His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in January 2016 and as the Prime Minister in March 2023.In the early beginning of his career, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs worked as an Economic Researcher at the Ruling Family Council in 2003. He moved up the career ladder until he became the Director of Economic Affairs from 2005 to 2009.In 2009, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed Director of the Small and Medium Enterprises Support Project as well as Director of the Department of Public and Private Sectors Partnership at the Ministry of Business and Trade. In the same year, he launched “Enterprise Qatar” – an organisation that provides technical and financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises. His policy agenda is aimed at fostering economic diversification programs through attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) to Qatar, and through promoting entrepreneurial ventures to contribute to the country’s economic growth.In 2010, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs served as the Secretary of the Personal Representative of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for Follow-up Affairs at the Amiri Diwan. In the same year, he became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Mining Company.In 2011, he became Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aspire – Katara Investment Company. He attained the rank of Undersecretary in 2012.In 2013, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed as the Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs. His policies focused on promoting multilateral cooperation along with implementing the development and aid agenda of the State of Qatar.He currently serves as the Chairman of Qatar Fund for Development. In 2014, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed led the restructuring of Qatar Fund for Development and advocated targeting support to primary and secondary education, global health and economic development.On 4 November 2018, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed Chairman of Qatar Investment Authority.His Excellency is also a member of the Supreme Council for Economic and Investments Affairs.

António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017.Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth, from refugee camps to war zones, the Secretary-General has centered his efforts on ensuring human dignity for all.  In a period of unprecedented global challenges, he has drawn on his commitment to the UN Charter to mobilize people and launch action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, address the climate emergency, advance gender equality, and achieve ambitious 21st century reforms to enhance the Organization’s vital efforts to secure peace, sustainable development, human rights and humanitarian aid.Prior to his appointment as Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015,  heading one of the world’s foremost humanitarian organizations during some of the most serious displacement crises in decades. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Yemen, led to a huge rise in UNHCR’s activities as the number of people displaced by conflict and persecution rose from 38 million in 2005 to over 60 million in 2015.Before joining UNHCR, Mr. Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service. He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, during which time he was heavily involved in the international effort to resolve the crisis in East Timor.As president of the European Council in early 2000, he led the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and co-chaired the first European Union-Africa summit. He was a member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1991 to 2002.Mr. Guterres was elected to the Portuguese Parliament in 1976 where he served as a member for 17 years. During that time, he chaired the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Finance and Planning, and later the Parliamentary Committee for Territorial Administration, Municipalities and Environment. He was also leader of his party’s parliamentary group.

Rina Amiri is currently the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights. Under the Obama Administration, she served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ms. Amiri brings over two decades of political expertise, advising and working with governments in various conflict settings in West and the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and Europe. Her areas of focus are peace and security, with a specialization in inclusion in mediation processes. Ms. Amiri has served in the United Nations in several capacities including as a Senior Mediation Expert and as a member of the United Nation’s Special Representative of the Secretary General’s political team in Afghanistan during the implementation of the Bonn Agreement. She has held senior and leadership positions in a variety of universities and think tanks, including the Women in Public Policy Program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy’s School of Government; Princeton University’s Innovations for Successful Societies; and New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and The Center on International Cooperation where, as a Senior Fellow, she led the Afghanistan and Regional Policy Initiative. She has championed the rights of Afghan women and girls for decades and is a founding member of Inclusive Security, a global women’s initiative advocating for the inclusion of women in peace processes.

