Keynote speakers
Plenary
Plenary
28/10/2020, 16:05 - 16:15
Presenting Keynote by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017. Prior to this appointment, 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.
Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth in refugee camps and in war zones, Mr. Guterres is determined to make human dignity the core of his work as UN Secretary-General, and to serve as a peace broker, a bridge-builder and a promoter of reform and innovation.
Before joining the UN, 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.
Guterres is a member of the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world.
Plenary
We Elders have all experienced remarkable transformations in our own lifetimes. We know that there is always an alternative, and that wrongs can always be righted.
28/10/2020, 16:45 - 17:25
Participating as a panelist in Reflections during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
28/10/2020, 16:15 - 16:30
Presenting Keynote by Gro Harlem Brundtland during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Gro Harlem Brundtland served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway between 1981 and 1996. She was the youngest person and the first woman ever to hold that office.
In 1983, the UN Secretary-General asked Gro Harlem Brundtland to chair a World Commission on Environment and Development. She came to make strong impact on the commission’s work, widely referred to as the Brundtland Commission. She developed the broad political concept of sustainable development in the course of extensive public hearings that were distinguished by their inclusiveness. The commission’s report ”Our Common Future” was presented in London in April 1987, after Brundtland had returned to the post of prime minister ten months earlier. The Commission’s recommendations led to the Earth Summit – the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Gro Harlem Brundtland was Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1998 to 2003. She adopted a far-reaching approach to public health, establishing a Commission on Macroeconomics and Health chaired by Jeffrey Sachs, and addressing violence as a major public health issue. Brundtland spearheaded the worldwide movement to achieve the abolition of cigarette smoking by education, persuasion, and increased taxation. When her period at the WHO was over in 2003, she retired.
Since Gro Harlem Brundtland retired in 2003, she has been a Health Policy Fellow at Harvard University, a member of a UN High Level Panel on threats, challenges and change, a UN Special Envoy on climate change, and a member and Deputy Chair of The Elders. This group of former leaders was convened by Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel and Desmond Tutu to contribute their wisdom, leadership and integrity to tackling world problems.
Climate Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
26/10/2020, 09:40 - 09:50
Presenting Accelerating the Transition to a Climate-prepared and Resilient Europe during the Accelerating climate change adaptation: a human, environmental, and economic imperative thematic session.
Jean-Pascal van Ypersele de Strihou is a Belgian academic climatologist. He is a professor of Climatology and Sustainable Development sciences at the Université Catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). As a former IPCC vice-chair, he is one of the forerunners of climate change mitigation through a strong decrease in fossil fuel consumption.
Jean-Pascal van Ypersele de Strihou has participated in most UN conferences on climate issues since 1979. He has been instrumental in creating in 2002 the UN Work Programme on Climate Communication and Education and holds numerous awards in science and science communication. He has been appointed by the UN Secretary-General member of the group of scientists in charge of the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 13:45 - 14:00
Presenting The Women-in-Tech Challenge and the Digital-Change-Maker Challenge during the IEEE’s support of sustainable development – Thoughts and actions special session.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin was elected Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau in November 2018 and took office on 1 January 2019.
She is a strategic leader with 30 years’ high-level experience in international and inter-governmental relations, and a long history of success in policy and strategy development, analysis and execution.
From 2008-2018, she led the Strategic Planning & Membership Department of ITU, and also served as Coordinator of United Nations affairs.
She was one of the architects of the annual Global Symposium for Regulators and leads ITU’s contribution to the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age. She serves as Executive Director of the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, and is leading ITU’s collaboration with UNICEF and others on the GIGA project to connect the world’s schools.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Communications Policy from the American University in Washington, DC and a post-graduate certificate in Strategies for Leadership from the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.
She is an affiliate of the Harvard University Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society, and a Generation Unlimited Champion. She serves on a number of advisory bodies, including the Geneva-Tsinghua Initiative, the SDG Lab Advisory Board, and the UN Technology Innovation Labs.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:10
Presenting Accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy in the UAE during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri was appointed Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the new government structure approved in July 2020. Prior to his appointment, Al Marri held important positions in the government as a senior, top-ranking official.
He was the Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet since 2017, during
which he was instrumental in strengthening the interdependence between the federal and local governments. In this role, he also spearheaded many initiatives to get the pulse of the people and know their sentiments, as well as build the UAE’s long-lasting relations with
international organizations such as the World Economic Forum.
He is also the former Director General of the Executive Office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He was part of the high-profile team that was behind the launch of ‘Area 2071’, the nucleus of the future envisioned in the UAE Centennial Plan 2071. Furthermore, the UAE Minister of Economy, in his previous post, took part in the unveiling of the Hatta Economic Zone development project and the relaunching of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
In addition, he was the CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, enabling him to play a vital role in the successful launch of Dubai 10X and other initiatives of national importance. The Dubai 10X initiative, in particular, aims to strengthen the emirate’s bid to become the city of the future.
Al Marri is a member of the Boards of Directors of different federal entities. His memberships allow him to actively support the development of priority sectors in the country such as the Golden Visa initiative, which seeks to attract talented individuals from across the world.
The UAE Minister of Economy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Sheffield in the UK. Also, he is a graduate of the UAE Government Leaders Program and Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
Plenary
Hilde Crevits is currently Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy and Agriculture.
Hilde Crevits holds a Master degree in Law. She graduated from Ghent University in 1990 and subsequently became a lawyer. Crevits served on the provincial council of West Flanders from 1999 to 2004, when she was elected a member of the Flemish Parliament.
After the 2007 Belgian federal elections, Crevits entered into the Flemish Government as Flemish minister of Public Works, Energy, the Environment and Nature. She became Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works after the 2009 regional elections, and Vice-Minister-President and Minister of Education after the 2014 regional elections.
Plenary
Alexander De Croo is currently Prime Minister in Belgium. From 2018 to 2020, he was Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Development Cooperation. From 2014 to 2018, he was responsible for the Digital Agenda, Postal and Telecom Services in the Belgian Federal Government. From 2012 to 2014 he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Pensions. Before taking the office of Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo was Party Chairman of Open Vld, the Flemish liberal-democrats.
Before becoming a politician in 2010, Alexander De Croo was an active entrepreneur in the field of intellectual property rights. He started his professional career as a business consultant for The Boston Consulting Group. He holds a degree in Business Engineering from the Free University of Brussels and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University, Chicago).
Water Plenary
27/10/2020, 10:05 - 10:15
Presenting Keynote speech: cooperation towards resilient water systems during the Round Table: cooperation towards resilient water systems plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:45 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in Closing remarks about the G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
27/10/2020, 13:35 - 13:45
Presenting Shaping a post-pandemic world during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
In February 2016, Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy was sworn in as Minister of State for International Cooperation, in the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Additionally, she holds responsibility within the Cabinet for the UAE’s bilateral relations with Sub Saharan African countries.
Since her first ministerial appointment in February 2008, Her Excellency has managed and continues to manage the Vice President’s Office for Political Affairs, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In November 2013, as Managing Director of Dubai’s World Expo 2020 bid, HE Reem oversaw a historic success at the Bureau International des Expositions. Dubai Expo 2020 will be the first held in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia region). Her Excellency holds the position of Managing Director of the Dubai Expo 2020 Higher Committee as well as Director-General of the Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, in preparation for the upcoming national milestone.
Since its launch in 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Her Excellency has served as Chairperson of Dubai Cares, a philanthropic organisation with the aim of improving access to quality education in developing countries.
Her Excellency was formerly Chairperson of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, which drives the UAE’s global competitiveness across many sectors.
Her Excellency completed her undergraduate degree at Tufts University, earning a BA in International Relations and French, followed by an MA from Harvard University. Prior to her current position as Minister of State, Her Excellency served as Commercial Attaché, and subsequently Deputy Chief, of the UAE Embassy to the United States of America, in Washington DC.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 13:35 - 13:40
Participating as a panelist in Welcome by two conference hosts during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
26/10/2020, 14:55 - 15:00
Presenting Closing remarks during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
28/10/2020, 17:25 - 17:30
Presenting Closing remarks during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Dirk Fransaer is a Belgian engineer and the Managing Director of VITO since 2001. He graduated as a civil engineer at the University of Ghent (Belgium) in 1980 and as a biomedical engineer at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) in 1985.
VITO is a nonprofit research and technology organization in Belgium, focusing on today’s major societal challenges. From climate change and food security to sustainable energy and resource scarcity, VITO’s research agenda focuses on helping governments and companies around the world to initiate societal transitions in line with Agenda 2030 and its associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In his capacity as Managing Director of VITO, Dirk Fransaer has been standing at the forefront of technological innovation for sustainable development for almost two decades. Dirk Fransaer’s vision and leadership turned VITO into one of the leading technological research institutions around the world, with over 800 employees from 45 different countries.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
26/10/2020, 13:50 - 14:00
Presenting Impact of the EU policy on the SDGs in times of COVID-19 during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Paolo Gentiloni has been appointed European Commissioner for Economy in 2019. His primary responsibilities include the coordination of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the European Semester cycle of economic governance, and further deepening the European Economic and Monetary Union.
Commissioner Gentiloni is coordinating the launch of the InvestEU programme and setting up and implementing the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan. He leads international efforts to find an agreed approach on the taxation of the digital economy and pursuing efforts to make a common consolidated corporate tax base a reality in the EU. In the framework of the European Green Deal, he is leading the review of the Energy Taxation Directive and preparing the proposal for a Carbon Border Tax.
Before his appointment as EU Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni has been a Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies since 2001. He was Prime Minister of Italy from 2016 to 2018, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2014 to 2016, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2014 and Minister of Communications from 2006 to 2008. As a former professional journalist, he has also been the Chairman of the Broadcasting Services Watchdog Committee from 2005 to 2006 and a spokesperson for the Mayor and Commissioner in the City of Rome from 1993 to 2000.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:30 - 15:40
Presenting The role of science, technology, and innovation agencies, at times of pandemics during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Manuel Heitor has been Minister of Science, Technology & Higher Education of Portugal since 2015.
From 2005-2011, he served as Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education. He is a full-time professor at IST, the engineering school of the University of Lisbon, and the founder and Director of IST’s Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research.
