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.

Rima Khalaf-Hunaidi has served in several leadership positions in Jordan and the United Nations, most recently as the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Khalaf resigned from her post in 2017 when she refused to withdraw an ESCWA-commissioned report titled: Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid. The report concluded that Israel has established an apartheid regime that oppresses and dominates the Palestinian people as a whole, whether they live in the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, in Israel itself, or in the diaspora. Previously, Khalaf served as director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States with the UN Development Program, initiating projects to promote good governance, human rights, and human development in Arab countries. She was the principal architect behind the pioneering Arab Human Development Report series and has received numerous international prizes, including the Prince Claus Award and the King Hussein Leadership Prize. Before joining the UN Development Program, Khalaf served in senior government posts in Jordan, including deputy prime minister, minister of industry and trade, and minister of planning. She also served as a Senator in the Upper House of the Jordanian Parliament. 

Dr. Amr Awadallah is the CEO and cofounder of Vectara, a company that is enabling organizations to leverage GenAI in business applications by reducing risks from hallucinations, bias, copyright infringement, and model weight pollution.  Amr previously served as VP of Developer Relations for Google Cloud. Prior to joining Google in Nov 2019, Amr co-founded Cloudera in 2008 and as Global CTO, he spent 11 years working closely with enterprises around the world on how to ingest and extract value from big data (he famously coined the concept of “schema-on-read vs schema-on-write”). Cloudera went public in 2017 on the NYSE, and was acquired by KKR + CD&R in 2021 for $5.3b. He also served as vice president of product intelligence engineering at Yahoo! from 2000-2008. Amr joined Yahoo after they acquired his first startup, Aptivia, in mid-2000 which was a search engine for online product information. Amr received his PhD in EE from Stanford University, and his Bachelor and Master Degrees from Cairo University, Egypt.Amr is one of 10 luminary scientists and technologists that were granted honorary citizenship to Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Dr. Al-Kuwari is a Vice-Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee. In 2021, Dr. Mohamed was selected as a member of the advisory group concerned with preparing the third national development strategy 2023-2030. Dr. Al-Kuwari was appointed a member of the Advisory Board of Global Carbon Council (GCC) and Member of the Advisory Committee of the alliance of Civil Society Organizations to Support the Green Middle East Initiative. Dr. Al-Kuwari was selected as one of 30 human rights defenders (HRDs) from the Office of United Nations of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), "A Defender for a Right". In 2023, Dr. Al-Kuwari was selected as a member of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) Working Group. . In 2023, the International Federation for Social Responsibility was appointed Dr. Mohamed as one of the 100 champions of sustainability in the Arab world and North Africa.Dr. Al-Kuwari has authored 23 books on various technical and scientific issues, especially human rights, sustainable development and environmental issues.

Dr. Kim Moloney is an Assistant Professor at the College of Public Policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Doha Qatar. Her research focuses on transnational administration, small states, and social equity / social cohesion. Her latest book, Who Matters at the World Bank, was published by Oxford University Press in 2022. 

Since October 2013, Dr. Fabian Zuleeg has been Chief Executive of the European Policy Centre, with overall responsibility, including providing strategic direction, managing its staff and resources and representing the EPC. He remains Chief Economist at the same time (a post he has held since January 2010). Fabian holds a PhD on the political economy of EU accession from Edinburgh University. Before coming to the EPC, he worked as an economic analyst in academia, the public and the private sector.His analysis focuses on the political economy of the future of European integration in the context of political dis-cohesion within the EU and a contested, challenging global landscape. His current work is concentrated on determining how EUrope can meet the triple challenge of the watershed of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the fundamental transformations EUrope has to go through (technological revolution, climate change mitigation and demographic change), and the Permacrisis, a term he coined with EPC colleagues in 2021. Fabian also focuses on transnational cooperation between European Think Tanks, with the aim of increasing the capacity, ethics and sustainability of the sector. He is currently a Member of the Executive Board of Transparency International EU, Honorary Fellow at the Europa Institute of the University of Edinburgh and Honorary Professor at Heriot-Watt University. He also chairs the International Philanthropy Committee for the King Baudouin Foundation.Fabian works closely with decision-makers in the European institutions, the EPC members and partners, European think tanks and the wider Brussels and member state stakeholder community. Fabian regularly comments on current political and economic issues in the EU in the media. He also chairs and contributes to a wide range of debates, conferences and seminars and has researched and published widely on the future of European integration, global challenges, Brexit and on European economic and social policies.

Omar H. Rahman is a Fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, and a Nonresident Fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Mr. Rahman is also the Editor of Afkār, the Middle East Council's publication on current Affairs in the Middle East and North Africa. Previously, Mr. Rahman was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution's Doha Center and a Research Associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Before working as a policy analyst, Mr. Rahman was a journalist and holds a Master's degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism. His writing has been published in The Washington Post, Foreign Policy magazine, The Guardian, The National Interest, and Al-Jazeera English, among many other outlets.

Cristina Petcu is the Deputy Director of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) in New York, working on expanding the use of IEP’s Positive Peace Framework as a training tool and an evidence-based metric for peace-centered development. Before joining IEP, Cristina worked with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) as a Civil Affairs Officer, leading the Mission's work on strengthening civil society's capacities to participate in the implementation of the 2015 Peace Agreement and Mali's return to constitutional order. Prior to her deployment in Mali, Cristina was a Research Analyst with the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program at the Stimson Center, where she published widely on topics related to UN reform. As a member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition for the UN We Need, Cristina also significantly contributed to mobilizing global civil society action on an ambitious program for the renewal and innovation of the UN system and other global institutions. She a native of Romania and holds a MA in International Affairs from The New School and a BA in Philosophy and European Studies from the University of Bucharest.

