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.

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.

Nudhara Yusuf is Executive Coordinator of the Global Governance Innovation Network (GGIN) and Researcher with Stimson’s Global Governance, Justice & Security Program. She also serves as Global Youth Coordinator at the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN), and advisor to several civil society organizations including UNA-UK and NGOCSD-NY; serving on the Board of foundations and charities focused on empowering young people and women. Prior to Stimson, Nudhara worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s SDG Integration Team and helped build the UNDP Regional Bureau for the Asia Pacific’s Strategic Foresight Unit. She has supported both Indian state welfare ministers in designing social inclusion programs at the grassroots, and the British Shadow Secretary of State for Justice in UK’s Parliament. Nudhara’s research and advocacy primarily focuses on governance of and with future generations, the role of globalization, technology, and development in shifting the multilateral architecture, and engaging youth in governance. She is lead author of the AI and Cyber Chapter of the Doha Forum’s Future of International Cooperation Report 2023.

Bruno Lanvin is currently the President of IMD’s Smart City Observatory, and a Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD. He is the co-founder and co-author of four of the most widely used global indices on technology (Network Readiness Index), innovation (Global Innovation Index), talent (Global Talent Competitiveness Index) and Smart Cities (Smart City Index). He is also the author of the Future Readiness Economic Index Report (FREI). He is co-founder and advisor of Portulans Institute, a thinktank based in Washington DC. He is the founder and president of DL Partners, a Geneva-based consultancy, and of Descartes Institute, a think tank also based in Geneva.During 30 years, he worked at the United Nations and at the World Bank, where he held senior positions. He currently advises governments, international organizations and multinational companies on strategic issues and the overall notion of future readiness. He is a member of several boards in different parts of the world. His latest book (The Future Is Young) was published in July 2022.Previously, he was the Executive Director for Global Indices at INSEAD. From 2007 to 2012, he was the Executive Director of INSEAD’s eLab, managing INSEAD’s teams in Paris, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. From 2000 to 2007, Bruno Lanvin worked for the World Bank, where he was inter alia Senior Advisor for E-strategies, and Regional Coordinator (Europe and Central Asia) for ICT and e-government issues. He was also heading the Capacity Building Practice of the World Bank’s Global ICT Department, and Chairman of the Bank’s e‐Thematic Group. He has taught in a number of universities in Europe and in the United States.Bruno Lanvin studied in France and in the USA. He holds a BA in Mathematics and Physics, an MBA (HEC), a PhD in Economics (La Sorbonne), and certificates from INSEAD (IDP-C) and MIT (Smart Cities).A French national, and the proud father of four, he currently lives in Switzerland.

Ghida Fakhry is an international broadcast journalist with over 20 years experience as a reporter, news anchor, columnist/opinion writer, and moderator. She is currently based in Washington DC and hosts Inside America with Ghida Fakhry, a weekly program covering US politics, and Bigger than Five, a monthly global affairs program for international broadcaster TRT World. She regularly moderates UN conferences and other global forums, including the World Economic Forum. She was Moderator of season 1 of the recently-relaunched Doha debates. She has also been a contributor to the Huffington Post. At the launch of Aljazeera English in 2006, she served as a Lead Anchor for the Washington D.C. broadcast center.* She presented the daily prime time 'Newshour' and conducted high-level interviews for 'Talk to Aljazeera'’ In November 2008, she co-anchored the channel's 12-hour live coverage of the US presidential election from Washington D.C. She moved to the channel's Doha headquarters in 2010 as Senior News and Programs Presenter. She also hosted the award-winning program 'Witness' and was a regular presenter of the current affairs program 'Inside Story.'’A passionate journalist, Ghida started her career as a Political Correspondent for a leading UK-based Middle East newspaper before moving into television news. She was a frequent analyst on CNN International and a CNN World Report Contributor. As New York Bureau Chief for Aljazeera, she covered the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and its aftermath. She reported on-location from Iraq and Afghanistan following the US-led invasion in 2003 and conducted in-depth interviews with senior US officials, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell. Ghida Fakhry has also reported extensively from the United Nations in New York, covering the Security Council and annual sessions of the General Assembly. She traveled with Secretary-General Kofi Annan throughout the Middle East and Africa and conducted several in-depth interviews with him throughout his 10-year tenure. She also interviewed several Heads of State/Government, including Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, Israeli President Shimon Peres, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, among others.