Dr. Ahmed Awad BinMubarak holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Baghdad and received the Distinguished Graduate Shield from the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA) of National Defense University in Washington, DC. He worked as an Assistant Professor in several Yemeni universities and headed the Business Administration Centre for Graduate Studies at Sana’a University. He has supervised dozens of university thesis and dissertations and worked as a consultant for several international institutions in and outside Yemen. He was the head of the academic group in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and has chaired and actively participated in memberships of Boards of Directors for a number of civil society institutions and private sector. In 2012, Dr. BinMubarak was appointed as a member of the Preparatory Committee in charge of preparing for the biggest turning points in the Yemeni transitional process as an independent representative, and was elected as committee rapporteur.On January 18, 2013, President Hadi issued a decree assigning him Secretary General of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference, to lead 120 employees in addition to hundreds of volunteers who were among the finest young men and women working in Yemen. He facilitated mediation efforts and technical support for the 565 participating members, and most importantly for the members of the Constitution Drafting Committee.Dr. BinMubarak, along with the United Nations, chaired the Steering Committee and the Peacebuilding Fund and played a facilitating role for many crucial sessions in the Conciliation Committee as well as the Southern Issue committee. During the final stages of the conference, Dr. BinMubarak was appointed as a member and rapporteur of the Territory Determination committee that defined the parameters of the proposed new federal Yemen.On multiple occasions, President Hadi also sent him as his special envoy to the United Nations Security Council and to the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In 2014, he was appointed Director of the Presidential Office (i.e., Chief of Staff) and in the same year appointed to be Prime Minister for which he declined in accepting the position. Dr. BinMubarak was kidnapped in January 2015 by the Houthi militia while carrying the original new draft constitution to present it to the National Authority to Monitor the Implementation of the Outcomes of the National Dialogue. Dr. BinMubarak has participated in most of the United Nations peace talks as an advisor to the negotiating team for the legitimate government of the Republic of Yemen. In July 2015, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Yemen to the United States of America, in Washington, DC, and has also functioned as non-resident ambassador to Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. He was also appointed as the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations during the year 2018. 

Mr. Vladimir Voronkov was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism on 21 June 2017, established by General Assembly resolution 71/291. Mr. Voronkov brings to the position more than 30 years of experience within the Foreign Service of the Russian Federation, working primarily on United Nations affairs, with responsibilities ranging from public diplomacy and social and economic development issues to intergovernmental affairs. Prior to his appointment, he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna. Under his leadership, the Permanent Mission launched several flagship projects with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and developed successful collaborations with the UNODC Antiterrorist Branch. Mr. Voronkov also served on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during which time he led several delegations of the Russian Federation to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Prior to serving in Vienna, Mr. Voronkov was Director of the Department of European Cooperation (2008-2011), during which time he served as the Head of the Russian Delegation during the Russia-European Union negotiations on the visa-free regime (2010-2011). He started his career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1989 and has served in various capacities, among them as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna (2005-2008), Deputy Director of the Personnel Department (2002-2005) and Minister Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Embassy to Poland (2000-2002). Mr. Voronkov holds a PhD from Moscow State University. He has authored various scientific publications on international issues.

Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, a foreign policy expert and diplomat specializing in national security affairs, is Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She brings over 30 years of government and international experience across senior levels of diplomacy, business, and defense. She was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Thomson Reuters and held the Distinguished National Security Chair at the U.S. Naval Academy.  Her high-level government positions include Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, President's Envoy to Northern Ireland, National Security Council Director of European and Soviet Affairs, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.  A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy, Dobriansky also served on the Defense Policy Board, the Secretary of State's Foreign Policy Board and as Chair of ExIm Bank's Council on China Competition. She has a BSFS summa cum laude from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and an MA and Ph.D. in Soviet political/military affairs from Harvard University.  She has received high-level international recognition from the governments of Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania and Colombia and has five Honorary Doctorate degrees.

His Excellency Mr. Ayman Hussein Safadi was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in October 2020. From January 2017 until October 2020, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.Minister Safadi served as a member of the Jordanian Senate, where he presided over the Senate Communications and National Guidance Committee and served as a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2010, Mr. Safadi was appointed as Deputy Prime Minster, State Minister, and Spokesperson for the Government. In addition, Mr. Safadi served as an advisor to His Majesty King Abdullah II from 2008 until 2010.In 2004, Minister Safadi served as a Spokesperson for the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq. He served as Director of communications at the Royal Hashemite Court also as Press Secretary to HRH Prince El-Hassan bin Talal. Mr. Safadi is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Path Arabia, a political consultancy that operated out of Abu Dhabi and specialized in producing policy papers and political analysis of regional issues and international affairs affecting the Middle East.Born in 1962, in Jordan, His Excellency Safadi holds a master’s degree in International Journalism from Baylor University in Texas and a bachelor’s degree in English Language & Literature from Yarmouk University. Mr. Safadi edited a number of Jordanian newspapers, including the Jordan Times and AlGhad. He is also a regular commentator on Middle Eastern affairs for regional and international media.

