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.