Ann Snow MBE was appointed UK Special Representative for Syria in succession to Jonathan Hargreaves. She took up her appointment in May 2023.Ms Snow joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in 2009. She has served in Malaysia and worked on Iran, China and Counter Terrorism. Before joining the FCDO, she worked for an international human rights organisation, the UK Parliament and as a Middle East analyst in the private sector.Curriculum vitae2023 to present UK Special Representative for Syria2022 to present Full-time Language Training (Arabic)2020-2022 FCDO, Deputy Head, China Department2017 to 2020 FCO, Head Iran Nuclear, Middle East and North Africa Directorate2012 to 2017 Kuala Lumpur, Political Section, British High Commission2012  Full-time Language Training (Bahasa Malaysia)2009 to 2012 FCO, Research Analyst, Counter Terrorism Department2006 to 2009 Amnesty International UK, Policy Advisor2003 to 2006 UK Parliament, Committee Specialist, Foreign Affairs Committee2002 to 2003 Dunn & Bradstreet, Analyst/Editor2000 to 2002 Oxford Analytica, Middle East Editor

Dr. Al-Khal earned his MBBCh from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1989. He undertook his internship at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in the State of Qatar, and in 1991, joined the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, CT, USA, followed by completion of a 2-year fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Hartford Hospital. He was awarded the Diploma of the American Board of Infectious Diseases in 1996. He was recertified in Infectious Diseases in 2013.Dr. Al-Khal holds several clinical positions, chairs a variety of committees, and has led number of strategic projects at HMC. Between 1999-2001, he servwd as the Chair of Family Medicine and as the Chair of Department of Medicine from 2001 until 2012. Dr. Al-Khal has been the Head of Infectious Diseases  Division since 1998 and the Lead of the Communicable Disease Center and is also the National TB Program Manager and the Director of the Clinical AIDS Program. As Deputy Chief Medical Officer and the Director of Medical Education/DIO, he has notably led HMC's achievement of ACGME-I accreditation, and in 2018 recieved ACGME's Physician  International Award, to recognize his outstanding contributions to improving the quality of graduate medical education in Qatar. Dr. Al-Khal also has an advisory role to several public health programs under the umbrella of Qatar's Ministry of Public Health.Dr. Al-Khal currently holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar (WCM-Q) and as Clinical Professor of Medicine at Qatar University  College of Medicine  (QU CMED) as well as serves as QU CMED's Director of the Clinical Affairs  Department. He remains active in research and publishes regularly in the fields of Internal Medicine,.Pharmacology, Infectious Diseases  and Medical Education.

On 31 October 2022, Mr. Othman BELBEISI was appointed Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa (RD, MENA) with the IOM Regional Office, Cairo.Between September 2019 and September 2022, Mr. BELBEISI served as the Senior Regional Advisor for the MENA in Geneva HQ.Mr. BELBEISI joined IOM in March 2003. He has since held various positionsacross multiple IOM portfolios, including Chief of Mission, Libya (April 2013 to September 2019). He was the IOM Country Representative in Lebanon (February 2008 to April 2013) Mr. BELBEISI is of Jordanian nationality and commenced with IOM in Amman.Mr. BELBEISI has been deployed to numerous MENA locations throughout his career, with a focus on managing migration crises. He served as Emergency Coordinator for the Syrian and Libyan crises and act as the Director General's Special Envoy for Iraq since early 2022. Mr. BELBEISI has attained a wide experience in Emergency Responses and Migration Management.Holding both a bachelor's and master's degree in Business Administration, Mr. BELBEISI also contributed to numerous research papers on topics related to migration and displacement.

Dr Khalid Koser is the founding Executive Director of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, the global fund dedicated to preventing violent extremism. He is Professor of Conflict, Peace, and Security at the University of Maastricht. Khalid was appointed MBE for services to asylum seekers and refugees, chaired the World Economic Forum Future Council on Migration, and was editor of the Journal of Refugee Studies. He was recently ranked by Stanford University in the top 2 percent of scientists worldwide.