Børge Brende is President of the World Economic Forum. Previously he was the Norwegian minister of Foreign Affairs, minister of Trade and Industry, and minister of Climate and the Environment. He served as deputy chairman of the Norwegian Conservative Party as well as MP. He was also vice-mayor in his hometown Trondheim. He was chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and secretary- general of the Norwegian Red Cross. He was board member of Statoil and the Norwegian School of Economics. He has been the Chair of Mesta, Norway’s largest contracting group in the area of road and highway maintenance. He is a member of the Advisory Council, Harvard International Negotiation Program, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), the Strategic Committee of Sciences Po, and is currently on the board of the Bilderberg Meetings.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 12 May 2021 the appointment of Martin Griffiths of the United Kingdom as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  He will succeed Mark Lowcock of the United Kingdom to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his dedicated service to the Organization and commitment in mobilizing assistance and resources to protect and alleviate the conditions of the many people affected by humanitarian crises. Mr. Griffiths brings extensive leadership experience in humanitarian affairs at headquarters and country levels, both strategically and operationally, as well as senior level experience in international conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation, most recently as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen (since 2018), a position he will continue to serve until a transition has been announced.  Mr. Griffiths served as Adviser to three Special Envoys of the Secretary‑General for Syria and Deputy Head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic (UNSMIS) (2012-2014).  He was the first Executive Director of the European Institute of Peace (2014-2018) and founding Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva (1999-2010), where he specialized in developing political dialogue between Governments and insurgents in a range of countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. His professional records span from resource mobilization and donor relations managing response to natural disasters, to international advocacy and diplomacy, having worked within the British diplomatic service, the United Nations, international humanitarian organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children and Action Aid.  He served in Geneva as the Director of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (1992), which preceded the establishment of OCHA, as Deputy to the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator in New York (1998-1999) and as United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes and in the Balkans. He holds a master’s degree in Southeast Asian studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and is a qualified barrister. He speaks English and French.

Dr. Comfort Ero was appointed Crisis Group’s President & CEO in December 2021. She joined the organisation as West Africa Project Director in 2001 and rose to become Africa Program Director and then, in January 2021, Interim Vice President.Dr. Ero has spent her entire career working on or in conflict-affected countries. In between her two tenures at Crisis Group, she served as Deputy Africa Program Director for the International Centre for Transitional Justice (2008-2010) and, prior to that, Political Affairs Officer and Policy Advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Mission in Liberia (2004-2007). She has a PhD from the London School of Economics, University of London. Dr Ero is also the Chair of the Board of the Rift Valley Institute and sits on the editorial board of various journals, including International Peacekeeping.

Dr. Henry Huiyao WANG is the Founder and President of Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a leading Chinese nongovernmental think tank accredited with UN “Special Consultative Status” and ranked 64th among think tanks worldwide in 2020 Global Go to Think Tank Index (GGTTI) by the University of Pennsylvania.Dr. Wang is the former Counselor to the State Council of China appointed by the Chinese premier. In addition, he serves as Vice Chairman of MOFCOM’s China Association for International Economic Cooperation (CAIEC); Vice Chairman of China Talent Research Society; a Director of MFA’s Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation; Vice Chairman of China Public Relations Association. He is also Professor and Dean of the Institute of Development at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and a member of Advisory Committee for Global Competence Development at Tsinghua University. Currently, he is a Steering Committee Member of Global Governance for the Digital Ecosystems (GGDE), the Paris Peace Forum, Pandemic Action Network(PAN) and Metropolis International, and he also sits on the Advisory Board of Duke Kunshan University and Richard Ivey Business School.