Dr. Elif Selin Calik is the author of “The Renaissance of Smart Energy"" and the CEO of Women in Smart Energy UK (WSE-UK) with herESG and Sustainable Financial Strategy Education at University of Oxford. She provides ESG consultancy services to SMEs, banks, and other institutions specializing in energy politics, renewable energy, and climate change resilience. Dr. Calik has been a U.N. Climate Change Observer since 2015. During COP 27, she moderated the session “Road to Net Zero with Women’s Resilience and Smart Energy.” She has also worked with various governments in relation to the Mediterranean Maritime Dispute and Sustainable Investments. Dr. Calik is an executive member of the International Rotary Club, Environmental Sustainability Action Group, and in 2022, she gave an annual speech on “Women Empowerment on Smart Energy” at British National Liberal Club. Dr. Calik is an international TV analyst and has been interviewed by BBC, CGTN, TRT WORLD, AL JAZEERA and BLOOMBERG on the global energy transition.

Zaheer Laher is the Chief Director: United Nations Political, Peace and Security at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) of South Africa. He has served in the Foreign Service for over twenty six years in which he has mainly worked in the area of multilateral diplomacy.  This includes serving for over eight years at the Permanent Mission of South Africa to the United Nations in New York where he also coordinated South Africa’s participation at the  Security Council. His current responsibilities include working on South Africa’s engagements on global peace and security issues including multilateral peace and security, transnational organised crime, disarmament and non-proliferation. His academic qualifications consist of a BA LLB LLM (WITS) and a Certificate in Conflict and Dispute Resolution (NYU).  He is an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

Deemah AlYahya is a Saudi digital economy expert and a tech diplomat who serves as the Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO).AlYahya is the founding Secretary-General of the DCO since her election in April 2021. The DCO is the world’s first standalone intergovernmental global organization focusing on accelerating digital transformation and advancing digital economy, while empowering women and youth. As the Secretary-General, AlYahya is an advisor, connecting heads of state, government ministers and private sector digital economy leaders together. She facilitates multilateral, multistakeholder digital cooperation to bridge the gap, bringing all digital economy key stakeholders to co-create and co-design high-impact initiatives leading to a world where every country, business, and person has a fair opportunity to prosper in an inclusive and sustainable digital economy. As a lifelong tech enthusiast with a passion for empowering women in the ICT sector, AlYahya founded Women Spark, a non-profit organization to enable developers, tech founders, and investors with the tools they need to grow, through training and mentorship. AlYahya additionally serves on several boards, including Riyad Capital, SAIP – Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, SCAI – Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligency, and SAFSCP - The Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming.In 2018, AlYahya was recognized with the “Digital CEO of the Year” award by Entrepreneur Middle East magazine.

Natalie Marko Nietsch is the Global Head of Social Sustainability at Standard Chartered Bank. In this capacity, Natalie is responsible for working across the bank to maximize the bank's social impact across the emerging markets. Working with clients across the bank's corporate, retail and wealth segments, she identifies new opportunities for socially focused financing and helps to mobilize diverse sources of capital in support of social outcomes. Natalie also co-leads the bank's Adaptation Finance hub, with a focus on building resilience across communities in the bank's footprint.Natalie has been working in the global financial markets for over twenty years and has extensive experience in client coverage, structuring, and strategy.  Natalie is particularly focused on financial inclusion & gender equality. She is on the Steering Committee for the Women's Financial Inclusion Data Partnership and is also a member of the Milken Institute’s Young Leaders Circle. Natalie is currently based in Singapore.

Dr. Ghulam Omar Qargha is a fellow in the Center for Universal Education at Brookings and an education, research, and program evaluation expert with 20 years of overseas experience designing, managing, implementing, and evaluating international education programs. Qargha’s expertise is in policy analysis, program design, education transfer, and research on teacher education, curriculum development, educational delivery, and monitoring and evaluation in the developing world, with a particular focus on fragile, conflict-affected, and emergency contexts. Qargha holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of North Florida, a Master of Education degree in curriculum and instruction from George Mason University, a Master of Arts degree in international comparative education from Stanford University, and a doctoral degree in international education policy from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Serves as General Director of Customs Services and International Affairs at the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM). She previously served as Advisor at the Coordination Office to the Secretary of Finance from the Mexican Federal Government. For more than 16 years she leaded the Mexican Association of Private Industrial Parks (AMPIP), representing the largest real estate developers in Mexico. In 2020 she was part 100 most powerful women in business, by Expansion magazine in Mexico. She has also been Secretary of Economic Development in the Hidalgo government, and Deputy Trade Commissioner of Mexico in Stockholm, Sweden, and in Toronto, Canada, participating in the promotion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), today USMCA.She is a columnist and lecturer on topics related to economic development, foreign direct investment, nearshoring, and security programs for global supply chains. She has a degree in International Relations at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); an MBA from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Strategic Management from the Anahuac University in Mexico City. She speaks 4 languages.