In 2011-12, he was a visiting scholar at Harvard. He earned a PhD at Imperial College, London, in combustion research and did his post-doctoral training at the University of California San Diego.
Manuel Heitor was co-Chairman of the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon between 1993 and 1998. During the ’90s, he studied politics of science, technology and innovation. In 1998, he founded Centre of Innovation, Technology and Development Policies Studies, IN+, at the Instituto Superior Técnico. In 2005, this centre was ranked among the Top 50 global centres of research on Management of Technology, by International Association for the Management of Technology.
Manuel Heitor is a Research Fellow of Texas University at the Institute of Innovation, Creativity and Capital. He founded and coordinated several international conferences related to Technology Policy and Innovation, and is a co-editor of the Purdue University Press book collection on Science and Technology Policy. In 2002, he also co-founded the international network Globelics – the global network for the economics of learning, innovation, and competence building systems.
Recently, Manuel Heitor was one of the promotors of the European step4EU network (science, technology, education and policy for Europe) and the International Observatory of Global Politics for the Exploitation of Atlantic Ocean. In July 2015, he promoted the manifesto “Knowledge as Our Common Future”.
Climate Plenary
For centuries, indigenous peoples have protected the environment, which provides them food, medicine and so much more. Now it’s time to protect their unique traditional knowledge that can bring concrete solutions to implement sustainable development goals and fight climate change.
26/10/2020, 10:05 - 10:10
Presenting Case study 1 – accelerating climate change adaptation during the Accelerating climate change adaptation: a human, environmental, and economic imperative thematic session.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an expert in indigenous peoples’ adaptation to climate change, traditional ecological knowledge, and climate change mitigation strategies. She is Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change.
From a Mbororo pastoralist community in Chad, Hindou Ibrahim founded the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) and works to empower indigenous voices and ensure their inclusion on international platforms. She has lead several concrete projects that improved access to basic need of indigenous peoples, while promoting their unique contribution to the protection of the environment. 3D participatory mapping, for instance, helps to prevent resources-based conflicts in one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions of the world.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:10 - 14:20
Presenting How can technological innovations transform the Industrial and economic infrastructure? during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Since September 2018, Jan Jambon is the Minister-President of the Government of Flanders and Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy, Culture, IT and Facilities. Before that, he has been a Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Security and the Interior of Belgium.
Jan Jambon started his professional career working as a System Engineer and Account Manager at IBM between 1984 and 1992. Jambon graduated from the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels. He holds a Master degree in Computer Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Antwerp.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 16:30 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
28/10/2020, 16:45 - 17:25
Participating as a panelist in Reflections during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Climate Plenary
26/10/2020, 10:10 - 10:15
Presenting Case study 2 – accelerating climate change adaptation during the Accelerating climate change adaptation: a human, environmental, and economic imperative thematic session.
Energy Plenary
26/10/2020, 11:40 - 11:55
Presenting Energy Transition in India: Grid Integration Imperatives are now more important than Price Reductions during the Accelerating integrated technological solutions against background of energy transition thematic session.
Ajay Mathur is the director general of The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, and a member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change. Mathur earlier headed the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and was responsible for mainstreaming energy efficiency through initiatives such as the Star Labeling program for appliances, the Energy Conservation Building Code, and the Perform, Achieve & Trade program for energy-intensive industries. He was a leading climate change negotiator, and was the Indian spokesperson at the Paris climate negotiations.
He served as the interim director of the Green Climate Fund during its foundational period. At TERI, Mathur has spearheaded the move to accelerate action towards a low-carbon and cleaner economy through the adoption of renewable energy in the Indian electricity sector, enhancing efficiency in buildings and industry, and promoting environmental quality through recycling of material wastes and biotechnology-based solutions. He also co-chairs the Global Energy Transitions Commission, and one of the climate initiatives of the One Planet Summit.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 13:40 - 13:50
Presenting Why do we need deep technological transitions to achieve the SDGs and climate goals? during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Jairam Ramesh is a well-known economist, government official and senior pioneer of the Indian National Congress. He is a Member of Parliament representing Andhra Pradesh state, a position he has held since June 2004.
In 2011, Jairam Ramesh was elevated to the Union Council of Ministers of India and appointed Minister of Rural Development and Minister of the new Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Between May 2009 and July 2011, he was Minister of State at the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Mr. Ramesh has been a columnist for The Business Standard, Business Today, The Telegraph, The Times and India Today, and has also anchored a number of popular television programmes on business and the economy. In addition, Jairam Ramesh is the author of the books: “Making Sense of Chindia: Reflections on China and India” (2005), foreword by Strobe Talbott, “Mobilising Technology for World Development” (Co-editor, 1979), “To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story” (2015) and “Old History, New Geography” (2016).
Energy Plenary
To be successful, energy transition policies need to be integrative with respect to technology, regulations, business models and individual behaviour, and must be inclusive with respect to the major stakeholders and their concerns in society.
26/10/2020, 11:10 - 11:25
Presenting Opportunities and Risks of the Energy Transition in Germany: Present Status, Future Prospects and Stumbling Blocks during the Accelerating integrated technological solutions against background of energy transition thematic session.
Ortwin Renn serves as Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam (Germany). He is Professor for Technology Assessment and Environmental Sociology at the University and directs, together with Marion Dreyer and Agnes Lampke, the non-profit company DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes. He is Adjunct Professor for Integrated Risk Analysis at Stavanger University (Norway) and Affiliate Professor for Risk Governance at Beijing Normal University.
Renn’s main research activities at the IASS focus on the role of systemic risks as threats to sustainable development, and the structures and processes for sustainable transformations in Germany and beyond. His research is mainly directed towards transitions of energy systems and energy governance. He aims to contribute to the mission of the institute to become a highly reputable and acknowledged international centre for transdisciplinary studies on sustainable development.
Ortwin Renn holds a PhD in social psychology from the University of Cologne. His career has included teaching and research positions at the Jülich Research Centre (Germany), Clark University (Worcester, USA), the Swiss Institute of Technology (Zurich) and the Center of Technology Assessment (Stuttgart). He is a member of several boards, including the National Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Vienna), the National German Science Academy Leopoldina, and the Governing Board of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech).
He is also engaged in multiple commissions and boards. He chairs Working Group “Making Sense of Science”, that was established in 2018 and initiated by SAPEA (Science Advice on Policy of the European Academies of Science) and SAM (Scientific Advice Mechanisms) for providing scientific advice to the EU Commission. On a regional level, he is in charge of the action platform “Sustainability”, i.e. a State of Brandenburg network for coordinating sustainability initiatives from the private, public and civil society sectors.
In the past, Ortwin Renn served on the panel on “Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making” of the US National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC (from 2005 to 2007) and on the German Federal Government’s Commission on Energy Ethics after Fukushima (2011). He was elected president of the International Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) for the period from 2012 to 2013. Ortwin Renn has published more than 30 books and 250 articles. The book Risk Governance (Earthscan: London, 2008) is his most prominent monograph.
Plenary
The SDGs are the supreme test of politics. Will the world’s governments devote the small fraction of the world’s wealth needed to end poverty and save the planet, or will too many governments continue to favour the rich and wreck the planet? The jury is out and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
28/10/2020, 16:30 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
28/10/2020, 16:45 - 17:25
Participating as a panelist in Reflections during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Jeffrey Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 100 countries. He is the co-recipient of the 2015 Blue Planet Prize, the leading global prize for environmental leadership, and has twice been named among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders.
Professor Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development, global macroeconomics, and the fight against poverty. His work on ending poverty, overcoming macroeconomic instability, promoting economic growth, fighting hunger and disease, and promoting sustainable environmental practices has taken him to more than 125 countries. Over the past thirty years, he has advised dozens of heads of state and governments on economic strategy in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Professor Sachs served as the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University from 2002 to 2016. During that time, he led a university-wide organization of more than 850 research scientists and policy experts in support of sustainable development, championed the Masters of Development Practice (MDP) program, which is now offered at 30 universities around the world, and helped to introduce the PhD in Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
Prior to his arrival at Columbia University in July 2002, Professor Sachs spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, where he served as the Director of the Center for International Development and the Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Nikhil Seth was appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in 2015 by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as UN Assistant Secretary-General.
Before assuming the post of the UNITAR Executive Director, Nikhil Seth was the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) at the United Nations Secretariat in New York. In this role he served as head of the Rio+20 secretariat and of the secretariat for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, spearheading the preparations for these conferences in Rio, Brazil, and Apia, Samoa.
Under Seth’s direction, UN-DESA was also responsible for supporting the intergovernmental negotiations for the post-2015 development agenda, which was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 in September 2015.
Seth started his career with the United Nations in 1993. He served as Special Assistant and Chief of Office to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs from September 1993 to June 2001, as Chief of the Policy Coordination Branch in the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination from June 2001 to January 2003, as Secretary of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Second Committee of the General Assembly from February 2003 to August 2006, and as Director of the DESA Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination from August 2006 to August 2011. In this function, he guided the ECOSOC’s work in implementing several new key mandates, including its Annual Ministerial Review and Development Cooperation Forum.
Before joining the UN Secretariat, Seth was a delegate to the UN in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and involved with various UN conferences and summits including the Rio Summit on Environment and Development and the climate change related process. After joining the UN, he has been involved in the organisation of the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development, the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, the Mauritius Conference on Small Island Developing States, the Millennium Summit, World Summit on Sustainable Development and the UN World Summit, beside the Rio+20 Conference.
Plenary
Ensuring that the environment and oceans remain at the core of the Green Deal, delivering on the EU’s zero-pollution ambition, and leading the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan to promote the use of sustainable resources: these are among European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius’ major responsibilities.
Other responsibilities include the proper implementation of legislation on ocean plastics, developing a zero-tolerance approach to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the full implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy and the evaluation of this policy by 2022, including the social dimension, climate adaptation and clean oceans.
In addition, Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius is developing a new approach for a sustainable blue economy, drawing on research, maritime spatial planning, marine renewable energy, blue investment and regional cooperation, and contributing to the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy on sustainable food. He plays a lead role in international discussions promoting international ocean governance and ensures that Europe leads the way to an ambitious agreement at the 2020 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Prior to serving as EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius was Minister of Economy and Innovation in Lithuania from 2017 to 2019 and a Member of the Lithuanian Parliament from 2016 to 2019.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:00 - 15:10
Presenting The role of Fiocruz in pandemic responses during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Nisia Trindade Lima is the president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and the first woman to chair the institution in its 116-year history. She served as Fiocruz Vice-President of Teaching, Information, and Communication from 2011 to 2016. From 2006 to 2011, she was director of the publisher Editora Fiocruz.