On February 4, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden appointed Tim Lenderking as US Special Envoy for Yemen. Mr. Lenderking previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs in the Near East Bureau at the U.S. Department of State. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Mr. Lenderking served previously as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d' Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2013-2016. He served as the Director of the Pakistan Office at the Department of State from 2010-2013. From 2008-2010, Mr. Lenderking completed two tours in Baghdad, the first as the Senior Democracy Advisor at the US Embassy, and the second as the Policy Advisor to the Commanding General of Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I), based at Camp Victory. Before his Iraq tours, Mr. Lenderking served as the Economic Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at US Embassy Kuwait. He was also the Political Counselor at Embassy Rabat from 2002-2006. Mr. Lenderking’s other tours in the Foreign Service include serving as the Special Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs 2001-2002, as the Lebanon Desk Officer 2000-2001, and as a Watch Officer in the Operations Center. Mr. Lenderking also served in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and in Damascus, Syria. Mr. Lenderking joined the Foreign Service in 1993 after a career in the refugee field, where he held numerous positions with American NGOs and with the United Nations in New York, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Thailand. Mr. Lenderking received a Master’s Degree in History and International Relations from the University of Washington in 1989 and a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors from Wesleyan University in 1985. He is the recipient of the Presidential Merit Award, nine Superior Honor Awards from the Department of State, and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Department of the Army for his service in Iraq.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani was appointed Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer in March 2020. Sheikh Mohammed was also the Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo Qatar from 2020 to 2023 where he strategically steered the company through the challenges of the pandemic and successfully led the operation to its greatest successes, including Ooredoo’s record-breaking achievements during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. He has extensive experience in communications, digital transformation, finance and accounting, and has held various management positions within Ooredoo since he joined the company in 2009.    Sheikh Mohammed is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ooredoo Kuwait and Ooredoo Oman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asiacell in Iraq.Previously, he was CEO of Ooredoo Kuwait and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ooredoo Myanmar, Ooredoo Algeria and President Commissioner of Indosat Ooredoo, where he achieved great success. He holds a Masters degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Cardiff, UK and a Bachelors degree in Accounting from Qatar University.

Achim Steiner became UNDP Administrator on 19 June 2017. The United Nations General Assembly confirmed his appointment following his nomination by Secretary- General António Guterres. In April 2021, the General Assembly confirmed his appointment to a second four-year term beginning in June2021.Mr. Steiner is also the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which unites 40 entities of the UN system that work to support sustainable development.Over nearly three decades, Achim Steiner has been a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. He has worked tirelessly to champion sustainability, economic growth and equality for the vulnerable, and has been a vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals.Prior to joining UNDP, he was Director of the Oxford Martin School and Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, University of Oxford. Mr Steiner has served across the United Nations system, looking at global challenges from both a humanitarian and a development perspective. He led the United Nations Environment Programme (2006- 2016), helping governments invest in clean technologies and renewable energy. He was also Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. Achim Steiner previously held other notable positions including Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams.Achim Steiner has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the United States. He graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (MA) from Worcester College, Oxford University and holds an MA from the University of London/School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

Ms. Hanna Tetteh is the UN Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, a position she has held since April 2022. Prior to that she had held the positions of UN Special Representative to the African Union, and earlier on the Director General of the UN Office in Nairobi. Before joining the United Nations Ms. Tetteh held various political offices in the Republic of Ghana. She has previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and before that Minister for Trade and Industry. She was also Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya West Constituency. Ms. Tetteh is a Lawyer by profession.

His Excellency Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai was appointed Minister of Communications and Information Technology in October 2021.His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology has held several positions related to the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.His Excellency has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Broadband Network Company (QNBN), as well as having served in senior positions in the telecommunications company Ooredoo Qatar, formerly known as Qtel.His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology currently holds several other positions, including the President of the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Qatar Free Zones Authority, Member of the Board of Trustees of Qatar University, and Member of the Board of Directors of Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, and a Member of the Board of Directors of Al Jazeera Media Network.His Excellency the Minister of Communications and Information Technology received a bachelor’s degree in Physics from the American University in Cairo.His Excellency also holds professional certificates in management and leadership from several institutions, including the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), the INSEAD Business School, and the Carnegie Bush Institute.

Ambassador Mark Green (ret.) is the president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Previously, Green served executive director of the McCain Institute, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), president of the International Republican Institute, and senior director at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Green also served as the U.S. ambassador to Tanzania (2007-2009) and a Member of Congress representing Wisconsin’s 8th District (1999-2007).

Ecuadorian scholar, diplomat and politician, Ms. Espinosa has also held  many leadership positions within the Government of Ecuador, serving as  Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense and Cultural and Natural Heritage. Furthermore, she was the first female ambassador and permanent representative of Ecuador to the United Nations offices in New York and Geneva. Most recently, Ms. Espinosa served as President of the 73rd Session of the  United Nations General Assembly, becoming the fourth woman in history  and the first from Latin America and the Caribbean to preside over this  body. Among other current responsibilities, she serves as Member and Executive Director of Global Women Leaders for Change and Inclusion, GWLvoices; member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group; Member of the High-Level Advisory Council for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, UNAOC;  Chair of the Board of Women in Global Health, the International Commission on the Economics of Water.Espinosa was declared by the BBC as one of the 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2019.

