.
Soon-Young Yoon is Chair of the Board at the Women’s Environment and Development Organization. In 2021, she was appointed to the Council on Gender Equality convened by the President of the 76th UN General Assembly. She serves as a board member of the International Foundation for Ewha Womans University and on the Global Advisory Board of the Harvard AIDS Initiative. She is also a founding member of the Women Mayor’s Network in association with the National Democratic Institute.
Nudhara Yusuf is the facilitator of the Global Governance Innovation Network (GGIN) and is a Research Assistant with the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program at the Stimson Center. She is also Global Youth Coordinator at the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN) and honorary advisor to NGOCSD-NY. Nudhara studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University College London and previously worked with the UNDP’s SDG Integration Team and the RBAP Strategic Foresight Unit. Her research primarily focuses on the role of globalization and development in shifting the multilateral architecture and engaging youth in governance.