Csaba Kőrösi previously held the positions of; - Deputy State Secretary in charge of security policy, multilateral diplomacy and human rights- Vice-President of the UN General Assembly (2011-12)- Co-chair of the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals- Vice-Chair of Bureau of HABITAT III (2014)- Director (state secretary) for Environmental Sustainability, Office of the President of the Republic of Hungary (2015-2022)- Sherpa to the President of Hungary, at the High Level Panel on Water co-convened by the UN Secretary General and the President of the World Bank Group - Sherpa to the President of Hungary at the Water and Climate Leaders panel, - 77th President of the UN General AssemblyOther engagements have included;-        Member of the UN Council of Presidents of the General Assembly -        Member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center-        Distinguished Fellow, Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development of the Japan International Cooperation Agency -        Fellow, International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing, China -        Member of the Board of Patrons, World Sustainability Forum, USA-        Member of the National Council on Sustainable Development at the Hungarian National Assembly-        Member of the Jury, Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy, USA-        Member of the Presidential Committee on Sustainable Development at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences-        Founding member of the Hungarian Scientific Panel on Climate Change-        Honorary member of the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers, Department of Hydrological Engineering

Dr. Cinzia Bianco is a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, where she works on political, security and economic developments in the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf region and relations with Europe. She also wrote extensively about Europe-Gulf relations in the domains of energy and climate security.  Previously, she was a senior analyst at Gulf State Analytics, where she has done consultancy and advisory work for European and US stakeholders since 2015, and a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. Between 2013 and 2014, Dr. Bianco was a research fellow for the European Commission’s project on EU-GCC relations ‘Sharaka’.  She holds an MA degree in Middle East and Mediterranean Studies from King’s College London and a PhD in Middle East Politics from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, where she worked on threat perceptions in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) after the 2011 Arab uprisings. She is the co-author with Prof. Matteo Legrenzi of “Le monarchie arabe del Golfo: Nuovo centro di gravità in Medio Oriente” (Il Mulino, 2023) and the sole author of “The Gulf monarchies after the Arab Spring: Threats and Security” (Manchester University Press, forthcoming)

Brian Finlay is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Stimson Center. Brian previously served as Vice President, Managing Director, and Senior Fellow at Stimson. Prior to joining the Center, he served as executive director of a Washington-based lobbying initiative focused on counterterrorism issues, as a researcher at the Brookings Institution, and as a program officer at the Century Foundation. Prior to emigrating to the United States from his native Canada, Brian served with the Public Health Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Sachin Dev Duggal is a founder and entrepreneur, whose AI-powered platform, Builder.ai, grew 200% last year; and raised over $450M since 2018 to help make building software as easy as ordering pizza!Sachin started his career at the age of 14, building PCs, and by 17, he built one of the  world’s first automatic currency arbitrage trading systems for Deutsche Bank. He started a cloud computing company, Nivio, when he was 21 and still at university (Imperial College), taking it to just under $100m in valuation before exiting (and he still holds a trademark for the word cloud in India!).Sachin was the World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer in 2009, Entrepreneur.com’s Serial Entrepreneur of the Year and a 2x finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He also founded the ‘Geek’s Dinner’, a diverse community of personalities from tech to film, who came together to discuss the most pressing issues challenging humanity.

Lord John Thomas practiced at the Commercial Bar in London from 1972. He was appointed to the High Court of England and Wales in 1996. He was a Presiding Judge of the Wales and Chester Circuit 1998 - 2001 and Judge in Charge of the Commercial Court 2002-3. In 2003, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal and was Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (2013-2017). He is President of the Qatar International Court and an arbitrator and takes part in the business of the House of Lords.  He is Chair of the Steering Committee of the Standing International Forum of Commercial Courts, Chair of the London Financial Markets Law Committee, President of the London Shipping Law Centre, Chancellor of Aberystwyth University and a Fellow of several Universities. He was a Founder of the European Law Institute in 2011, its First Vice-President 2109-2023 and President of the European Network of the Councils of the Judiciary 2008-2010.

Dominic Grieve is a barrister and King's Counsel. He was a member of the Parliament of the UK from 1997-2019. from 2010-14 he was Attorney General of England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland in the UK Government. He is a trustee of the Ditchley Foundation and of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.

Adnan Tabatabai is co-founder and CEO of the Germany-based Middle East think tank CARPO – Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient. As an Iran analyst he is consulted by European policymakers and businesses on Iran-related affairs. Through his work at CARPO, Tabatabai has designed and facilitated track 2 and civil-society dialogue formats between Iran and Saudi Arabia since 2015. He is furthermore involved in a variety of projects at CARPO on regional security in the Persian Gulf region. Tabatabai is author of the book “Morgen in Iran” (Oct. 2016, Edition Körber-Stiftung). He is regularly featured in international media with commentary and analysis on developments in Iran and the Middle East.

Sebastian Son Ph. D works as a senior researcher for the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO). Prior to that, he served as an advisor for the Regional Programme “Cooperation with Arab Donors” (CAD) of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. He holds a Ph.D. from the Humboldt University Berlin. His thesis deals with media discourses on labor migration from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia. He studied Middle Eastern Studies, Contemporary History and Political Sciences in Berlin and Damascus. He was further trained as journalist in print, TV and radio media at the Berlin School for Journalists (Berliner Journalisten-Schule). After finishing his studies, he worked as Head of Research and Editor-in-Chief of the academic magazine Orient at the German Orient-Institute from 2009-2014 and as a project researcher at the Program Near East and North Africa at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin. As a political analyst, he is consulted by German and international political institutions as well as by international journalists to provide expertise on the Gulf monarchies. He provides his expertise to institutions such as the European Union, ministries from different European countries, SIPRI, International Crisis Group, the Middle East Institute among others. His fields of interest include EU-GCC relations, development cooperation policies and foreign assistance policy of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, GCC’s migration policies, sport diplomacy and sports for development concepts in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, South-Asian migration to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and political and economic engagement of the Gulf monarchies in Africa.

Professor David Monyae is an Associate Professor of Political Science & International Relations under the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg. In addition, he is the Director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies. Professor Monyae is an international relations and foreign policy expert, he holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Witwatersrand. He previously served as Section Manager: International Relations Policy Analysis at the South African Parliament, providing strategic management, parliamentary foreign policy formulation, and monitoring and analysis services.