Debjani Ghosh is the President of the nasscom since April 2018. A veteran of the technology industry, she is the first women at the helm of the organization’s three-decade history. Driven by a strong belief in the need for human-centric technology that enhances lives and livelihood, Debjani is a vocal advocate for the ethical and responsible use of technology. Under her leadership, nasscom actively works with the industry to ensure responsible practices and build trust as a core competitive advantage for the tech industry in India. Under her guidance, NASSCOM has prioritized the development of a Responsible AI Resource Kit, in partnership with leading industry stakeholders, to promote the adoption of responsible tech solutions. Back in 2019, nasscom under her leadership coined the term “Techade” to define a decade where technology will play a transformative role to create a sustainable, equitable and safe future, powered by human-centric innovation.  Debjani also believes that by the end of this Techade  the Tech Industry in India will be established as the world’s leading technology ecosystem and the ""I"" in innovation will stand for India, fuelled by India’s young talent, the growing confidence in our capabilities to solve for the world and our proven success in building open and interoperable tech ecosystems like the Digital Public Infrastructure, to deliver at scale services grounds up. Debjani is also a vocal advocate for building a truly inclusive technology sector where talent and meritocracy thrives above all.  In January 2018, Debjani was felicitated by the President of India under the auspices of the ‘First Ladies’ program, which honors exceptional women pioneers in their respective fields. In 2020, she has been honored by Vogue as the Tech Leader of the year 2020. Recognizing her contribution in the field of technology, Debjani was also facilitated in ‘40 over 40 - World’s Most Inspiring Women’ list by Fe:maleOneZero (F10) Magazine in 2022. With multiple feathers in her cap, before joining nasscom, she was the first woman to lead Intel India and the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT), she was also a member of the executive council at nasscom. She believes that learning never stops, and a trainable mindset is the biggest strength one can have. Debjani holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, and an MBA degree in marketing from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai, India.

Ms. Afrah Al-Zouba, is the managing director of the Executive Bureau for the Acceleration of Aid absorption and Support for Policy Reforms, as the bureau supports the government's efforts in priority areas. Al-Zouba was appointed as an advisor in the area of humanitarian relief to the Prime Minister, in 2019. She also served as Deputy Secretary-General of the National Dialogue Conference and the Constitution Drafting Committee (2013-2015).Al-Zouba was among a delegation of Yemeni women leaders participating in the Kuwait negotiations in 2017, at the invitation of the Office of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen. She  Participated in dialogues and seminars with other high-caliber Yemeni politicians and peacemakers to support UN efforts for peace building,   and represented Yemen in many regional and international events. She has worked for more than 20 years in development, research, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and has extensive experience working with local communities, identifying their needs and strengthening their resilience. Her development experience covers a wide range of issues such as poverty reduction interventions to health and education, etc.She undertook supervisory roles for projects related to capacity building of youth and inclusion in political and social life. In addition to women’s empowerment programs.Al-Zouba holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Science and Technology in Sana’a, a Master’s degree in Community Health from the National University of Malaysia and a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical sciences from Sana’a University.

1994-1998 – BA in International Relations, Baku Institute of Political Science and Social Management1998-2000 – MA in International Relations, Public Administration Academy under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan2000-2003 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs2003-2005 – Mission to OSCE, Vienna2005-2008 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs2008-2011 – Mission to EU, Brussels2011-2013 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs2013-2015 – Director, International Cooperation Dept., Ministry of EducationJune 2015-January 2017 – Deputy Chief of Staff, Ministry of EducationJanuary -June 2017– Chief of Staff, Ministry of EducationSince June 2017 – Deputy Chief, Secretariat of the First Vice-President of the Republic of AzerbaijanSince September 2020 - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Mazen Shaqoura is currently the Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He has over 25 years of experience with the United Nations in human rights, rule of law, democratic development, good governance and program management. In his previous incarnations, Mr. Shaqoura was deployed in Tunis, Bahrain, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Sudan.He is a Palestinian national, and is fluent in Arabic, English and French. He holds a Master of Arts in Diplomacy.

Dr. Christina Schori Liang is Head of Counter-Terrorism and Preventing Violent Extremism at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) in Geneva, Switzerland. She offers training and strategic policy guidance both in Geneva and for global security actors worldwide including the United Nations, the European Commission, NATO and the OSCE. Dr. Liang is a prolific writer on extremism, terrorism, and transnational organised crime. Since 2002, Dr Liang has taught University courses. In 2016, she became an Adjunct Faculty member of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Sciences Po where she teaches courses within the Global Risks and Intelligence Studies departments. She holds a doctorate in International Relations and an MA in History and International Politics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland.

Omid is a senior cyber security advisor and leader with substantial experience leading cyber security initiatives across commercial and government industries. He holds Global Head of Cyber Security Practice and Managing Director roles at Palantir Technologies. Omid has spent over a decade in the financial services and technology sectors designing and implementing strategies focused on threat intelligence and incident response. He has also held an external doctoral research supervisor role at Kingston University and contributed to multiple security communities in Europe, including ENISA on cyber security best practices and research schemes.