Bronwen Maddox took up the post of Director and Chief Executive of Chatham House in August 2022.Before joining Chatham House, Bronwen was Director of the Institute for Government (2016-2022), an independent think tank based in London promoting better government. From 2010 to 2016 she was editor and chief executive of Prospect, the monthly current affairs magazine. Before that, she served as chief foreign commentator, foreign editor and US editor at The Times, after a period at the Financial Times where she ran award-winning investigations and wrote economics editorials.Before becoming a journalist, Bronwen was an investment analyst in the City and a director of Kleinwort Benson Securities, where she ran its highly-rated team analysing world media stocks.Bronwen is a Visiting Professor in the Policy Institute at King’s College London, Honorary Governor of Ditchley, an honorary fellow of the British Academy, and a council member of Research England, one of the research councils of UK Research & Innovation. She writes frequent op-ed columns for the Financial Times and broadcasts widely.Bronwen has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from St John’s College, Oxford.Founded in 1920, Chatham House is consistently ranked one of the world’s leading public policy institutions on international affairs, geopolitics, and geo-economics. It has over 200 full-time staff, based at its historic premises in St James’s Square, and a further 150 non-resident Associate Fellows around the world. It is an independent Institute, operating under a Royal Charter, with HM Queen Elizabeth II as its Patron. Its work is supported by a diverse and global community of individual members, private foundations, government departments, international organisations, multinational companies and philanthropic donors.

Hina Rabbani Khar’s term as Foreign Minister is best remembered for the ‘Regional Pivot’ to Pakistan’s foreign policy. As the 26th Foreign Minister of Pakistan, she concentrated on building ties with Pakistan’s immediate neighbours. A major policy shift was taken by starting the journey of normalization of trade relations with India. Similarly, with Afghanistan, Pakistan pursued a policy of reaching out to all political parties, and ethnicities. Pakistan also pursued an active role in an Afghan led and Afghan owned process of reconciliation. In a difficult time of increasing economic sanctions Pakistan pursued to cement ties with Iran. Hina Rabbani Khar has also served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for 2 years, Minister of State for Economic Affairs for 4 years and Minister of State for Finance & Economic Affairs for another 2 Years. During these years, she was the lead person in Pakistan’s economic diplomacy, both bilateral and multilateral.

Nasser Yassin is currently the Minister of Environment in Lebanon. Until his appointment in September 2021, he was a Professor of Policy and Planning at the American University of Beirut (AUB). He founded in 2020 and led the Lebanon Crisis Observatory, a think-do tank to provide evidence and systematic analysis of various facets of the crises in Lebanon. He was the Director of AUB's Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs between 2019 and 2020 and the Institute’s Director of Research 2014 & 2019. He holds a PhD rom University College London (UCL), an MSc from the London School of Economics (LSE), and an MSc and BSc from the American University of Beirut. 

Lindsey Graham has earned a reputation as a conservative problem-solver and one of the strongest proponents of a robust national defense.A frequent visitor to American troops stationed overseas for on-the-ground assessments, Graham has consistently pushed for outcomes in the War on Terror which protect our long-term national security interests. One leading conservative recently wrote that when it comes to defending America, ""[Lindsey] Graham has been right about more things on foreign policy for longer than just about anyone…if anyone has bragging rights on foreign policy, it is Graham.""Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. He became the first person in South Carolina history to garner over one million votes in the 2008 general election.Graham currently serves as the Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Graham also serves as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on the Budget, and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Prior to serving in the Senate, Graham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994 as the first Republican from the Third Congressional District of South Carolina since 1877.Before being elected to Congress, Graham compiled a distinguished record in the United States Air Force as he logged six-and-a-half years of service on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. From 1984-1988, he was assigned overseas and served at Rhein-Main Air Force Base in Germany. Upon leaving active duty Air Force in 1989, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard where he served until 1995. During the first Gulf War in the early 90's, Graham was called to active duty and served state-side at McEntire Air National Guard Base as Staff Judge Advocate where he prepared members for deployment to the Gulf region.In 1995, Graham joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves. During American military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Graham put his experience in military law to use pulling numerous short-term Reserve duties in both countries over congressional breaks and holidays.Graham retired from the Air Force Reserves in June 2015 having served his country in uniform for 33 years. He retired at the rank of Colonel.A native South Carolinian, Graham grew up in a blue collar family in the small town of Central where his parents ran a restaurant and pool hall. The first member of his family to go to college, Graham earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina. He lives in Seneca and is a member of Corinth Baptist Church.