Dr. Balgis Osman Elasha is a forester by training with PhD in Forestry and Master’s in Environmental Science. Dr. Balgis has more than 20 years of experience spanning climate change mitigation and adaptation, natural resources management, renewable energy and green growth with special focus on human dimension of global environmental changes and their impacts on sustainable development. Dr. Balgis is a winner of the UNEP Champions of the Earth Award for outstanding environmental achievements in 2008, a member of the IPCC Lead Authors-Nobel Peace Prize winners in 2007. Awarded the Highest Achievement Medal by the Government of Sudan in 2011. Dr. Balgis conducted  and supervised large number of research and scientific work. She has written more than 45 peer-reviewed articles, reports, and books. Dr. Balgis is a member of wide professional networks in the area of conservation and sustainable development including IUFRO, IAASTD, IPBES. Dr. Balgis had served on numerous scientific committees and boards.https://www.linkedin.com/in/balgis-osman-elasha-8930817

As Crisis Group’s Senior Analyst for Yemen, Nagi is responsible for covering conflict dynamics, politics, security and the regional role of the country. He provides field-based insights and recommendations aimed at resolving conflict.Before joining Crisis Group, Nagi was a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center, where he covered the conflict in Yemen, borderland dynamics and local governance transformations, among other issues. Additionally, he was the research manager at the Institute of Citizenship and Diversity Management at Adyan Foundation in Lebanon, a country coordinator on Yemen and Oman at Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem) in Sweden, and a senior consultant at Insight Source Center for Research and Consulting in Yemen. Nagi holds an MA in Public Governance from the University of Granada, Spain.

Hassan Ahmadian is an Assistant Professor of Middle East and North Africa studies at the University of Tehran and a Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Scientific and Strategic Studies Center in Tehran. He previously was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center as well as an Associate with the Project on Shiism and Global Affairs at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. His research and teaching work is mainly focused on Iran’s foreign/regional policy and relations, political change in the Middle East, civil-military relations and Islamist movements in the Middle East. 

Before coming to American University of Afghanistan, Ian Bickford was the first provost of Fulbright University Vietnam where he guided the launch of Vietnam’s first American-style undergraduate program in the liberal arts and sciences. His service to innovation and equity in higher education, in the United States and around the world, includes many years of support for Bard College’s partner programs in Myanmar, where the Parami Institute of Continuing Education and the soon-to-launch Parami University are beacons for educational quality and access in an opening democracy. As an influential leader in the U.S. early college movement, which creates meaningful bridges between high school and college for younger students, Dr. Bickford served as provost and vice president of Bard College at Simon’s Rock; founding dean of Bard Academy at Simon’s Rock; and dean of the Bard Early Colleges. He is a specialist in Early Modern British and transatlantic literature, with an A.A. from Bard College at Simon’s Rock; B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley; M.A. from Stanford University; and Ph.D. from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Matthew McInnis is a consultant and analyst on China, the Middle East, and the evolution of modern warfare. Mr. McInnis previously served as the U.S. Deputy Special Representative for Iran and as a Member of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State. He was also an intelligence officer and policy advisor on Middle East, China, and non-proliferation issues for fifteen years in the U.S. Department of Defense.

Jon B. Alterman is a senior vice president, holds the Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy, and is director of the Middle East Program at CSIS. Prior to joining CSIS in 2002, he served as a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State and as a special assistant to the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and from 2009-2019 he served as a member of the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel. In addition to his policy work, he often teaches Middle Eastern studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the George Washington University. Earlier in his career, Alterman was a scholar at the U.S. Institute of Peace and at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a legislative aide to Senator Daniel P. Moynihan (D-NY) responsible for foreign policy and defense. From 1993 to 1997, Alterman was an award-winning teacher at Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in history. Alterman has lectured in more than 35 countries on five continents on subjects related to the Middle East and U.S. policy toward the region. He is the author or coauthor of four books on the Middle East and the editor of five more. In addition to his academic work, he is sought out as a consultant to business and government and is a frequent commentator in print, on radio, and on television. His opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and other major publications. He is a former international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he is now a life member. He received his A.B. from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs.

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. He is also the host of FP Live, the magazine's video channel and podcast, on which he regularly interviews world leaders and policymakers. Before joining FP in 2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. Agrawal is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University.

Dr. Nilanjan Ghosh is Director at the Observer Research Foundation, India. In that capacity, he heads 2centres at the Foundation, namely, the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy (CNED), and ORF’s Kolkata. He is also the Director of the Think20 India Secretariat, the thinktank engagement group of G20 Indian Presidency; Member, Global Future Council on the Future of Nature and Security, World Economic Forum for 2023; President of the Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE) for 2022-24; and Member, Research Advisory Committee, WWF India. He served as Member, Expert Committee constituted by the Supreme Court of India in March 2021 and devised the Net Present Value criteria for forest land diversion. He advised WWF India to set up their Ecological Economics practice from 2015 to 2020. Dr.Ghosh taught at various places including Linnaeus University, Sweden; IIM-Calcutta; TERI School of Advanced Studies; Jadavpur University, etc. He has also visited Uppsala University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. One of the leading ecological economists and development analysts of South Asia, he has authored/edited 14 books and monographs, and written 95+ peer-reviewed papers and more than 185 popular articles/commentaries. He advised organizations like IUCN, USAID, FORMAS-The Swedish Research Council, UNCTAD-India, WWF-UK, IWMI-WLE,etc.