Lima has been a Fiocruz civil servant for almost three decades. She was one of the founders of the specialization course on History of Health in the Amazon, as well as the History of Science and Health Graduate Program at the House of Oswaldo Cruz. Her major role in shaping up the partnership between Fiocruz and the Brazilian Government helped in enhancing the preservation of both cultural and tangible heritage of Health in Brazil. She earned a medal of honour from the Brazilian Academy of Letters and another during the Foundation’s 100th anniversary.
Lima has participated in international programmes and networks in the areas of the history of science and health and sits on the editorial boards of the journals Medical History; Revista Brasileira de História da Ciência; História, Ciências, Saúde—Manguinhos; Cadernos de História da Ciência (Instituto Butantan); and Escritos (Casa de Rui Barbosa Foundation). Her research interests include the history of science and health, especially the social sciences, and Brazilian social thought.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Satya Tripathi is UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of New York Office at UN Environment. Being a development economist and lawyer with over 35 years of varied experience, Tripathi has served with the UN since 1998 in key positions in Europe, Asia and Africa in the areas of Climate Change, Human Rights, Democratic Governance and Legal Affairs.
He was Chair of the Committees on Laws, Treaties and Administrative matters for the UN-mediated Cyprus unification talks in 2004. As the UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias, he facilitated international cooperation and funding of over US$ 7 billion for post-tsunami and post-conflict recovery efforts in support of the Indonesian government and affected populations. He has also been the Executive Head of UNORCID, a UN System Office of 10 UN Agencies established by the UN Secretary General in 2011 to facilitate the implementation of a US$ 1 Billion REDD+ partnership between Indonesia, Norway and other stakeholders on climate change mitigation and adaptation through the conservation of forests and preservation of peat-land and bio-diversity.
Tripathi was instrumental in establishing the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) in Indonesia in 2016 and the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) in 2017 to leverage ‘private finance for public good’ at mega-scale to achieve transformative social and environmental impact in developing countries. He previously served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Forests; and in India as a member of its national civil service.
Speakers
Plenary
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:45
Participating as a panelist in The G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Leading the National Space Science and Technology Centre, developing and establishing manufacturing facilities and capabilities in design and build of satellites and R&D program in space science and technologies. Previously, spearheaded development and implementation of the Space Science & Technology and Innovation roadmap, the national space program for the UAE Space Agency inclusive of the program management of the UAE Mars Mission “The Hope” project, other small satellite projects and currently the 813 Arabic Satellite.
Held several roles in senior executive management positions that demanding critical business transformation as Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director, and Director at various Space, Aerospace, Oil & Gas industries, government administration and state-owned enterprises in areas of Strategy, Business Planning, Organization Development, and Operations.
Earned a Doctorate in Business Administration and an MSc in Thermal Power & Fluids Engineering from the University of Manchester, graduated from Harvard Business School–General Management, earned a Diploma in Public Sector Innovation from University of Cambridge. His first Degree was a BSc in Aerospace Engineering from Saint Louise University.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:45 - 14:00
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Hussain serves a dual role as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE) and as the CEO of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park
(SRTIP). Both these entities were established through royal decree by the Ruler of Sharjah, who also directly appointed Hussain to these responsibilities in order to create collaborative long-term relationships between industry, academia and the public sector, fostering an ecosystem of enterprise and innovation.
Previously, Hussain served as the Director General of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a Member of the UAE Chamber Federation, and GCC Chambers for 8 years. He was responsible for the overall management and operations of the Chamber including the provision of services to its members. In this role, he launched several strategic economic initiatives for Sharjah such as the SME Act, Sharjah Export Centre, Sharjah Commercial Arbitration Centre, and the Sharjah Business Forum.
Hussain has held leadership roles at leading regional and international companies such as the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), and several Dubai Holding entities. He currently serves as honorary board member of both, the Tatweer Forum and of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and as chairman of the Emirates Business Council for Sustainable Development. He also serves as a board member of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa). Hussain possesses an MBA from the American University of Sharjah and a BA in Economics and Communications from Seattle Pacific University in the US.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Iana Aranda is the Director of the Engineering for Global Development Department at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) where she sets the business strategy of a portfolio of programmes and platforms that advance knowledge, workforce and hardware-led social innovation to improve the quality of life of underserved communities. Iana also serves as the President of Engineering for Change, LLC (E4C) – a knowledge organisation and global community of over 1 million individuals dedicated to design and delivery of essential technologies advancing sustainable development. In both roles, Iana is driving an agenda for a multidisciplinary and human-centred approach to international development enabled by technology, cross-sector partnerships, innovation ecosystems and engineering workforce development. Iana has 15 years of experience in academic, research and non-profit sectors focusing on the intersection of engineering design, business strategy and social impact.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Frank Aswani is the CEO of Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), a network of social investors who collaborate to increase the flow of capital into social investors across Africa and ensure that the capital is deployed for maximum social Impact. He is Kenyan, lives in Johannesburg and holds a Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Nairobi and an MBA from GIBS (Gordon Institute of Business Studies), University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
Technology and innovation hold the key to accelerating the SDGs, as we strive to build back better from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people need to be at the forefront of driving this change.
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Iconic youth leader, global influencer, champion of children and women’s rights, peace and sustainability campaigner, 20-year-old Kehkashan Basu is a trailblazer who has been challenging the status quo and the social strictures that impede the progress of future generations.
Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize, Kehkashan is a tireless advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the youngest recipient of Canada’s Top25 Women of Influence. She is a United Nations Human Rights Champion, a National Geographic Young Explorer, the youngest ever Global Coordinator for the UN Environment Program’s Major Group for Children & Youth, and a Climate Reality Mentor. She is also a TEDx speaker, an author, musician and the Founder President of the global social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation. Green Hope Foundation works in 16 countries empowering young people, especially those from vulnerable communities, in the sustainable development process.
Kehkashan is the recipient of the inaugural 2020 Voices Youth Award for Peace, a 2020 L’Oreal Women of Worth Honouree and a winner of the 2019 Innovator of the Year Award, the John Muir Conservation Award for Habitat Restoration, the Energy Globe Award and the Turner Prize for Social Change. She has recently been featured as one of the Top100 SDG Leaders of the world. A powerful voice for future generations, she has spoken at over 200 global forums across 25 countries.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:10
Presenting Accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy in the UAE during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri was appointed Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the new government structure approved in July 2020. Prior to his appointment, Al Marri held important positions in the government as a senior, top-ranking official.
He was the Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet since 2017, during
which he was instrumental in strengthening the interdependence between the federal and local governments. In this role, he also spearheaded many initiatives to get the pulse of the people and know their sentiments, as well as build the UAE’s long-lasting relations with
international organizations such as the World Economic Forum.
He is also the former Director General of the Executive Office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He was part of the high-profile team that was behind the launch of ‘Area 2071’, the nucleus of the future envisioned in the UAE Centennial Plan 2071. Furthermore, the UAE Minister of Economy, in his previous post, took part in the unveiling of the Hatta Economic Zone development project and the relaunching of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
In addition, he was the CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, enabling him to play a vital role in the successful launch of Dubai 10X and other initiatives of national importance. The Dubai 10X initiative, in particular, aims to strengthen the emirate’s bid to become the city of the future.
Al Marri is a member of the Boards of Directors of different federal entities. His memberships allow him to actively support the development of priority sectors in the country such as the Golden Visa initiative, which seeks to attract talented individuals from across the world.
The UAE Minister of Economy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Sheffield in the UK. Also, he is a graduate of the UAE Government Leaders Program and Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
Water Plenary
27/10/2020, 10:15 - 11:15
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion: cooperation towards resilient water systems during the Round Table: cooperation towards resilient water systems plenary session.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:10 - 15:20
Presenting Water and sanitation in the context of epidemics: challenges imposed to society and health facilities during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:45 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in Closing remarks about the G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Dino Corell is an Employment and Migration Officer in the Country Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and ECOWAS, based in Abuja, Nigeria. He focusses on employment, youth employment, skills development and labour migration. Prior to that, Dino served as Programme Analyst in the ILO Office for the United Nations in New York. Before joining the ILO, he worked for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the University of Vienna.
Water Plenary
27/10/2020, 10:15 - 11:15
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion: cooperation towards resilient water systems during the Round Table: cooperation towards resilient water systems plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 12:05 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Q&A during the Sponsored session by ING special session.
26/10/2020, 11:35 - 12:05
Presenting Sustainable Finance and the role of banks as enabler of green transition during the Sponsored session by ING special session.
Plenary Climate
26/10/2020, 17:55 - 18:25
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable during the CO2 capture: from postponed, cyclic to zero emissions economics and opportunities special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 09:05 - 09:45
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion about tech development for the Green Deal during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
27/10/2020, 08:35 - 08:40
Presenting The Leuven model of technology valorisation and innovation management during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
Plenary Climate
26/10/2020, 17:55 - 18:25
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable during the CO2 capture: from postponed, cyclic to zero emissions economics and opportunities special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary Climate
26/10/2020, 17:35 - 17:45
Presenting How to make CCU become a key pillar of the transition to a sustainable economy and fight against climate change during the CO2 capture: from postponed, cyclic to zero emissions economics and opportunities special session.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:20 - 15:30
Presenting Lessons from the Chinese response to the COVID-19 pandemic during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Health Plenary
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the world's capability to cope with systemic hazards and highlighted the central role of health for sustainable development at all levels. The health-related SDGs are indeed crucial to strengthen the linkage between rights, well-being, innovation, economic activity, and inclusive growth. And science, technology, and innovation are imperative tools to reach these goals. This message is the core of what G-STIC and the 2030 Agenda (with its motto 'To Leave no One Behind') stand for.