Ruth Margolies Beitler is a Professor of Comparative Politics in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy, West Point, where she serves as course director for Comparative Politics, Middle East Politics, and Cultural and Political Anthropology. She has been the director of the Conflict and Human Security Studies Program (CHSS) since its inception in 2006. She is author of four books: Women and the Military: Global Lives in Focus, published by ABC-CLIO, 2021; Women’s Roles in the Middle East and North Africa (coauthored) published by Greenwood Press, 2010; The Fight for Legitimacy: Democracy vs. Terrorism (coauthored) published by Praeger in 2006; and The Path to Mass Rebellion: An Analysis of Two Intifadas published by Lexington Press in 2004. She is the author of numerous book chapters and articles. A graduate of Cornell University with a BA in Near Eastern Studies, Dr. Beitler holds a Master of Arts of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where she also received her Ph.D. in International Relations/Middle East Politics. She has lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East.

Safwan M. Masri is Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar and Distinguished Professor of the Practice at Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.  Prior to joining Georgetown, Professor Masri was Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development at Columbia University, and a Senior Research Scholar at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. He joined Columbia University in 1988 as a member of the faculty of Columbia Business School, and served as Vice Dean from 1993-2005. He previously taught engineering at Stanford University and was a visiting professor at INSEAD (Institut Européend’Administration des Affaires) in France. Masri is the author of Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly (Columbia University Press, 2017). He is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and an honorary fellow of the Foreign Policy Association. Masri is also a trustee of International College, serves as a director of AMIDEAST and Endeavor Jordan. He was founding chairman of King’s Academy and the Queen Rania Teacher Academy, and served as an advisor to Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah.

Dr. Joris Larik is Assistant Professor of Comparative, EU, and International Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands and Senior Advisor at the Stimson Center’s Global Governance, Justice & Security Program. He is an expert in EU external relations and global governance reform. In 2022, he was appointed to the Committee on European Integration of the Dutch Advisory Council on International Affairs and to the European Commission’s pool of arbitrators for disputes in the framework of bilateral trade agreements.  Dr. Larik's work has been acknowledged with several awards, including NATO’s Manfred Wörner Essay Award and the Mauro Cappelletti Prize for the Best Thesis in Comparative Law from the European University Institute. He is a former Fulbright-Schuman Scholar and Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study.  He is the author and editor of several books, including with Oxford and Cambridge University Press. He has published in leading international journals, including American Journal of International Law, Common Market Law Review, European Foreign Affairs Review, International & Comparative Law Quarterly, and Survival.  Dr. Larik’s international media appearances include Agence France-Presse, Al Jazeera, BBC World Service, CBC, EU Observer, The Hill, The Irish Times, Radio New Zealand, and Volkskrant.

Lise Morjé Howard is Professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she teaches and conducts research on matters of war and peace. She also serves as President of the Academic Council on the UN System (ACUNS). Dr. Howard earned her A.B. in Soviet Studies from Barnard College of Columbia University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She studied Philology and Soviet Constitutional Law at Leningrad State/St. Petersburg State University during the collapse of the constitutional order. She has held yearlong fellowships at Stanford University, Harvard University, and the US Institute of Peace. She is the author of two award-winning books about different aspects of United Nations peacekeeping, both published by Cambridge University Press. She has conducted fieldwork in conflict zones in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Eurasia. Her scholarly articles have been published in the top scholarly and foreign policy journals such as International Organization, International Security, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy. She is fluent in French and Russian. Prior to beginning graduate school, she served as Acting Director of UN Affairs for the New York City Commission for the United Nations.

Dr. David Passarelli is Director of UN University’s Center for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) which is co-located in New York and Geneva. He has overall responsibility for the direction and administration of the Centre’s research and policy advisory activities. He is a member of UN University’s Senior Management Group, and serves as UN University’s representative to the UN High-Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP).  Between 2022-2023, Dr Passarelli led the Secretariat of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB). His research has been commissioned by UNICEF, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO), and the UK Ministry of Defence’s Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC). Grants from the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and several philanthropic foundations have supported his work. Dr Passarelli focuses predominantly on issues of global governance, migration, strategic foresight, international development, and global finance. He holds a Doctorate in International Development from the University of Oxford. His recent publications include: • 2023. Report of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (New York: United Nations University).  • 2022. Stress-testing the UN’s regional prevention approaches (New York: United Nations University).  • 2021. Beyond Opportunism: The UN Development System’s Response to the Triple Planetary Crisis (New York: United Nations University).  • 2021. Governing Uncertainty (New York: United Nations University).