Mr. Geir O. Pedersen became UN Special Envoy for Syria in January 2019, as appointed by Secretary-General Guterres. He previously served the United Nations in various roles, including as Special Coordinator for Lebanon (2007 to 2008), Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for Southern Lebanon (2005 to 2007), and Director of the Asia and Pacific Division in the Department of Political Affairs. In his national capacity, Mr Pedersen most recently served as Norway’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (2017 to 2018) and as Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2012 to 2017). Between 1998 and 2003, He served as Norway’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority and previously was the Chief of Staff for the Foreign Minister. In 1993, he was a member of Norway’s team to the Oslo negotiations that led to the signing of the Declaration of Principles.

Dr. Dania Thafer is the Executive Director of Gulf International Forum, an institute based in Washington, D.C. that provides analysis on political, economic, social, and security issues for the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Iran, Iraq and Yemen. She is also a Professorial Lecturer at the School of Foreign Service’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. Her expertise is on the Gulf region’s security, U.S.-Gulf relations, and the political economy of the GCC states.  Dr. Thafer has been widely published and consults regularly on matters concerning the GCC and the Middle East. Dr. Thafer has a new book titled “Creative Insecurity: Institutional Inertia and Youth Potential in the GCC” published by Oxford University Press and Hurst Co. (2023). Additionally, she has co-authored two edited books “The Arms Trade, Military Services and the Security Market in the Gulf States: Trends and Implications” and “The Dilemma of Security and Defense in the Gulf Region.” Her commentary has appeared in international media outlets, including:  The New York Times, Financial Times, BBC World, Washington Post, Forbes, Al Jazeera and others. Additionally, she is regularly consulted by governmental, non-governmental, corporations and research institutions globally.Previously, she was responsible for building relationships with foreign dignitaries from the Middle East at the National Defense University’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, DC. Dr. Thafer has a master’s degree in Political Science from New York University, and Ph.D. in Political Science, specialized in the Political Economy and International Relations from American University in Washington, DC. 

Dana Yousef Al-Abdulla is the Director of National Cyber Governance and Assurance Affairs at the National Cyber Security Agency.Dana holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Qatar University and a master’s degree from HEC Paris in Strategic Business Unit Management. She holds professional certifications such as GICSP in Industrial Control Systems Security, GCFA in Advanced Forensics Analysis, and GSLC in Cyber Security Leadership.Dana has made significant contributions to the establishment and operation of the Qatar Computer Emergency Response Team (Q-CERT). With over 17 years of experience, she has developed expertise in different cyber security fields including incident management, vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, policies, governance, national cyber strategies and critical infrastructure protection. Dana has also provided her expertise in the field of personal data privacy and is one of the founders of the department responsible for supervising the personal data protection law in the State of Qatar. She currently manages the National Data Privacy Office (NDPO), which oversees the enforcement of the law and raises awareness of both institutional obligations and individual rights. Moreover, she has contributed to numerous efforts aimed at improving the cybersecurity landscape, encouraging youth to join the field, and has participated in various international and regional forums.

Muznah Siddiqui is a Global Governance Research and Planning Associate at the United Nations University Center for Policy Research, where she supports the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB) project. Her expertise focuses specifically on technological and digital governance, and the global financial architecture. Prior to joining UNU-CPR, Ms Siddiqui worked as a Research Consultant for the Global Governance, Justice and Security Program at the Stimson Center, where her research focused on the governance of digital technologies, peace, and climate change. She has also supported the Secretariat of the Climate Governance Commission. Ms Siddiqui has held two consecutive internships at the Global Program on Detecting, Preventing and Countering the Financing of Terrorism at the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, where her research focused on counter-terrorism, anti-money laundering, cyber-security and countering COVID-19 disinformation. Alongside her professional interests, Ms Siddiqui was awarded first place at the 2023 Geneva Centre for Security Policy Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security and is presently a Youth Peace Ambassador for the PyeongChang Peace Forum. She holds a Master in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge.

Kate Kallot is a world-class technologist who has received sustained global acclaim in tech for social impact, most notably for her work advancing technology access across Africa. She has received multiple accolades for her work, including being named TIME 100 most influential people in AI and VentureBeat Women in AI Rising Star.Kate is the Founder & CEO of Amini, an impact-driven AI startup solving Africa's environmental data scarcity to support regenerating natural capital at scale.With over a decade of experience in leading AI innovation at global tech companies such as NVIDIA, Intel, and Arm, she has a proven track record of delivering cutting-edge technology solutions that drive social impact and transform communities.Kate is a recognized expert and influencer in the AI field, advising international organizations and governments on the potential and challenges of AI for good.

Dr. Abdulaziz Sager - A Saudi strategic expert specializing in international politics and regional security issues, he is the Founder and Chairman of the Gulf Research Center. Dr. Sager has also been a visiting professor at a number of universities, and member of various councils, advisory and academic committees, institutes and international research centers.He participates in international and regional conferences that address issues pertaining to the Gulf region. Notably, he has authored and edited numerous publications and has many articles in local and international newspapers related to Gulf affairs and regional issues, and he frequently contributes to major international media outlets. He is also the editor-in-chief of "Araa" a monthly Arabic-language magazine focused on Gulf affairs and is the editor-in-chief of "The Gulf Yearbook."Dr. Sager holds a PhD in politics and international relations from Lancaster University.

Jamila Ali Rajaa is the Vice Chairperson for the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission under the Presidential Leadership Council. Ms. Rajaa holds the status of Ambassador following 30 years of service with the government of Yemen as a representative and advisor in the diplomatic corps, as well as various ministries. Following the 2011 uprising, she was a member of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference which its outcomes were the main components of the newly drafted constitution.    Jamila is also the founder of a private consultancy firm that works closely with international and regional peace, development, and humanitarian agencies. She is a well-known mediator and facilitator in the three peace-building tracks. As a senior researcher, analyst, and lecturer, Rajaa has published numerous studies and articles related to human development, human rights, media and communications, gender, and civil society in Yemen and across the Middle East and North Africa. 