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
28/10/2020, 14:30 - 14:35
Presenting Introduction during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
As the coordinator of the FIOCRUZ Strategy for the 2030 Agenda, Paulo Gadelha is in charge of promoting FIOCRUZ’ strategic engagement with the Agenda’s aspirational principles and goals. His background in technology includes studies of the application of technology in public health, healthcare models, and the history of Science, Technology & Innovation.
Paulo Gadelha was FIOCRUZ President from 2009 to 2016, leading scientific achievements in biomedical sciences, the generation of scientific and technological knowledge, and the promotion of health and social development. Previously, he founded and directed the “Casa de Oswaldo Cruz”, a FIOCRUZ Institute dedicated to the sociology and history of science and health.
Paulo served as a member of the National Health Council’s Science and Technology Intersectoral Commission. As President of the Brazilian Association of Collective Health, he chaired the 11th World Congress on Public Health. In cooperation with UN/DESA, he headed FIOCRUZ’s efforts in organizing the 1st International Consultation on Science, Technology and Innovation in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its health-related goals in 2017.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Heide Hackmann is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Science Council (ISC). She was the Executive Director of the two organisations that merged into the ISC in July 2018: the International Council for Science (2015-2018) and the International Social Science Council (2007-2015).
Heide holds a Master of Philosophy in contemporary social theory from the University of Cambridge in the UK, and a PhD in science and technology studies from the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
She holds memberships of several international advisory committees and boards, including the Scientific Advisory Board of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Germany), the Board of the Stockholm Resilience Centre (Sweden), the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (Germany), and the Excellence, Impact and Engagement Committee of the Oceans Frontier Institute in Canada.
She is a member of the UN’s 10-Member Group supporting the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Water Energy Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:45 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in Closing remarks about the G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
28/10/2020, 11:50 - 12:05
Presenting Closing remarks: key learnings from water technological solutions during the Key learnings from water technological solutions thematic session.
26/10/2020, 11:00 - 11:10
Presenting Opening remarks – Energy Session during the Accelerating integrated technological solutions against background of energy transition thematic session.
26/10/2020, 12:30 - 12:35
Presenting Overview of the Energy Deep Dive Sessions during the Accelerating integrated technological solutions against background of energy transition thematic session.
Ibrahim Hafeezur Rehman is presently Director of India Operations of VITO and also CEO – VITO Arabia Science and Technology LLC, Dubai. VITO is an independent Flemish (Belgian) research organization in the area of clean technology and sustainable development.
With a Master in Organic Chemistry; specialization program in Environment Management from University of Manchester; and a Doctorate from University of Utrecht; Dr Rehman has over 30 years experience in the field of sustainable development in general and water and energy management in particular.
Rehman has led a large number of research and implementation projects in India and across number of other countries in the field of energy, water and environment. Rehman has served on various National and International Committees and Boards of Government/Multi-lateral organizations/Corporates. He has worked in different countries such as India, Belgium, UAE, and Thailand and led a large number of transformative Projects and Campaigns in India, Africa, South East Asia, etc. He is also a co-author of several books and has written a number scientific (and policy) papers/articles in reputed journals (including Nature) and magazines.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:30 - 15:40
Presenting The role of science, technology, and innovation agencies, at times of pandemics during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Manuel Heitor has been Minister of Science, Technology & Higher Education of Portugal since 2015.
From 2005-2011, he served as Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education. He is a full-time professor at IST, the engineering school of the University of Lisbon, and the founder and Director of IST’s Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research.
In 2011-12, he was a visiting scholar at Harvard. He earned a PhD at Imperial College, London, in combustion research and did his post-doctoral training at the University of California San Diego.
Manuel Heitor was co-Chairman of the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon between 1993 and 1998. During the ’90s, he studied politics of science, technology and innovation. In 1998, he founded Centre of Innovation, Technology and Development Policies Studies, IN+, at the Instituto Superior Técnico. In 2005, this centre was ranked among the Top 50 global centres of research on Management of Technology, by International Association for the Management of Technology.
Manuel Heitor is a Research Fellow of Texas University at the Institute of Innovation, Creativity and Capital. He founded and coordinated several international conferences related to Technology Policy and Innovation, and is a co-editor of the Purdue University Press book collection on Science and Technology Policy. In 2002, he also co-founded the international network Globelics – the global network for the economics of learning, innovation, and competence building systems.
Recently, Manuel Heitor was one of the promotors of the European step4EU network (science, technology, education and policy for Europe) and the International Observatory of Global Politics for the Exploitation of Atlantic Ocean. In July 2015, he promoted the manifesto “Knowledge as Our Common Future”.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:45
Participating as a panelist in The G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Guo Huadong is a Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI), an Academician of CAS, a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), and a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
He presently serves as President of the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE), Director of the International Center on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) under the Auspices of UNESCO, and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Digital Earth.
Professor Guo Huadong served as President of the ICSU Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA). He has over 30 years of experience in Earth observation, specializing in radar remote sensing and Digital Earth science. He has been Principle Investigator for over 30 major national projects in China, and Principle Investigator for 7 international radar remote sensing projects. He has published more than 400 papers and sixteen books, and is the principal awardee of sixteen domestic and international prizes.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 16:30 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
28/10/2020, 16:45 - 17:25
Participating as a panelist in Reflections during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
27/10/2020, 15:15 - 15:20
Presenting Welcome during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Agnes Lawrence Kijazi was elected Third Vice-President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) by the Eighteenth World Meteorological Congress in 2019 for a four-year term beginning immediately after the closure of the Congress. She has been the Director General of Tanzania Meteorological Agency since 2011.
She was inspired to become a WMO Vice-president in order to take on a leading role in the global implementation of the WMO Vision, Strategic and Operational Plan on reforms to better address the Global challenges of the 21st Century. She is convinced that the WMO reform will be of great benefit to Members and she strives to ensure that no Member is left behind.
Agnes Kijazi has been active at the international level in WMO, the United Nations and as Vice Chairperson of the Meteorological Association of Southern Africa (MASA). She is an advocate for gender mainstreaming within the National Hydrological and Meteorological Services and in the entire WMO Community.
Agnes Kijazi rose from the lowest rank in the field of meteorology, as a Meteorological Assistant, to become the Director General of Tanzania Meteorological Agency in 2011. She became the first woman in the East African Region to hold a top position in a national service and to be elected to the WMO Executive Council. She has also extensively contributed to the development and implementation of various WMO programmes at country, regional and global levels. Prior to her appointment as Director of the Agency, she was Director of its Technical Services from 2007 to 2011 and Manager of Modelling and Verification from 2004 to 2006.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:00 - 15:10
Presenting The role of Fiocruz in pandemic responses during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Nisia Trindade Lima is the president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and the first woman to chair the institution in its 116-year history. She served as Fiocruz Vice-President of Teaching, Information, and Communication from 2011 to 2016. From 2006 to 2011, she was director of the publisher Editora Fiocruz.
Lima has been a Fiocruz civil servant for almost three decades. She was one of the founders of the specialization course on History of Health in the Amazon, as well as the History of Science and Health Graduate Program at the House of Oswaldo Cruz. Her major role in shaping up the partnership between Fiocruz and the Brazilian Government helped in enhancing the preservation of both cultural and tangible heritage of Health in Brazil. She earned a medal of honour from the Brazilian Academy of Letters and another during the Foundation’s 100th anniversary.
Lima has participated in international programmes and networks in the areas of the history of science and health and sits on the editorial boards of the journals Medical History; Revista Brasileira de História da Ciência; História, Ciências, Saúde—Manguinhos; Cadernos de História da Ciência (Instituto Butantan); and Escritos (Casa de Rui Barbosa Foundation). Her research interests include the history of science and health, especially the social sciences, and Brazilian social thought.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 13:00 - 13:15
Presenting Achieving holistic development through energy access during the IEEE’s support of sustainable development – Thoughts and actions special session.
Paras is the founder of Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE), a social impact enterprise, that provides clean energy and livelihood access to the remote Himalayan communities.
Over last 8 years, Paras has led several leadership expeditions to Himalayas (India) to setup solar microgrids for the remote off-grid communities that are thriving for centuries without access to any kind of basic electricity. His initiative GHE has been instrumental in electrifying 110 remote Himalayan villages and impacting over 55,000 lives. In the process, GHE has also created livelihood generation for more than 140 village level women entrepreneurs that run traveler homestays in these solar electrified villages to promote community-based tourism.
An engineer by profession, Paras merges technology and passion with an approach to entrepreneurial models in these high-altitude areas advocating use of sustainable tourism solutions that would eventually providing stimulus to local economy, reducing local emigration and preserving age old cultural Himalayan heritage.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Plenary Water
We need local and long-term oriented strategies to secure sustainable access to water globally.
26/10/2020, 19:45 - 20:40
Participating as a panelist in High-level debate: opportunities for the water sector enabled by new technologies during the EUROPEAN PREMIERE BRAVE BLUE WORLD special session.
Egbert Lox earned his MSc (1982) and PhD (1987) in Chemical Engineering at the University of Ghent (Belgium). He joined the central research laboratories of Degussa AG (Germany) in 1987, where he built up the R&D group for automotive emission control catalysts and assumed consecutive management levels in that area till 2006.
From 2006 to 2012, Egbert Lox took care of the management of the corporate R&D team of Umicore, which deploys its activities in Belgium and Germany. Between 2013 and September 2020, he assumed the position of Senior Vice-President Government Affairs, based in Umicore’s headquarters in Brussels (Belgium). Since October 2020, he is Senior Vice-President assigned to the Chief Technical Officer.
Egbert Lox represents Umicore in the Board or Executive Committee of several industry associations in Belgium, France, Germany and the EU. He lectures on automotive emission control catalysts, amongst other subjects, at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. In 2015, he was granted the honorary professorship at this university.
He is a permanent member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts (KVAB) and an elected member of the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea (EASA, Salzburg, Austria).
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 09:05 - 09:45
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion about tech development for the Green Deal during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
27/10/2020, 08:40 - 08:45
Presenting Skills development needed for climate change during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 14:30 - 15:30
Presenting Accelerating adoption of cleantech solutions during the Solar Impulse Session special session.
Plenary Water
26/10/2020, 19:45 - 20:40
Participating as a panelist in High-level debate: opportunities for the water sector enabled by new technologies during the EUROPEAN PREMIERE BRAVE BLUE WORLD special session.