Mr. Zane Dangor currently serves as the Director-General (DG) of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Before being appointed to serve in this capacity from 1 April 2022, he was a Special Adviser to the current and former Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation. Before joining DIRCO, he worked as the Chief Operations Officer at Soul City.Mr. Dangor worked at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as its interim representative to the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa in 2017. Before joining the UNFPA, he served as DG of the Department of Social Development. He also served as Deputy DG of the Department of Social Development, where he worked for over 12 years. This included being seconded to serve as Special Adviser to two Ministers of Social Development.Mr. Dangor worked with the International Human Rights Law Group, based in Washington, DC, focussing on transitional justice issues in West Africa. He worked in civil society and as a consultant in various capacities. He was a senior manager, including Executive Director at the Development Resource Centre, for 10 years, where he contributed to human rights and development work nationally and abroad. He was a managing partner in the social consulting company, Sonke Consulting.Mr. Dangor holds a Master’s in Law in International Law and a Master’s in Public and Development Management, both from the University of the Witwatersrand.

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, serves on the Steering Committee for the Mary Robinson-led Climate Governance Commission, and earlier directed the Albright-Gambari Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance (2014-2016). Widely published, Dr. Ponzio has served in senior peacebuilding roles with the United Nations and U.S. State Department in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, New York, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, and Washington, D.C. He is the author of Democratic Peacebuilding: Aiding Afghanistan and other Fragile States and (with Dr. Arunabha Ghosh) co-author of Human Development and Global Institutions: Evolution, Impact, Reform. He completed his doctorate in politics and international relations at the University of Oxford on a Clarendon Scholarship and undertook earlier studies at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (M.A.), The Graduate Institute Geneva (M.A.) as a MacJannet Fellow, and Columbia University (B.A).

Sultan Barakat is a Professor in Public Policy at Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University and an Honorary Professor at the University of York. He is a world-renowned scholar, known for pioneering the study of war-torn societies and their recovery. Professor Barakat founded the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and directed it between 2016 and 2022. Previously, he served as the Director of Research at the Brookings Institutions Doha Center. At the University of York, he founded and led the Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit between 1993 and 2019.Professor Barakat has been published widely in academic referred journals. His book ‘After the Conflict: Reconstruction and Development in the Aftermath of War’, published by IB Tauris, was reprinted twice, in 2005 and 2010. He has also written books on the reconstruction of both Afghanistan and Iraq. His most recent book, ‘Understanding Influence: The Use of Statebuilding Research in British Policy’ was published by Ashgate in 2014.Barakat has over 30 years of professional experience working on issues of conflict resolution, humanitarian response, statebuilding and post-conflict recovery and transition. He is regularly engaged in providing guidance as a Senior Adviser and Consultant to the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union, the Red Cross and a variety of governments. He has led major evaluations, peace negotiations and programming initiatives in Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal, Palestine, Philippines (Mindanao), Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan (Darfur), Syria, Uganda (Moyo and Adjumani) and Yemen.

Dr. Dalia Fahmy is Director of The International Relations and Diplomacy Program and Associate Professor of Political Science at Long Island University where she teaches courses on US Foreign Policy, World Politics, International Relations, Military and Defense Policy, Causes of War, Politics of the Middle East and Islam and Democracy. Dr. Fahmy was  previously a Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Policy in Washington DC, and a visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University.Dr. Fahmy's three books: “Arab Spring: Modernity, identity, and change,” “Illiberal Intelligentsia and the Future of Egyptian Democracy”, and “International Relations in a Changing World”, cover her research areas.She has given several DC briefings on the future of democracy in the Middle East. She has been interviewed by and written editorials in various media outlets including ABC, BBC, CBS, CBC, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, PBS, TRT, The Huffington Post, the Washington Post, and Aljazeera.

Bart Magunda Katureebe has had a distinguished career in law and politics in Uganda. he started his legal career as a State Attorney in the Attorney General's Chambers before going into private legal practice. He subsequently served over over a period of 13 years as a Minister in various portfolios including Foreign Affairs, Health, Industry, as well as five years as Attorney General/Minister of Justice. He was awarded the special rank of Senior Counsel.During his tenure as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, he participated in several mediations to resolve international disputes. As Attorney General, he represented Uganda in the dispute with DRC at the International Court of Justice at the Hague.In 2005, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court and in 2015, he was appointed Chief Justice, retiring in 2020.He currently runs a private Conflict Resolution Centre with focus on Mediation and Arbitration.