Anita Zaidi is the president of the foundation’s Gender Equality Division. In this role, Anita oversees the foundation’s efforts to achieve gender equality by ensuring that women and girls in Africa and South Asia can enjoy good health, make their own choices, earn their own money, be leaders in their societies, and children survive and thrive. Anita joined the foundation in 2014 to lead a team focused on vaccine development for people in the poorest parts of the world, surveillance to identify and address causes of death in children in the most under-served areas, and significantly reducing the adverse consequences of diarrheal and enteric infections on children’s health in low and middle-income countries. She served as the foundation’s director of the Vaccine Development, Surveillance, and Enteric and Diarrheal Diseases programs until November 2022. In those roles, she championed the creation of the foundation’s Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Discovery & Tools program; the prioritization of HPV vaccination to prevent cervical cancer; and the creation of the Women Leaders in Global Health program—now called WomenLift Health—to promote diversity in global health leadership. She has led the Gender Equality division since November 2020.Previously, Anita was the department chair of Pediatrics and Child Health at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. She obtained her medical degree specializing in pediatric infectious diseases at Aga Khan University, and completed further trainings at Duke University, Boston’s Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard School of Public Health. In 2013, Anita became the first recipient of the $1 million Caplow Children’s Prize for her pioneering work in bringing health services and wraparound care to mothers and children in poverty-stricken communities in Karachi. In 2014, she was nominated as a physician of the year by Medscape. In 2021, she was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.

Charles Lister is a senior fellow and the Director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute. His work focuses on all-things Syria and on issues of terrorism and insurgency across the Levant. In early-2022, Lister launched the Resolving the Detainee Crisis Initiative, a major multinational effort to privately facilitate more effective solutions to the post-ISIS detainee challenge in northeastern Syria. The initiative, run in collaboration with the UK-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), has convened more than 30 governments for multiple discreet working gatherings in Washington D.C., London and Vienna and achieved clear and significant policy progress.   Prior to joining MEI, Lister was a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Qatar and a Senior Consultant to the multinationally-backed Syria Track II Dialogue Initiative, in which he managed nearly three years of intensive face-to-face engagement with the leaderships of over 100 Syrian armed opposition groups. Lister has also previously held other positions at the Brookings Institution and at IHS Jane’s in London, UK. Lister’s critically acclaimed book, The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency, was published in February 2016 by Oxford University Press. He has also published The Islamic State: A Brief Introduction (Brookings Press, 2015) and Winning the Battle, Losing the War: Addressing the Drivers of Non-State Armed Actors and Extremist Groups (ed.) (MEI, 2019). He is now working on a fourth book on Syria, commissioned by Oxford University Press.

Responsible for providing advisory service for leading multinationals, chambers of commerce and private business sectors on trade policies, BRI initiative, tech innovation and ESG.  Mike’s expertise is on Globalization, Digital Economy, Corporate Governance, Carbon Neutralization, Compliance and Tech Regulatory policies.Mike is an accomplished executive with 35+ years of outstanding career in digital transformation, cross culture leadership and market growth strategies with leading technology multinationals.  Mike is the former Managing Director and legal Rep for DXC Technology in Greater China region, and before that Mike was the global Vice President, Country Head and legal Rep for Infosys in Greater China region.Mike’s experience spans across Greater China, India, US, and Singapore where Mike has demonstrated his unique capacity to accomplish the growth agenda for the organizations he has served.Mike is a frequent speaker at various industry forums.  Mike has been invited to participate in the Summer Davos in 2017, the Business Summit of BRICS in 2017, and the 10th Arab – China Business Conference in 2023Mike completed the executive education at Stanford University, and holds an MBA from University of Miami in Florida and a bachelor’s degree in CIS from Renmin University in Beijing.

Previously, Director of Strategic International Relations, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Nathan was a career diplomat for more than 25 years, holding relevant positions in Mexico and abroad.He was Deputy Chief of Staff  of the Minister of Foreign Relations, Diplomatic Advisor to the Presidency of the Republic and General Director of International Economic Promotion of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. As a career diplomat officer he was posted to the Mexican Embassies in Montevideo, Uruguay and in Washington DC, USA. He was Chief of Mission of the Consulate of Mexico in Saint Paul, Minnesota and his last diplomatic position was as an Ambassador of Mexico to Singapore and concurrent to Myanmar and Brunei.He has also worked in the private sector on renewable energy and sustainability issues.He has a degree in Marketing from Tecnológico de Monterrey, and studies in International Affairs from the American University in Washington, D.C., USA.As a Mexican diplomat, Nathán Wolf has been awarded the Order of Civil Merit in the degree of the Silver Cross, from the Government of the Kingdom of Spain; the Royal Order of the Polar Star, in the degree of Officer, from the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden; and various acknowledgments from the authorities of the state of Minnesota, USA.Some of his hobbies are running, functional exercise, soccer, football, and traveling.nwolf@consejomexicano.org

Femi Oke is an award-winning international journalist, British-Nigerian broadcaster, professional moderator  and co-founder and CEO of the diverse all-female moderators bureau "Moderate The Panel."  Based in Washington, D.C where she hosted the interactive news and current affairs programme “The Stream” on Al Jazeera English for a decade, Femi is currently writing a true crime series for Audible, reporting for NPR's midday news program "Here & Now" and moderating events around the world.Femi's broadcast credits include BBC television and radio, Sky TV, all the U.K. terrestrial commercial television networks, CNN, U.S. public radio and Al Jazeera English. As a professional moderator Femi has presided over major global events including European Development Days for the European Commission, the UN Secretary-General's SDG Action Weekend and the UNDP's Annual Human Development Report. If you ask Femi what the key is to longevity in the media business she will tell you - “Don’t let rejection put you off. Treat a no as the scenic route to yes, and always moisturise.”