Plenary Water
26/10/2020, 19:45 - 20:40
Participating as a panelist in High-level debate: opportunities for the water sector enabled by new technologies during the EUROPEAN PREMIERE BRAVE BLUE WORLD special session.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 13:15 - 13:30
Presenting Implementing sustainable development in local Maasai communities during the IEEE’s support of sustainable development – Thoughts and actions special session.
Crystal holds a Ph.D. in African Studies from the University of Edinburgh and runs the Maa Trust, a community-based non-profit in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. The goal of this trust is to increase the benefits that communities receive from wildlife conservation.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 13:00 - 14:00
Chairing the IEEE’s support of sustainable development – Thoughts and actions special session.
José M. F. Moura is the Philip L. and Marsha Dowd University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the U.S. National Academies Navy Study Board, corresponding member of Portugal Academy of Sciences, and Fellow of U.S. National Academy of Inventors, IEEE, and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He has received several awards for his technical work. He holds a doctorate from MIT and an EE from Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa (IST), Portugal.
José holds 16 patents, including two used in over 3 billion disk drive chips in 60% of all computers sold in the last decade and the subject of a 2016 US$750 million settlement between Carnegie Mellon and a semiconductor manufacturer. He is President and cofounded Spiralgen, a company that specializes in super-fast software components for cutting-edge parallel platforms. This includes technology licensed by Intel (10 million lines of code in Intel’s IPP) and licensed and used by several other companies.
Besides being 2019 IEEE President and CEO, José has served the IEEE in several other positions including as Technical Activities Vice-President and Division IX Director and member of the Board.
Food Health Plenary
Sufficient and resilient food supply is a critical challenge in improving the quality of human lives, especially as the world population keeps growing fast and we have to fight severe environmental changes and disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Science, technology and innovation have great potential for building sustainable food systems and smart agriculture for food production, distribution and consumption. To deliver on this potential and contribute to achieving the SDGs, multi-stakeholder engagement and global cooperation are nothing less than indispensable.
27/10/2020, 17:00 - 18:30
Chairing the STI roadmaps as a tool to build preparedness and resilience to COVID-19 and future health crises deep dive session.
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Nakamura graduated from the University of Tokyo and joined Hitachi Central Research Laboratory in 1967, where he was engaged in compound semiconductors and optoelectronics research. He was a pioneer of semiconductor DFB laser development. In 2004, he was appointed Executive Vice President and Executive Officer of Hitachi Ltd., and then assumed a position of Board of Director till September 2011. He was responsible for corporate technology development and new business incubation. He was a visiting Researcher at California Institute of Technology in 1972-73. He is entitled IEEE fellow, JSAP fellow, and IEICE fellow for his engineering achievements in optoelectronics.
In 2011, he assumed the office of the President of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), where policy-driven R&D funding is a major mission. Also, the dissemination of scientific information, science education for young generation, and science communication are among its current activities. He endeavoured to achieve high-impact innovations based on advanced R&D. After completing four- year presidency, he has been serving as the Counsellor to the President and Advisor for Science and Technology of JST since October 2015.
He has been actively working on industrial science and technology strategy. He served as Working Committee Chairman of Council of Competitiveness Japan (COCN) from 2008-2011 and pursued new industrial R&D initiatives under close collaboration with government and academia. He also served for Industrial R&D Committee of the Japan Business Federation, Tsukuba Global Innovation Promotion Agency, Industrial Committee for Supercomputing Promotion, Industrial User Society for Neutron Application, and Nanotechnology Business Creation Initiative.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Leonhard Nima is the Founder of Studio Nima, Co-Founder of N3XTCODER and former Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Hult International Business School in San Francisco and London. He previously worked for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus at The Grameen Creative Lab as Head of Academia. With international corporate and consulting experience, he has worked with multinational companies and global organizations such as Accenture and Avantgarde. He has been a speaker and moderator at international conferences such as the Global Social Business Summit in Malaysia, Mexico, France and Germany, the European Social Business Forum in Norway and the Netherlands, the BMW Group rad°hub in the UK, United States and Germany, One Young World in Switzerland or TEDxSocial Business in Austria. Leonhard Nima held guest lectures at the University of Mannheim, Germany and the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, Italy.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Erik Novaes is an experienced Supply Chain professional, currently leading Procurement and Sustainability for AB InBev’s European Zone. With robust and varied professional experience across Latin American and Eurasian markets, Erik has spent the last 17 years dedicated to delivering value on the ground at AB InBev, holding roles in Logistics and Manufacturing through Procurement, Procurement Performance and Sustainability. Erik was appointed to Vice President for Procurement and Sustainability Europe in January 2020, managing the purchase of goods and services that go into brewing great beers for more than 50 million European, Russian and Ukrainian consumers every day.
Erik holds a Bachelor in Business and an MSc in Transportation Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ.
Plenary Water
26/10/2020, 19:45 - 20:40
Participating as a panelist in High-level debate: opportunities for the water sector enabled by new technologies during the EUROPEAN PREMIERE BRAVE BLUE WORLD special session.
After being awarded a biochemistry degree, Paul O’Callaghan worked for the Body Shop alongside the pioneering environmentalist Anita Roddick. Paul then volunteered for the World Wildlife Fund in Malaysia, after which he completed a Master’s degree and returned to research the effects that deforestation was having on water quality.
Paul’s next role was with Atkins, one of the globally leading engineering management consultancies. Whilst working as an engineering consultant, he observed the prolonged length of time it took to bring water technologies to the marketplace. As a result, he founded BlueTech Research in 2011 with a clear mission to support innovation.
Paul’s latest project, the Brave Blue World documentary, is designed to increase awareness of existing solutions for the water crisis. He co-produced the documentary that has attracted support from a host of A-list celebrities. Paul regularly lectures and has recently spoken at Davos 2020, Web Summit 2020 and at Harvard and Cambridge Universities. He advises many global Fortune 500 corporates including L’Oréal, Microsoft and PepsiCo on their water strategy policies. He is currently also studying for a PhD in Water Innovation.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Maryanne Ocholo is an Impact Investment professional with experience working across several African markets in the small and growing business ecosystem. She previously worked at Barclays Bank of Kenya in operations, administration and turnaround management of an SME portfolio in distress. Maryanne is a trained financial journalist passionate about fuelling economic growth in Africa through data-driven journalism. She is happiest making connections, introductions and brainstorming ways of making entrepreneurs in East Africa overcome barriers to success. Maryanne holds an MBA from IE Business School.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 13:30 - 13:45
Presenting Green Village Electric Projects during the IEEE’s support of sustainable development – Thoughts and actions special session.
Ifeanyi B. Orajaka is a 32-year old Engineer, Obama Foundation Fellow, Global Shaper (World Economic Forum), socio-entrepreneur, Green Ambassador, Mentor and Founder/CEO of GVE Projects Limited. Ifeanyi has over ten years’ experience in renewable energy systems design, installation/maintenance, business development, project management, GIS-based rural electrification planning, policy/strategy formulation and conflict resolution. As the founder and Managing Director of GVE Projects, he is directly involved in the development and implementation of strategies geared towards positioning the young company as a leader in the African renewable energy industry.
He holds a B.Eng in Electrical Electronics Engineering from the Federal University of Technology Owerri and an M.Eng in Power Systems Engineering from the University of Port-Harcourt both in Nigeria. He has also participated in training on Corporate Finance, New Venture Finance, Operations Management, Public-Private Partnerships and Marketing. He is a certified Project Manager and has had professional internship experiences in leading multinational companies (ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell & NIIT).
Ifeanyi’s mission to end extreme energy poverty in Africa has attracted him several international recognitions such as the 2016 Future Africa Award in Business, the 2016 Africa Energy Leader of the Year, the 2018 participant of the Dutch Visitor Program and the IEEE Smart Village Ambassador.
Ifeanyi was recognized as one of Nigeria’s top 100 most innovative CEOs in 2019 by the Guardian Newspaper. His leadership in the renewable energy industry in Africa earned him a Board seat in the Finance working Group of the Africa Mini-Grid Developers Association and an advisory board seat in the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria where he also chairs the association’s Access to Finance Working Group. Ifeanyi is equally a member of the Africa-Europe High-Level Platform for Sustainable Energy Investments in Africa which is an initiative of the African Union and the European Commission aimed at bolstering more collaboration between both continents towards increased energy investment in Africa for sustainable growth and job creation.
Plenary Climate
26/10/2020, 17:30 - 18:30
Chairing the CO2 capture: from postponed, cyclic to zero emissions economics and opportunities special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
For the past twenty years, Michaela Pawliczek has gained experiences in consulting, coaching and training for the international community, impact investors and the private sector in Europe and Africa. During this time, she covered topics as SME development, green economy/jobs, biodiversity, climate change and woman empowerment. In 2014, she was the principal founder and Executive Secretary of “ADDEV Madagascar” (Agir pour le développement durable et l’économie verte à Madagascar), the first association in Madagascar boosting the number of green jobs on the Big Island while promoting CSR amongst the Malagasy private sector.
Currently, Michaela is working for GIZ headquarters in Frankfort, Germany, as a project manager at “Invest for Jobs”, a Special Initiative on Training and Job Creation from the German Government. In this innovative programme she is focusing on green jobs, social entrepreneurship and CSR. Recently, she accompanied the foundation of the association “Circular Economy 4 Africa”, bringing together more than 50 stakeholders from Europe and Africa with the aim to promote and strengthen the value chains for circular economy in six African countries.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 09:05 - 09:45
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion about tech development for the Green Deal during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
27/10/2020, 08:45 - 08:50
Presenting Promoting innovative energy system development during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
Alberto Pototschnig is part-time Professor and Deputy Director for the World of Practice at the Florence School of Regulation – European University Institute, where he has been teaching on energy regulation and market design since 2004.
From 2010 to 2019 he was the first Director of the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). Before joining the Agency, from 2006 Alberto was a Partner in Mercados EMI, a Madrid-based international consultancy specialising in the energy sector, where he served as CEO and Deputy Chairman. He previously worked at the Italian Transmission System Operators (from 2003 to 2005), served as the first CEO of the Italian Electricity Market Operator (from 2000 to 2003) and in the Italian Energy Regulatory Authority (AEEG, from 1997 to 2000), with his final position being Director of Electricity Regulation. Alberto started his professional career in 1989 with London Economics, an international economic consultancy, where he was eventually in charge of the industrial economic advisory practice. Between 2003 and 2005 Alberto also acted as an adviser to the Italian Government on environmental and climate policy issues.