Hesham Youssef is a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (2019- present). He was a career diplomat with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. From 2014-2019, he served as Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and completed his term in July 2019. From 2001-2014, he served as a senior official in the Arab League, as Official Spokesman and later the Chief of Staff to Secretary General Amr Moussa from 2003- 2011. From 2012-2014, Mr. Youssef was a Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Arab League, Dr. Nabil Elaraby, on issues pertaining to crisis management as well as the reform of the Arab League. Mr. Youssef worked extensively on conflict resolution in the Middle East and in particular the Arab Israeli conflict, reconciliation in Iraq as and other regional conflicts and issues. He wrote several papers on conflicts and developments in the Middle East.

Maruan El-Krekshi is the Head of CMI’s Middle East and North Africa programme, which includes, Libya, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, Maghreb-Sahel. Prior to joining CMI, El-Krekshi served as a Governance Programme Officer with UNDP in Yemen for 3 years, working on elections, human rights, transparency, justice sector and civil society capacity development related projects. He has also worked for the World Food Programme, where he served as a Policy and Programme Support consultant in the Office of the Executive Director, in addition to short assignments with UNHCR and UNDP programmes in Libya. He holds a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from the University of Helsinki.

On 1 April 2022, Mr. Richard Bennett was appointed as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan.  Mr. Bennett has served in Afghanistan on several occasions in different capacities including as the Chief of the Human Rights Service with UNAMA. He has previously played a role in the promotion and protection of human rights in Afghanistan and supported the UN on human rights issues, such as protection of civilians, transitional justice, child rights, rule of law, rights of people with disabilities, protection of human rights defenders and economic, social and cultural rights.  Mr. Bennett served with the UN as the Representative of OHCHR and head of the human rights components of peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, and South Sudan, as well as twice in Afghanistan (2003-07; 2018-19). He has been a long-term adviser to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.  Mr. Bennett was the Representative of OHCHR and head of OHCHR’s office in Nepal (2007-10), as well as Chief of Staff for the UN Secretary-General’s Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka and Special Adviser to the Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights in New York.  Mr. Bennett worked for Amnesty International (2014–17) as its Asia-Pacific Program Director and later as head of Amnesty’s UN Office in New York. From mid-2019, he worked as a consultant on UN human rights assignments in Afghanistan, Myanmar and New York.  Mr. Bennett is currently a visiting professor at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund, Sweden.

Since May 2020 Dr. Canan Atilgan the Middle East and North Africa department in the Department of European and International Cooperation. Prior to this, she was head of the Regional Political Dialogue Southern Mediterranean Regional Programme for four years and the South Caucasus Regional Programme in Tbilisi from 2011 to 2015 and the South Caucasus Regional Programme in Tbilisi from 2011. Her stations in the Konrad Adenauer Foundation also included office management in Thailand, the Palestinian territories and Jordan. Between 2005 and 2007 she was coordinator for European policy at the foundation headquarters in Berlin. She holds a PhD in Political Science with a focus on international relations.

Dr. Arnoldo André is the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of the Republic of Costa Rica. He holds a Doctorate in Law from the University of Hamburg, Germany. Previously, he served as a professor of International Law at the University of Costa Rica. Between 2010 and 2013, he held the position of President at the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce, and from 1997 to 2022, he acted as the Honorary Consul of Norway in Costa Rica. He is also an attorney and a founding partner of Lexincorp Costa Rica. Dr. Arnoldo André's extensive background spans academia, law, and diplomatic roles, showcasing a breadth of experience in international relations, commerce, and legal practice. His contributions as an educator and a key figure in various organizations highlight his dedication to fostering relationships between countries and promoting legal expertise in Costa Rica and beyond.