Ellen Laipson is the Director of the International Security Program at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and directs the Center for Security Policy Studies.  She joined GMU in 2017 after a distinguished 25 -year career in government and as President and CEO of the Stimson Center (2002-2015).  She serves on a number of non-governmental boards related to international security and diplomacy.  Her last post in government was Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council (1997-2002). She also served on the State Department's policy planning staff, the National Security Council staff, and worked at the Congressional Research Service for more than a decade.  A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy, she serves on the Advisory Councils of Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Notre Dame’s International Security Center, the Center for Climate and Security, and WWF’s Oceans Futures.  She was a member of the CIA External Advisory Panel from 2006-2009, President Obama's Intelligence Advisory Board from 2009-2013, and on the Secretary of State's Foreign Affairs Policy Board 2011-2014. Laipson has an M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University and an AB from Cornell University.

Jonathan Adashek is IBM’s Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications and Chief Communications Officer.Jonathan was appointed the head of Marketing in January 2022, adding to his previous responsibilities as Chief Communications Officer. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s global Marketing, Communications and Corporate Citizenship organization, which also includes ESG, Analyst Relations, demand generation, branding, business development for government, social media, sponsorships and strategic events across the company.Jonathan has aligned the function to IBM’s overall strategic and business objectives. He also led the team through the separation of Kyndryl, the response to COVID-19, and various social issues. His background in managing global teams has helped in driving a more nimble and agile approach.Before joining IBM, Jonathan was employed at Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance in Paris, where he was the Alliance Global Vice President, Communications. His prior positions include: Chief Communications Officer at Nissan Motor Co. in Yokohama, Japan; General Manager, Communications Strategy at Microsoft; and Executive Vice President and Global Client Relationship Manager at Edelman -- where he worked with a variety of clients including Microsoft, Starbucks, Walmart, and the Abu Dhabi and United Arab Emirates governments.He brings more than 25 years of experience across domestic and global teams serving different sectors, including technology, automotive and manufacturing, government, retail, finance, energy, B2B and B2C. He also brings governmental and political experience with him, having worked in the Clinton Administration White House and Treasury Department as well as on multiple U.S. presidential campaigns.  A graduate of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Jonathan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.Jonathan is an avid music and Wisconsin sports fan. He lives in Westchester County, NY and in his personal time, you can find him spending time with his wife, their two kids and dog.

Eng. Salim Al Aufi has a Masters degree in Pe- troleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. He Joined Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) in 1992, and progressed within the organization in different technical and leadership roles, which culminated in him becoming the Oil North Direc- tor in 2010. This Board level position is responsi- ble for all operations of Oil North Asset of PDO.In his career spanning well over 28 years, Al Aufi held different local and international positions, including PDO’s Head of Corpo- rate Planning, Chief Petroleum Engineering and Operations Manager. During his tenure in PDO, Al Aufi was posted to Shell Nigeria as Petroleum Engineer and Asset Planner, and to Shell Canada as the Vice President of Production.In May 2012, His Majesty appointed Salim Al Aufi as the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Authority for Civil Aviation, and in December 2013 he was appointed as the Undersecretary for the Ministry of Oil & Gas (now Ministry of Energy and Minerals) until mid of June 2022.In June 2022, H.E. Salim Al Aufi was appointed as the Minister of Energy and Minerals, Al Aufi’s portfolio includes Exploration and Production of hydrocarbons, Electricity and Mining Regulato- ry responsibilities, Renewables and Hydrogen in the Sultanate of Oman.

Juliana Rotich is an internationally-acclaimed techpreneur and fintech leader who believes in the impact of science and technology in building transformative technologies that fix problems and help people.Currently, as the Head of Fintech Solutions at Safaricom PLC, she leads the development of innovative fintech integrations for strategic stakeholders leveraging the world’s most popular mobile money platform; M-PESA. She is an AI Ethics & Safety Advisory Committee member at Bill and Melinda gates foundation, MIT Media Lab Director's Fellow, Senior TED Fellow and WEF Young Global Leader and currently sits on the boards of Girl Effect, Mookh Africa and Atlas AI.In 2018, she was appointed as a Member of the Ministerial Task Force on Blockchain, AI & Emerging Technology under the Ministry of ICT, Innovation & Youth Affairs in Kenya. She also previously served as a board member/advisory of several public and private institutions, including Bankinter Foundation, Microsoft 4Afrika, BASF, Standard Group Media and the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Board.  She has had a stellar professional career spanning close to two decades with numerous achievements during her role as the Co-Founder/Executive Director of BRCK.org, an integrated hardware and software company that designs and engineers rugged, self-powered, mobile WiFi devices as well as at Ushahidi, a not-for-profit technology company that develops tools used globally in mapping disaster responses. She received the 2019 German Africa Prize from German Chancellor Angela Merkel as a tribute not only for her business achievements and technological innovations, but also for her outstanding sense of social responsibility. 

Paul Salem is president and CEO of the Middle East Institute. He focuses on issues of political change, transition, and conflict as well as the regional and international relations of the Middle East. Salem is the author and editor of a number of books and reports including Escaping the Conflict Trap: Toward Ending Civil Wars in the Middle East (ed. with Ross Harrison, MEI 2019). Prior to joining MEI, Salem was the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon between 2006 and 2013.  From 1999 to 2006, he was director of the Fares Foundation and in 1989-1999 founded and directed the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, Lebanon's leading public policy think tank.