Alberto holds a Degree in Economics from Bocconi University in Milan and an MSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics, University of London.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti has devoted almost 30 years of his professional career to diplomacy and international relations, in an incredibly complex and challenging global environment for Angola, a young independent state at the time.
This long experience allowed him to enhance his negotiation and dialogue skills. His action, know-how, unwavering commitment, and dedication have significantly impacted democracy in Angola and led to the international recognition of Angola as a major player in the achievement of political stability in Africa and the world.
His leadership is acknowledged at national and international levels. His experience in crisis management allowed him to successfully fulfil his mission at the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) where he chaired the Inter-Ministerial Committee.
Since 1993 and for almost 25 years, Mr Chikoti has participated in all sessions of the United Nations General Assembly, and the Executive Council (Council of Ministers), as well as the Summit sessions of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now the African Union (AU).
At the regional level, he has actively participated in key Ministerial and Summit-level meetings of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), while also being an advocate for these institutions at the international level.
In 2013, he represented the Republic of Angola at the BRICS Summit in Durban, South Africa, during which the strategic partnership between the New Partnership for Development in Africa (NEPAD) and the BRICS Member States was defined. During the same year, Mr Chikoti led the Angolan Delegation at the 5th Tokyo International Conference for Development in Africa (TICAD).
In 2018, he was appointed as a member of the Team of Facilitators in the Political Dialogue process in South Sudan.
During his tenure as Deputy Minister and as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Angola was twice elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (2003-2004; 2015-2016). During these periods, he served as the regional spokesperson for Peace and Security in Africa, while also promoting the African agenda at the international level.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:45 - 14:00
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Anne-Christine Ritschkoff obtained a PhD in Biosciences at the University of Helsinki, Finland in 1996. Since 1987, she has been at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, a globally networked, multi-technological not-for-profit research organization, in various research and management positions. She has more 100 scientific publications from the fields of biotechnology, materials science and natural resources.
Anne-Christine Ritschkoff holds currently the position of Senior Advisor Bioeconomy and Circular Economy. Her special task is to foster technologies, knowledge and practical solutions in the area of natural resources, environmental and clean technologies and resource efficiency. Her previous position as VTT´s Scientific Director & CTO gave her an excellent background and insight into different technologies and scientific disciplines. She enthusiastically promotes new, sustainable solutions and radical innovations for the benefit of the society and economy by integration of different competences and disciplines. She is also actively building strategic networks between Research, Development & Innovation, Industry and Commerce, and Government.
Anne-Christine Ritschkoff contributes to Finnish and international science and innovation systems through various positions of trust. She has been a member in the High-Level Groups, composed of the opinion leaders from the industry, ministries, Finnish Parliament and research institutions, responsible for the establishment of the National Natural Resource Strategy and National Strategy on Bioeconomy.
She has also held several memberships and chairs of international committees and boards of directors, including positions such as president of the board of directors of VTT/MSI (VTT/Molecular Science Institute, USA), president of the board of directors of University of Jyväskylä, and vice-chair of the European Commission Horizon 2020 Advisory Group for “Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies, Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing” (LEIT-NMP).
Plenary
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:30 - 13:50
Presenting Key findings of the study “Social Enterprises create jobs in Africa” during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Carola Schwank leads the empowering people. Network programme (EPN) within the Development Cooperation Unit at Siemens Stiftung/Munich. She is in charge of the international Network initiative including the global competition “empowering people. Award”. Focusing on entrepreneurial models of basic supply in Sub-Saharan Africa, she has also been in charge of a cooperation project which combines basic supply, job creation and knowledge transfer. Carola studied German, history, political science and sociology at Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and has over twenty years of professional experience in various fields of communications and social responsibility at the Siemens AG.
Plenary Climate
26/10/2020, 17:55 - 18:25
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable during the CO2 capture: from postponed, cyclic to zero emissions economics and opportunities special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:45
Participating as a panelist in The G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Aissata Sow began her career in international development upon graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the Dakar Institut Supérieur de Management. She embarked on her 15-year long career by managing the Gorée Institute in Senegal, swiftly thereafter joining the George Soros Open Society Foundation as a Permanent Consultant. Furthering her education at the University of London, Aissa obtained her Masters degree in Science of International Development, propelling her to a new position as Chief of Operations for the African Virtual University. In 2012 Aissa joined Intel Corporation, covering Francophone Africa as Director for Public Sector and Education.
In March 2019, Aissa was hired by the Mastercard Foundation in Toronto where she is leading the Digital Economy Programs for West and Central Africa and also managing Nigeria Country programs. Extremely driven and passionate, Aissa strongly believes in transforming the African continent into what it should be: a welcoming, thriving and enjoyable place where every citizen plays a productive role in improving their own lives and the lives of future generations.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Špela Stres is the Director of Innovation and Technology at the Transfer Center for the Jožef Stefan Institute and a visiting lecturer at the University of Ljubljana. She started her career in research at the Jožef Stefan Institute and continued as a Research Associate at Deutsches Elektronen Synchroton (DESY) in Hamburg, Germany. After an engagement in the industry, she returned to the Jožef Stefan Institute as a Senior Researcher. She managed the Communication and TechTransfer Unit, coordinated Enterprise Europe Network and supervised creation of several spinout companies in the field of material science and ICT.
Špela Stres was the first president of the Slovene Technology Transfer Association. She served as a Board Member of the CERN Technology Transfer Network and as a Vice-President of ASTPProton, Knowledge Transfer Europe, European Association of Science and Technology Professionals. She has vast experience in European Commission programs. She is a European Research Council Evaluator and an Advisory Group Member for The Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology and The Directorate-General for Research and Innovation.
She is a member of the UN’s 10-Member Group supporting the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) on the Sustainable Development Goals. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Ljubljana, a Master Degree of Law in the field of Intellectual Property from the University of Turin and the World Intellectual Property Office, Geneva and an Executive MBA from the Cotrugli Bussines School.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 14:35 - 14:55
Presenting The global response to the pandemic: research and development at a time of health crisis during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Moderating Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Vaughan Turekian is the Executive Director of the Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA) at The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. From 2015 to 2017, he served as the Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State. In this capacity, he advised the Secretary of State and other senior State Department officials on international environment, science, emerging technology, and health matters affecting the foreign policy of the United States.
Turekian drew upon his background in atmospheric chemistry and extensive policy experience to promote science, technology, and engineering as integral components of U.S. diplomacy. Previously, he was Chief International Officer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Director of AAAS’s Center for Science Diplomacy (2006 – 2015). In this capacity, he worked to build bridges between nations based on shared scientific goals, placing special emphasis on regions where traditional political relationships are strained or do not exist.
In addition, Turekian worked at the State Department as a Special Assistant and Adviser to the Under Secretary for Global Affairs (2002 – 2006) on issues related to sustainable development, climate change, environment, energy, science, technology, and health. He is currently the co-chair of the 10-Member Group of experts advising the United Nations on science, technology and innovation in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Turekian holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Geophysics and International Studies from Yale University and a Master of Science and a PhD from the University of Virginia where he focused on the transport and chemistry of atmospheric aerosols in marine environments.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 08:30 - 09:45
Chairing the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:45
Participating as a panelist in The G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Kris has spent the last 20 years overseeing marine engineering projects across continents, and has a track record of successfully balancing economic, environmental and social considerations for sustainable growth. Today, he heads a team developing ultra-deep ocean technologies, focused on recovering critical metals needed for sustainable development and ultimately for the future benefit of humankind. Kris is an active participant and presenter in meetings with regional (EU) and international (UN) intergovernmental bodies charged with regulating the marine minerals sector and has been quoted in the Economist, Time Magazine, Financial Times and Nature. Kris has a PhD in applied economics from the University of Antwerp and an MBA from the Vlerick Business School.
Climate change, population growth and biodiversity loss. These are some of the major challenges the world faces in the years ahead. Metals like cobalt and nickel, essential to address these needs, are becoming increasingly difficult to access, or even scarce, on land. But significant amounts of these metals can be found in polymetallic nodules, deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. Building on its world-renowned expertise in marine technology, DEME has established an in-house, deep-sea exploration and exploitation specialist: Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR). Using Best Available Techniques (BAT) and the highest scientific standards, GSR aims to be a global leader in the responsible exploration and exploitation of polymetallic nodules, contributing to the sustainable development of the planet.
Climate Water Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Moderating Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
27/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:45
Moderating The G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
27/10/2020, 10:15 - 11:15
Moderating Panel discussion: cooperation towards resilient water systems during the Round Table: cooperation towards resilient water systems plenary session.
26/10/2020, 19:45 - 20:40
Moderating High-level debate: opportunities for the water sector enabled by new technologies during the EUROPEAN PREMIERE BRAVE BLUE WORLD special session.
26/10/2020, 13:35 - 13:40
Moderating Welcome by two conference hosts during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
26/10/2020, 12:05 - 12:30
Moderating Q&A during the Sponsored session by ING special session.
26/10/2020, 10:35 - 10:40
Presenting Introduction to the climate deep dive sessions during the Accelerating climate change adaptation: a human, environmental, and economic imperative thematic session.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 13:35 - 13:40
Participating as a panelist in Welcome by two conference hosts during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 09:05 - 09:45
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion about tech development for the Green Deal during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
27/10/2020, 08:55 - 09:00
Presenting Technology development and innovation towards a carbon-neutral world in a global utility during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
Plenary Climate
26/10/2020, 17:55 - 18:25
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable during the CO2 capture: from postponed, cyclic to zero emissions economics and opportunities special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 15:20 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Science-policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 10-Member Group roundtable: Science and Technology advice for the SDGs special session.