Amb, Sani Bala did his NYSC in Imo State from July 1979 - July 1980 and in August of that year, joined the Ministry of External Affairs Lagos. While at headquarters he served in various departments and units beginning with Protocol Dept., (Liaison officer State House Marina, Lagos); Nigeria Pilgrims Board; Discipline Section; Inter African Affairs; Appointment, promotion and Establishment Div (APED); Consular and Immigration Dept; Middle East Division and office of the Hon. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs as Special Assistant from the Ministry and worked with five (5) different Ministers of State in that capacity (Amb. Zakari Ibrahim,Alhaji Saidu Isa, Chief Anthony Ani, Alhaji Hassan Paki and Alhaji Samaila Sambawa). From January, 1995 – December, 1996 Amb. Sani Bala served as an Honourable Commissioner and member of the Katsina State Executive Council on leave of absence on ground of Public Policy. He served as Hon. Commissioner for Trade and Commerce and latter was moved to the Ministry of Health, Social Development, Youth and Sports He also served in several Nigerian diplomatic and Consular missions abroad, between 1982- 86, Nigerian Embassy, Jeddah and later to the Consulate when the Embassy moved to Riyadh; 1988 – 92, Nigerian Embassy Cairo, Egypt as Counsellor and Head of Chancery; Sept,1997- Oct, 1998 Charge d'Affairs  At the Nigerian Embassy Dakar, Senegal; 1998-2001 Minister Counsellor and Head of Chancery in Nigerian Embassy Accra, Ghana; Jan, 2007- June,2008 Appointed Charge d'Affaires ENTITRE of Nigerian Embassy Tunis, Tunisia; June 2008 Appointed Consul General of Nigeria in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; December, 2011 Appointed Ambassador of Nigeria and on 12th June 2012 H.E. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan presented Ambassador Sani Bala with his letters of credence as Nigeria's first Ambassador to the State of Qatar. Shortly after, in October 2012 Amb. Bala was appointed a Federal Permanent Secretary after successfully passing the rigorous selection examination and interview.  He was posted to the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and on 24th August, 2013 he was redeployed to the Federal Ministry of Health where he retired on 15thApril, 2014 on the attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 60 years. The next day he started working for the former Chairman of PDP, H.E. Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azu as his Principal Secretary and retired from that post on 20th March, 2015. In February 2018, he joined the savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), a NGO founded by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the immediate past Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. In june 2020, Amb. Bala was appointed the Executive director of the Centre. A position he has been occupying to date.

Thomas West serves as the State Department’s Special Representative and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan. In prior roles in government, he served as Special Advisor to the Vice President for South Asia and Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the National Security Council from 2012-2015. From 2011-2012, Tom was the State Department’s senior diplomat in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, where he embedded with U.S. military colleagues and managed the civilian staff of a Provincial Reconstruction Team. From 2008-10, Tom served as Special Assistant for South and Central Asia to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, focusing on growing the U.S.-India strategic partnership. Early in his career, Tom was a political officer at U.S. Embassy Islamabad and Pakistan desk officer in Washington. Before rejoining government in January 2021, Tom was a Vice President at The Cohen Group, a global strategic advisory firm, and a non-resident scholar at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. A native of State College, Pennsylvania, Tom earned an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University.

Samman J. Thapa is the Regional Adviser for Social Policy and Social Protection at UNICEF’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Office. In this function, he is responsible for technical leadership of UNICEF's agenda on Child Poverty, Social Protection and Social Sector Financing covering 20 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. He has previously worked in this area with UNICEF in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam over the last 15 years. He has also worked briefly with UNDP and the National Democratic Institute focusing on governnance issues.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 1 April 2021 the appointment of Joanna Wronecka of Poland as his new Special Coordinator for Lebanon, United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL).  Ms. Wronecka succeeds Ján Kubiš of the Slovak Republic to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his commitment and leadership.  Ms. Wronecka brings over 25 years of experience in diplomacy, international security and Middle East affairs, serving since 2017 as the Permanent Representative of Poland to the United Nations, including during Poland’s membership in the Security Council (2018-2019), and as Under Secretary of State for Arab and African countries, development cooperation and Polish-United Nations relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland (2015-2017).  She previously served as Head of the European Union Delegation to Jordan (2011-2015), Ambassador of Poland to Morocco (2005-2010) and Egypt (1999-2003) as well as non-resident Ambassador of Poland to Mauritania (2006-2010) and Sudan (2000-2003). Ms. Wronecka further served as the Director of the Secretariat of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland (2003-2005), Director of the Africa and Middle East Department (1998-1999) and Deputy Director of the United Nations Department at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1996-1998).   She holds a Ph.D. in Arabic philosophy and a master’s degree in Arabic philology from the University of Warsaw, and conducted research on Middle East and Islamic affairs at the Centre d’Etudes et de Documentation Economique et Juridique in Cairo and at the Polish Academy of Sciences. She is fluent in Arabic, English, French and Polish.