Omar Shakir serves as the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, where he investigates human rights abuses in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza and has authored several major reports, including a 2021 report comprehensively documenting how Israeli authorities are committing the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against millions of Palestinians. As a result of his advocacy, the Israeli government deported Omar in November 2019. Prior to his current role, he was a Bertha Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where he focused on US counterterrorism policies, including legal representation of Guantanamo detainees. As the 2013-14 Arthur R. and Barbara D. Finberg Fellow at Human Rights Watch, he investigated human rights violations in Egypt, including the Rab’a massacre, one of the largest killings of protesters in a single day. A former Fulbright Scholar in Syria, Omar holds a JD from Stanford Law School, where he co-authored a report on the civilian consequences of US drone strikes in Pakistan as a part of the International Human Rights & Conflict Resolution Clinic, an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Affairs, and a BA in International Relations from Stanford.

Wadah Khanfar currently is the president of Al Sharq Forum, an NGO that is specilised in networking amongst policy makers and strategists in Al Sharq region, he is the chairman and co-founder of Common Action Forum, and he is a member of board of trustees of International Crisis Group ICG, the former Director General of Al Jazeera Network.

Niels Annen is a German politician who has been serving as Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in the coalition government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz since 2021. He served as Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office from 2018 to 2021 in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel. Mr. Annen has served as member of the German Bundestag from 2005 to 2009 and since 2013. As a long-time member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Annen established himself as a foreign policy expert, focusing largely on the German engagement in Afghanistan and the Middle East. As a Spanish speaker, he is also well versed in the history and politics of Latin and Central America. Within the Committee on Foreign Affairs, he has served on the Subcommittee for Arms Control and Non Proliferation as well as the Subcommittee for the United Nations. From 2014 to 2018, he served as the Foreign Policy Spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party of Germany. Mr. Annen was a Senior Transatlantic Resident at the German Marshall Fund in Washington between 2010 and 2011. From 2011 until 2013 he worked for the department for International Policy Analysis of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Berlin. He holds a Master Degree in International Public Policy of the Johns Hopkins University, Washington D.C., USA. Twitter & Instagram: @NielsAnnen

 Logan Cochrane is an Associate Professor at HBKU and is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Public Policy. He is an Associate Fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.

Sami Abu Shehadeh is a Palestinian politician based in Jaffa. He is the chairman of the National Democratic Assembly party since August 2022. He served as a member of the Israeli Parliament in the Joint List on behalf of the National Democratic Assembly party from September 2019 until November 2022. In addition, from 2010 till 2013, Abu Shehadeh served as a member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality Council on behalf of the Jaffa List.Abu Shehadeh studied History of the Middle East and Political Sciences at Tel Aviv University and specialized in researching the history of Jaffa as an Arab cultural center during the Mandate period. He also studied Career Counseling at Tel Aviv University and Youth Studies at the Tel Aviv-Jaffa College.Since mid-1990’s Abu Shehadeh was an active member and on the board of several NGOs that worked with the Palestinian minority in Jaffa and within the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel in general, such as: Darna – the Popular Committee for Housing and Land Rights in Jaffa, Mada Al-Karmel Research Center, The Arab Cultural Association, Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.Abu Shehadeh established in 2010 the Jaffa Youth Movement that has been working on empowering Arab-Palestinian youth in Jaffa, developing their national awareness and identity, and preparing high school students for academic careers.

Erin McCandless is an academic and policy advisor with three decades experience working on and in conflict- and crisis-affected settings in over 20 countries globally. Her focus lies on understanding these contexts and how processes of peacemaking, peacebuilding and transformative social change unfold and nurtured in synergistic ways towards the fostering of more just, sustainable and peaceful futures. Dr. McCandless is affiliated with the Politics Department at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa (where she resides), the Institute for Development and Sustainability in Germany and the Global Institute for Strategic Research in Qatar. For the spring semester of 2024 she will join the Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s College of Public Policy as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Value. Dr. McCandless has worked extensively with the United Nations in Liberia and across UN agencies combining research, policy advising and strategic facilitation. From 2015-2018 she directed a multi-country research and policy dialogue project on Forging Resilient Social Contracts, and from 2011-2018 she served as a senior civil society representative in the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding ‘New Deal’ process. Dr. McCandless is a sought after speaker and author of more than 100 publications, including three books (one edited), several impactful United Nations studies.

Adrian V. S. Hill is the Director and Founder of the Jenner Institute and Mittal Professor of Vaccinology at Oxford University. His group has been one of the leaders in the development of adenoviral and other vaccines against infectious diseases and he has tested these in extensively in clinical trials in Africa and Europe. In partnership with the Serum Institute of India and AstraZeneca the Jenner Institute developed rapidly a ChAdOx1 vector-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine which saved an estimated 6.2 million lives in 2021 alone. His lab has also designed a new malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-MTM, which has recently reached regulatory reviews for licensure, again in partnership with the Serum Institute of India and also Novavax Inc. In 2021 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday Honours.

Dr Hossam Elsharkawi has over 30 years of professional experience in the humanitarian world, spanning assignments in more than 35 countries, comprising volunteer and professional work with many National Societies, ICRC and IFRC. He was previously Vice President of Health in Emergencies, Learning and Innovation at the Canadian Red Cross, where he led the preparedness and response for complex humanitarian emergencies.Previously, Dr Hossam worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop guidance for medical teams responding to health emergencies in armed conflict and insecure environments.Dr Hossam holds a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Biochemistry, from City University in London, United Kingdom, a Certificate in Healthcare Management from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. degree in Health Management from Alberta University in Canada. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia and guest faculty at McGill and McMaster Universities. He teaches disaster response and healthcare in complex humanitarian crises.