Ada Yonath is an Israeli crystallographer best known for her pioneering work on the structure of the ribosome. She is the current director of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
In 2009, Yonath received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz for her studies on the structure and function of the ribosome, becoming the first Israeli woman to win the Nobel Prize out of ten Israeli Nobel laureates, the first woman from the Middle East to win a Nobel prize in the sciences, and the first woman in 45 years to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 09:05 - 09:45
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion about tech development for the Green Deal during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
27/10/2020, 08:50 - 08:55
Presenting New ecosystems to co-create a consumer-centric system during the Incentivising tech development to realize the Green Deal special session.
David Zenner joined ELIA in 2003. Before his current position as a Head of Consumer Centricity, he was the responsible for all customer relations within Elia. He has a long experience in the operation and maintenance of the grid and was responsible for these activities in different areas of Belgium.
From 2008 to 2011, he also worked on different projects related to Protection & Control System for power grids in the Middle East.
He graduated in electromechanical engineering at Ghent University in 2002, and holds a Master of Electrical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Keynote speakers
Plenary
Plenary
28/10/2020, 16:05 - 16:15
Presenting Keynote by UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017. Prior to this appointment, 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.
Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth in refugee camps and in war zones, Mr. Guterres is determined to make human dignity the core of his work as UN Secretary-General, and to serve as a peace broker, a bridge-builder and a promoter of reform and innovation.
Before joining the UN, 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.
Guterres is a member of the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world.
Plenary
We Elders have all experienced remarkable transformations in our own lifetimes. We know that there is always an alternative, and that wrongs can always be righted.
28/10/2020, 16:45 - 17:25
Participating as a panelist in Reflections during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
28/10/2020, 16:15 - 16:30
Presenting Keynote by Gro Harlem Brundtland during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Gro Harlem Brundtland served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway between 1981 and 1996. She was the youngest person and the first woman ever to hold that office.
In 1983, the UN Secretary-General asked Gro Harlem Brundtland to chair a World Commission on Environment and Development. She came to make strong impact on the commission’s work, widely referred to as the Brundtland Commission. She developed the broad political concept of sustainable development in the course of extensive public hearings that were distinguished by their inclusiveness. The commission’s report ”Our Common Future” was presented in London in April 1987, after Brundtland had returned to the post of prime minister ten months earlier. The Commission’s recommendations led to the Earth Summit – the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
Gro Harlem Brundtland was Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1998 to 2003. She adopted a far-reaching approach to public health, establishing a Commission on Macroeconomics and Health chaired by Jeffrey Sachs, and addressing violence as a major public health issue. Brundtland spearheaded the worldwide movement to achieve the abolition of cigarette smoking by education, persuasion, and increased taxation. When her period at the WHO was over in 2003, she retired.
Since Gro Harlem Brundtland retired in 2003, she has been a Health Policy Fellow at Harvard University, a member of a UN High Level Panel on threats, challenges and change, a UN Special Envoy on climate change, and a member and Deputy Chair of The Elders. This group of former leaders was convened by Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel and Desmond Tutu to contribute their wisdom, leadership and integrity to tackling world problems.
Climate Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
26/10/2020, 09:40 - 09:50
Presenting Accelerating the Transition to a Climate-prepared and Resilient Europe during the Accelerating climate change adaptation: a human, environmental, and economic imperative thematic session.
Jean-Pascal van Ypersele de Strihou is a Belgian academic climatologist. He is a professor of Climatology and Sustainable Development sciences at the Université Catholique de Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). As a former IPCC vice-chair, he is one of the forerunners of climate change mitigation through a strong decrease in fossil fuel consumption.
Jean-Pascal van Ypersele de Strihou has participated in most UN conferences on climate issues since 1979. He has been instrumental in creating in 2002 the UN Work Programme on Climate Communication and Education and holds numerous awards in science and science communication. He has been appointed by the UN Secretary-General member of the group of scientists in charge of the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 13:45 - 14:00
Presenting The Women-in-Tech Challenge and the Digital-Change-Maker Challenge during the IEEE’s support of sustainable development – Thoughts and actions special session.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin was elected Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau in November 2018 and took office on 1 January 2019.
She is a strategic leader with 30 years’ high-level experience in international and inter-governmental relations, and a long history of success in policy and strategy development, analysis and execution.
From 2008-2018, she led the Strategic Planning & Membership Department of ITU, and also served as Coordinator of United Nations affairs.
She was one of the architects of the annual Global Symposium for Regulators and leads ITU’s contribution to the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age. She serves as Executive Director of the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, and is leading ITU’s collaboration with UNICEF and others on the GIGA project to connect the world’s schools.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Communications Policy from the American University in Washington, DC and a post-graduate certificate in Strategies for Leadership from the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.
She is an affiliate of the Harvard University Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society, and a Generation Unlimited Champion. She serves on a number of advisory bodies, including the Geneva-Tsinghua Initiative, the SDG Lab Advisory Board, and the UN Technology Innovation Labs.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:10
Presenting Accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy in the UAE during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri was appointed Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the new government structure approved in July 2020. Prior to his appointment, Al Marri held important positions in the government as a senior, top-ranking official.
He was the Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet since 2017, during
which he was instrumental in strengthening the interdependence between the federal and local governments. In this role, he also spearheaded many initiatives to get the pulse of the people and know their sentiments, as well as build the UAE’s long-lasting relations with
international organizations such as the World Economic Forum.
He is also the former Director General of the Executive Office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He was part of the high-profile team that was behind the launch of ‘Area 2071’, the nucleus of the future envisioned in the UAE Centennial Plan 2071. Furthermore, the UAE Minister of Economy, in his previous post, took part in the unveiling of the Hatta Economic Zone development project and the relaunching of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
In addition, he was the CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, enabling him to play a vital role in the successful launch of Dubai 10X and other initiatives of national importance. The Dubai 10X initiative, in particular, aims to strengthen the emirate’s bid to become the city of the future.
Al Marri is a member of the Boards of Directors of different federal entities. His memberships allow him to actively support the development of priority sectors in the country such as the Golden Visa initiative, which seeks to attract talented individuals from across the world.
The UAE Minister of Economy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Sheffield in the UK. Also, he is a graduate of the UAE Government Leaders Program and Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
Plenary
Hilde Crevits is currently Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation, Work, Social Economy and Agriculture.
Hilde Crevits holds a Master degree in Law. She graduated from Ghent University in 1990 and subsequently became a lawyer. Crevits served on the provincial council of West Flanders from 1999 to 2004, when she was elected a member of the Flemish Parliament.
After the 2007 Belgian federal elections, Crevits entered into the Flemish Government as Flemish minister of Public Works, Energy, the Environment and Nature. She became Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works after the 2009 regional elections, and Vice-Minister-President and Minister of Education after the 2014 regional elections.
Plenary
Alexander De Croo is currently Prime Minister in Belgium. From 2018 to 2020, he was Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Development Cooperation. From 2014 to 2018, he was responsible for the Digital Agenda, Postal and Telecom Services in the Belgian Federal Government. From 2012 to 2014 he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Pensions. Before taking the office of Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo was Party Chairman of Open Vld, the Flemish liberal-democrats.
Before becoming a politician in 2010, Alexander De Croo was an active entrepreneur in the field of intellectual property rights. He started his professional career as a business consultant for The Boston Consulting Group. He holds a degree in Business Engineering from the Free University of Brussels and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University, Chicago).
Water Plenary
27/10/2020, 10:05 - 10:15
Presenting Keynote speech: cooperation towards resilient water systems during the Round Table: cooperation towards resilient water systems plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:45 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in Closing remarks about the G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
27/10/2020, 13:35 - 13:45
Presenting Shaping a post-pandemic world during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
In February 2016, Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy was sworn in as Minister of State for International Cooperation, in the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Additionally, she holds responsibility within the Cabinet for the UAE’s bilateral relations with Sub Saharan African countries.
Since her first ministerial appointment in February 2008, Her Excellency has managed and continues to manage the Vice President’s Office for Political Affairs, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In November 2013, as Managing Director of Dubai’s World Expo 2020 bid, HE Reem oversaw a historic success at the Bureau International des Expositions. Dubai Expo 2020 will be the first held in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia region). Her Excellency holds the position of Managing Director of the Dubai Expo 2020 Higher Committee as well as Director-General of the Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, in preparation for the upcoming national milestone.
Since its launch in 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Her Excellency has served as Chairperson of Dubai Cares, a philanthropic organisation with the aim of improving access to quality education in developing countries.
Her Excellency was formerly Chairperson of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, which drives the UAE’s global competitiveness across many sectors.
Her Excellency completed her undergraduate degree at Tufts University, earning a BA in International Relations and French, followed by an MA from Harvard University. Prior to her current position as Minister of State, Her Excellency served as Commercial Attaché, and subsequently Deputy Chief, of the UAE Embassy to the United States of America, in Washington DC.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 13:35 - 13:40
Participating as a panelist in Welcome by two conference hosts during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
26/10/2020, 14:55 - 15:00
Presenting Closing remarks during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
28/10/2020, 17:25 - 17:30
Presenting Closing remarks during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Dirk Fransaer is a Belgian engineer and the Managing Director of VITO since 2001. He graduated as a civil engineer at the University of Ghent (Belgium) in 1980 and as a biomedical engineer at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) in 1985.
VITO is a nonprofit research and technology organization in Belgium, focusing on today’s major societal challenges. From climate change and food security to sustainable energy and resource scarcity, VITO’s research agenda focuses on helping governments and companies around the world to initiate societal transitions in line with Agenda 2030 and its associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In his capacity as Managing Director of VITO, Dirk Fransaer has been standing at the forefront of technological innovation for sustainable development for almost two decades. Dirk Fransaer’s vision and leadership turned VITO into one of the leading technological research institutions around the world, with over 800 employees from 45 different countries.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
26/10/2020, 13:50 - 14:00
Presenting Impact of the EU policy on the SDGs in times of COVID-19 during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Paolo Gentiloni has been appointed European Commissioner for Economy in 2019. His primary responsibilities include the coordination of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the European Semester cycle of economic governance, and further deepening the European Economic and Monetary Union.
Commissioner Gentiloni is coordinating the launch of the InvestEU programme and setting up and implementing the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan. He leads international efforts to find an agreed approach on the taxation of the digital economy and pursuing efforts to make a common consolidated corporate tax base a reality in the EU. In the framework of the European Green Deal, he is leading the review of the Energy Taxation Directive and preparing the proposal for a Carbon Border Tax.