Ambassador Julián Ventura, a career diplomat on leave from the Mexican Foreign Service, is a Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group, part of Dentons Global Advisors. He has held senior diplomatic positions in four administrations, most recently as Deputy Foreign Secretary, where he oversaw key relationships in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and served as Mexico’s G20 Sherpa. Previously, he served as Ambassador to China and the United Kingdom and Deputy Ambassador in the Embassy to the United States.  As Under Secretary for North America,  he played a central role managing the economic, trade, border, and immigration agendas with the United States and Canada. As Director-General for Asia-Pacific Affairs, he was a Senior Official in the Mexico-Japan FTA negotiations, the Mexico-South Korea 21st Century Commission, and five APEC Summits. Earlier in his career, he served as the Foreign Secretary´s Chief of Staff and in Mexico´s missions to Cuba, the United Nations, and the Organization of American States. He is a frequent media analyst on international affairs and Mexican foreign policy and a participant in global policy forums, including the Doha Forum, the Munich Security Conference, the Chatham House London Conference, the Halifax Security Forum, and the Raisina Dialogue.

Rafat Ali Al-Akhali is a development practitioner dedicated to addressing the challenges of development in fragile and conflict-affected situations. As a co-founder of DeepRoot Consulting, Rafat has been closely engaged in advising key stakeholders on political, economic, and development priorities in Yemen and has led and advised multiple development initiatives at the local and national level in Yemen. Rafat is a Fellow of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford where he was previously the Convenor of the Council on State Fragility, and managed the LSE-Oxford Commission on State Fragility, Growth and Development as well as the secretariat of Pathways for Prosperity Commission on Technology and Inclusive Development. Rafat previously served as a Minister in the Government of Yemen, and prior to that led the government’s policy reforms team. He holds a master's degree in public policy (MPP) from the University of Oxford, and a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), Montréal, Canada. 

Dr. Sanam Vakil was appointed director of the Middle East and North Africa programme in 2023. She was previously the programme’s deputy director and senior research fellow, and led project work on Iran and Gulf Arab dynamics.She is also the James Anderson professorial lecturer in the Middle East Studies department at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS Europe) in Bologna, Italy.

Thomas Juneau is associate professor at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. His research focuses on the Middle East, especially Iran and Yemen, on the role of intelligence in national security and foreign policy making, and on Canadian foreign and defence policy. He is a non-resident fellow with the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies. From 2003 until 2014, he worked with Canada’s Department of National Defence, mostly as a policy analyst covering the Middle East. He tweets @thomasjuneau.  

Dr. Nilab Mobarez, a surgeon and public administrator by profession, is the former Chairperson, and Secretary General of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS). She is currently serving the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC). Dr. Mobarez directed the ARCS during difficult times of war, COVID-19 Pandemics and political instability. She was, also founder/CEO of INGO’s for medical Institution Building. Dr. Mobarez earned her MD from Kabul Medical University (1984), and her MPA focused on conflict studies and leadership of international and nonprofit organizations, from Syracuse University (2016). 

Bader Mousa Al-Saif is an assistant professor of modern and contemporary Middle East history at Kuwait University, a public policy consultant, and a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He focuses on the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula, namely its political history, international relations, religious affairs, reform dynamics, transnational trends, culture, and gender relations. Al-Saif has over two decades of experience researching and working in the Arab Gulf states, most notably as a deputy chief of staff to a former prime minister of Kuwait and senior vice president of the oil and gas sector at Agility. He is the recipient of various awards and a co-founder of several NGOs in the fields of education, youth empowerment, and transitional justice. Al-Saif has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters; he contributes policy analyses to multiple outlets; and is frequently quoted and interviewed by renowned media platforms and publications around the world. He holds a Ph.D. with distinction from Georgetown University; a Master of Education and a Master of Theology, both with honors from Harvard University; and a Master of Law with honors from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He graduated summa cum laude from Boston College with a double major in political science and history. Al-Saif is on X (formerly Twitter) @bmalsaif 

