Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa is UNDP Assistant Administrator, and Director, Regional Bureau for Africa at the rank of Assistant Secretary General. She leads over 4000 staff implementing a $1.2 billion annual development programme in 46 African countries. She is deeply passionate about equality, inclusion, reshaping narratives on Africa, mobilizing for youth entrepreneurs and the dignity of Africa’s people. Her vision “Africa’s Promise: The UNDP Renewed Strategic Offer in Africa” employs an opportunity lens to development practice in Africa. She established the Africa Influencers for Development (AI4D) to ensure that Africa’s Money works for Africa’s Development; the Africa Young Women Leaders Initiative; Africa Innovates Magazine; and the Africa Borderlands Centre. She leads UNDP Africa socioeconomic response and recovery from COVID 19 and (Co) Chairs the UN Africa Regional Collaborative Platform which oversees implementation of the Secretary General’s regional UN reform. She spent 10 years as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Lesotho. As Chief (Africa) at UN OCHA, she led response to natural disasters, emergencies and transitions to recovery. Before the UN, Ms. Eziakonwa worked for “Initiatives of Change” serving as international coordinator of its’ “Creators of Peace – Women’s Initiative”. She is an alumni of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Executive Programme and has a Bachelors in Education from University of Benin Nigeria.

Diana Mori is an indigenous leader of the Shipibo-Conibo ethnic group and a bilingual educator with ancestral expertise in sustainable management of Amazonian forests. She has extensive knowledge of the community and social aspects of the Amazon region, with emphasis on capacity building for the inclusion of women in decision-making on issues affecting community development.

• Background in the formulation of development policies in favour of indigenous peoples.
• Awarded regional and national awards for promoting the export of certified timber from projects in favour of local communities.
• Work experience in educational institutions, research institutes, universities (UNIA), NGOs (AIDER, European Union), indigenous organisations (CONAP, AIDESEP) regional and local government of Ucayali in the elaboration and execution of alternative and social development projects, and work experience in the incorporation of traditional knowledge in the management practices of communal forests (IIAP-European Union).

Hana AlHashimi is the Chief Climate Negotiator for the UAE for COP27 and COP28, and Head of the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change, HE Dr. Sultan Al Jaber.

Previously, she led the International Organizations Section of the United Arab Emirates Prime Minister’s Office, leading partnerships with the United Nations, OECD, African Union, among others. AlHashimi served as a senior adviser to the President of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly From 2018–2019, as team lead for climate action, sustainable energy, frontier technologies, and information and communications technologies (ICTs); and as the liaison with the Group of 77 and China (a group of 134 countries from the developing south). From 2015 to 2018, AlHashimi served as Happiness Representative, Sustainable Development and Digital Cooperation Expert at the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Nations in New York. Her prior experience includes project development for sustainable energy accelerators at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria.

From 2020-2021, AlHashimi led the book project “the Future of Diplomacy After COVID-19: Multilateralism and the Global Pandemic,” co-authored with colleagues and practitioners at the United Nations. From 2018-2021, she served as a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Multistakeholder Advisory Board for the Internet Governance Forum (IGF-MAG).

She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Rashid and Latifa School Establishment since 2022. She holds a Masters of Sciences in International Relations and Diplomacy from Leiden University and the Netherlands Institute for International Relations (Clingendael), and a Bachelors of Commerce in General Management and the Social Context of Business from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Ms Grace Fu is Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honours), and subsequently obtained a Masters of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore. She spent the early part of her career in the private sector and last held the position of Chief Executive Officer, PSA South East Asia and Japan, where she was responsible for the business performance of PSA’s port terminals in Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Japan.

In 2006, Ms Fu joined politics and was appointed to various Ministries, including National Development, Education, Information, Communications and the Arts, Environment and Water Resources, and Foreign Affairs.

In 2015, Ms Fu was appointed Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Leader of the House. In July 2020, Ms Fu was appointed Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.

Ms Fu enjoys an active lifestyle, which includes running, yoga and hiking. She is married with three sons.

Dr. Hoesung Lee is Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), elected
since October 2015, and Endowed Chair Professor at Korea University Graduate School of
Energy and Environment, Seoul, Korea. He is a council member of the Global Green Growth
Institute, and Chairman of the Asian Development Bank President’s Advisory Board on
Climate Change and Sustainable Development. Lee was the founding president of the Korea
Energy Economics Institute — a government agency for national energy policy development.
He was Distinguished Research Fellow at the Korea Environment Institute, senior adviser to
the Minister of Energy and Resources and the Minister of Environment, senior fellow at the
Korea Development Institute and economist at Exxon Company USA. He served as the
president of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), a member of the
International Advisory Board of the Battelle-Pacific Northwest National Lab, USA, the Board
of Directors of Hyundai Corporation and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies,
Japan. He served as Vice-Chair of IPCC 2008-2015, and Co-chair of Working Group III of the
Second Assessment, lead author and review editor for the various IPCC assessments. He was
named to the 2019 TIME 100 Most Influential People in the world. He received the 2020 IAEE
Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. He was named to Bloomberg 50 list in
2021.