Dan Murphy is a CNBC’s anchor and correspondent based in the United Arab Emirates, reporting on business, markets, economics and geopolitics from across the Middle East region.Dan is a sought after panel moderator and has hosted more than 80 panels in recent years across a range of topics - including finance and markets, banking, energy and climate, technology, policy, geopolitics, diversity and inclusion, and women in leadership in the Arab world.As the anchor of CNBC’s “Capital Connection” - Dan has presented live programs during major events impacting the Middle East, and has deep experience in interviewing senior business figures and government leaders from around the region.Dan’s panel session with His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and His Excellency Suhail al Mazrouei of the United Arab Emirates at the World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi had a significant impact in the global oil press and market pricing.At the recent Dubai Fintech Summit, Dan’s opening fireside conversation with Franklin Templeton President and CEO, Jenny Johnson, was conducted in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

Maryam Nemazee is a television news anchor, correspondent, broadcaster and journalist. 

In a career spanning more than twenty-five years at the United Nations, Michèle Griffin has served as a senior policy advisor and director of policy planning to successive UN Secretaries-General. She currently directs the Summit of the Future/Common Agenda Team in the office of Secretary-General António Guterres. She has played a role in several major summits and reform efforts and previously set up and ran the UN Mediation Support Unit, aiding peace processes around the world. Griffin has been an adjunct professor at Columbia University and a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University. She is an alumna of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Nobuo Tanaka is Chairman of the steering committee of the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF), which was established by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2014. He was Chairman and President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation for 2015-2020.  As Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) from 2007 to 2011, he initiated a collective release of oil stocks in June 2011. He also played a crucial and personal role in the strengthening of ties with major non-Member energy players, including China and India.He began his career in 1973 in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and has served in a number of high-ranking positions, including Director-General of the Multilateral Trade System Department. He was deeply engaged in bilateral trade issues with the US as Minister for Industry, Trade and Energy at the Embassy of Japan, Washington DC. He has also served twice as Director for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI) of the Paris-based international organization, OECD. As CEO of Tanaka Global Inc, he advises several Japanese and International companies.He graduated from University of Tokyo and have MBA from Case Western Reserve University.

Maja Groff, Esq., is an international lawyer based in The Hague, and is Convenor of the Climate Governance Commission, which seeks to propose high impact global governance innovations adequate to meet the climate challenge. She serves as a Co-Chair of the Coordinating Committee for the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC), Senior Treaty Advisor at Integrity Initiatives International, as well as on The Canadian Task Force Against Global Corruption. As a Principal Legal Officer, she has assisted with the development and servicing of multilateral treaties for more than a decade, also working at various international criminal tribunals (ICTY, STL), teaching at the Hague Academy of International Law and was a Visiting Professor at Leiden University, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (2020-2022). She has worked on a wide range of existing and potential global treaties addressing contemporary human rights issues and cross-border legal cooperation, conducting extensive liaison work with international organisations, professional associations, NGOs and convening international legal expert groups to develop new international legal norms. She holds degrees from McGill (civil law and common law), Oxford and Harvard Universities, and is an attorney admitted to practice in the state of New York, formerly working in corporate law. She has served on the Governing/Advisory Boards of BCorp Europe and ebbf, organisations devoted to ethical business, and is a NOW Partner. She was a winner of the 2018 New Shape Prize, and is a co-author of the 2020 book, Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century.  

After receiving an M.A. (Oriental History) from Keio University, Mr. HOSAKA Shuji became Special Assistant of the Japanese Embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Since then, he has held various posts in the field of the Middle Eastern studies, including Professor of Kindai University, Osaka. He is currently Board Member of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) and Director of JIME Center, Adjunct Professor of Waseda University. He is currently President of Japan Association for Middle East Studies (JAMES). Among his publications are Jihadism (2017), Cyber-Islam (2014), Osama Bin Laden: His Life and Jihad (2011), and Saudi Arabia: Oil Kingdom in Transition (2006).

Hafed Al-Ghwell is a senior fellow and executive director of the North Africa Initiative at the SAIS Foreign Policy Institute. Prior to his current role at the Foreign Policy Institute, Hafed Al-Ghwell has had a long, notable career serving in multiple distinct roles as a consultant, advisor, fellow and scholar in world-renowned think tanks, policy institutes and advisory bodies. At the Atlantic Council, Oxford Analytica, Maxwell Stamp Inc. and Foreign Reports, to list a few, Hafed Al-Ghwell specialized in the political economies of the Middle East and North Africa countries, government affairs, international relations, geopolitics and geostrategic risks.