Before his appointment as EU Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni has been a Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies since 2001. He was Prime Minister of Italy from 2016 to 2018, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2014 to 2016, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2014 and Minister of Communications from 2006 to 2008. As a former professional journalist, he has also been the Chairman of the Broadcasting Services Watchdog Committee from 2005 to 2006 and a spokesperson for the Mayor and Commissioner in the City of Rome from 1993 to 2000.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:30 - 15:40
Presenting The role of science, technology, and innovation agencies, at times of pandemics during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Manuel Heitor has been Minister of Science, Technology & Higher Education of Portugal since 2015.
From 2005-2011, he served as Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Higher Education. He is a full-time professor at IST, the engineering school of the University of Lisbon, and the founder and Director of IST’s Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research.
In 2011-12, he was a visiting scholar at Harvard. He earned a PhD at Imperial College, London, in combustion research and did his post-doctoral training at the University of California San Diego.
Manuel Heitor was co-Chairman of the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon between 1993 and 1998. During the ’90s, he studied politics of science, technology and innovation. In 1998, he founded Centre of Innovation, Technology and Development Policies Studies, IN+, at the Instituto Superior Técnico. In 2005, this centre was ranked among the Top 50 global centres of research on Management of Technology, by International Association for the Management of Technology.
Manuel Heitor is a Research Fellow of Texas University at the Institute of Innovation, Creativity and Capital. He founded and coordinated several international conferences related to Technology Policy and Innovation, and is a co-editor of the Purdue University Press book collection on Science and Technology Policy. In 2002, he also co-founded the international network Globelics – the global network for the economics of learning, innovation, and competence building systems.
Recently, Manuel Heitor was one of the promotors of the European step4EU network (science, technology, education and policy for Europe) and the International Observatory of Global Politics for the Exploitation of Atlantic Ocean. In July 2015, he promoted the manifesto “Knowledge as Our Common Future”.
Climate Plenary
For centuries, indigenous peoples have protected the environment, which provides them food, medicine and so much more. Now it’s time to protect their unique traditional knowledge that can bring concrete solutions to implement sustainable development goals and fight climate change.
26/10/2020, 10:05 - 10:10
Presenting Case study 1 – accelerating climate change adaptation during the Accelerating climate change adaptation: a human, environmental, and economic imperative thematic session.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an expert in indigenous peoples’ adaptation to climate change, traditional ecological knowledge, and climate change mitigation strategies. She is Co-Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change.
From a Mbororo pastoralist community in Chad, Hindou Ibrahim founded the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) and works to empower indigenous voices and ensure their inclusion on international platforms. She has lead several concrete projects that improved access to basic need of indigenous peoples, while promoting their unique contribution to the protection of the environment. 3D participatory mapping, for instance, helps to prevent resources-based conflicts in one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions of the world.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:10 - 14:20
Presenting How can technological innovations transform the Industrial and economic infrastructure? during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Since September 2018, Jan Jambon is the Minister-President of the Government of Flanders and Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy, Culture, IT and Facilities. Before that, he has been a Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Security and the Interior of Belgium.
Jan Jambon started his professional career working as a System Engineer and Account Manager at IBM between 1984 and 1992. Jambon graduated from the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels. He holds a Master degree in Computer Science and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Antwerp.
Plenary
28/10/2020, 16:30 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
28/10/2020, 16:45 - 17:25
Participating as a panelist in Reflections during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Climate Plenary
26/10/2020, 10:10 - 10:15
Presenting Case study 2 – accelerating climate change adaptation during the Accelerating climate change adaptation: a human, environmental, and economic imperative thematic session.
Energy Plenary
26/10/2020, 11:40 - 11:55
Presenting Energy Transition in India: Grid Integration Imperatives are now more important than Price Reductions during the Accelerating integrated technological solutions against background of energy transition thematic session.
Ajay Mathur is the director general of The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, and a member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change. Mathur earlier headed the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and was responsible for mainstreaming energy efficiency through initiatives such as the Star Labeling program for appliances, the Energy Conservation Building Code, and the Perform, Achieve & Trade program for energy-intensive industries. He was a leading climate change negotiator, and was the Indian spokesperson at the Paris climate negotiations.
He served as the interim director of the Green Climate Fund during its foundational period. At TERI, Mathur has spearheaded the move to accelerate action towards a low-carbon and cleaner economy through the adoption of renewable energy in the Indian electricity sector, enhancing efficiency in buildings and industry, and promoting environmental quality through recycling of material wastes and biotechnology-based solutions. He also co-chairs the Global Energy Transitions Commission, and one of the climate initiatives of the One Planet Summit.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 13:40 - 13:50
Presenting Why do we need deep technological transitions to achieve the SDGs and climate goals? during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Jairam Ramesh is a well-known economist, government official and senior pioneer of the Indian National Congress. He is a Member of Parliament representing Andhra Pradesh state, a position he has held since June 2004.
In 2011, Jairam Ramesh was elevated to the Union Council of Ministers of India and appointed Minister of Rural Development and Minister of the new Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. Between May 2009 and July 2011, he was Minister of State at the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Mr. Ramesh has been a columnist for The Business Standard, Business Today, The Telegraph, The Times and India Today, and has also anchored a number of popular television programmes on business and the economy. In addition, Jairam Ramesh is the author of the books: “Making Sense of Chindia: Reflections on China and India” (2005), foreword by Strobe Talbott, “Mobilising Technology for World Development” (Co-editor, 1979), “To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story” (2015) and “Old History, New Geography” (2016).
Energy Plenary
To be successful, energy transition policies need to be integrative with respect to technology, regulations, business models and individual behaviour, and must be inclusive with respect to the major stakeholders and their concerns in society.
26/10/2020, 11:10 - 11:25
Presenting Opportunities and Risks of the Energy Transition in Germany: Present Status, Future Prospects and Stumbling Blocks during the Accelerating integrated technological solutions against background of energy transition thematic session.
Ortwin Renn serves as Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam (Germany). He is Professor for Technology Assessment and Environmental Sociology at the University and directs, together with Marion Dreyer and Agnes Lampke, the non-profit company DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes. He is Adjunct Professor for Integrated Risk Analysis at Stavanger University (Norway) and Affiliate Professor for Risk Governance at Beijing Normal University.
Renn’s main research activities at the IASS focus on the role of systemic risks as threats to sustainable development, and the structures and processes for sustainable transformations in Germany and beyond. His research is mainly directed towards transitions of energy systems and energy governance. He aims to contribute to the mission of the institute to become a highly reputable and acknowledged international centre for transdisciplinary studies on sustainable development.
Ortwin Renn holds a PhD in social psychology from the University of Cologne. His career has included teaching and research positions at the Jülich Research Centre (Germany), Clark University (Worcester, USA), the Swiss Institute of Technology (Zurich) and the Center of Technology Assessment (Stuttgart). He is a member of several boards, including the National Academy of Disaster Reduction and Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Vienna), the National German Science Academy Leopoldina, and the Governing Board of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech).
He is also engaged in multiple commissions and boards. He chairs Working Group “Making Sense of Science”, that was established in 2018 and initiated by SAPEA (Science Advice on Policy of the European Academies of Science) and SAM (Scientific Advice Mechanisms) for providing scientific advice to the EU Commission. On a regional level, he is in charge of the action platform “Sustainability”, i.e. a State of Brandenburg network for coordinating sustainability initiatives from the private, public and civil society sectors.
In the past, Ortwin Renn served on the panel on “Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making” of the US National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC (from 2005 to 2007) and on the German Federal Government’s Commission on Energy Ethics after Fukushima (2011). He was elected president of the International Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) for the period from 2012 to 2013. Ortwin Renn has published more than 30 books and 250 articles. The book Risk Governance (Earthscan: London, 2008) is his most prominent monograph.
Plenary
The SDGs are the supreme test of politics. Will the world’s governments devote the small fraction of the world’s wealth needed to end poverty and save the planet, or will too many governments continue to favour the rich and wreck the planet? The jury is out and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
28/10/2020, 16:30 - 16:45
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
28/10/2020, 16:45 - 17:25
Participating as a panelist in Reflections during the High-Level dialogue with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Gro Harlem Brundtland plenary session.
Jeffrey Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 100 countries. He is the co-recipient of the 2015 Blue Planet Prize, the leading global prize for environmental leadership, and has twice been named among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders.
Professor Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development, global macroeconomics, and the fight against poverty. His work on ending poverty, overcoming macroeconomic instability, promoting economic growth, fighting hunger and disease, and promoting sustainable environmental practices has taken him to more than 125 countries. Over the past thirty years, he has advised dozens of heads of state and governments on economic strategy in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Professor Sachs served as the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University from 2002 to 2016. During that time, he led a university-wide organization of more than 850 research scientists and policy experts in support of sustainable development, championed the Masters of Development Practice (MDP) program, which is now offered at 30 universities around the world, and helped to introduce the PhD in Sustainable Development at Columbia University.
Prior to his arrival at Columbia University in July 2002, Professor Sachs spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, where he served as the Director of the Center for International Development and the Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Nikhil Seth was appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in 2015 by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as UN Assistant Secretary-General.
Before assuming the post of the UNITAR Executive Director, Nikhil Seth was the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) at the United Nations Secretariat in New York. In this role he served as head of the Rio+20 secretariat and of the secretariat for the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, spearheading the preparations for these conferences in Rio, Brazil, and Apia, Samoa.
Under Seth’s direction, UN-DESA was also responsible for supporting the intergovernmental negotiations for the post-2015 development agenda, which was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit 2015 in September 2015.
Seth started his career with the United Nations in 1993. He served as Special Assistant and Chief of Office to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs from September 1993 to June 2001, as Chief of the Policy Coordination Branch in the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination from June 2001 to January 2003, as Secretary of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Second Committee of the General Assembly from February 2003 to August 2006, and as Director of the DESA Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination from August 2006 to August 2011. In this function, he guided the ECOSOC’s work in implementing several new key mandates, including its Annual Ministerial Review and Development Cooperation Forum.
Before joining the UN Secretariat, Seth was a delegate to the UN in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and involved with various UN conferences and summits including the Rio Summit on Environment and Development and the climate change related process. After joining the UN, he has been involved in the organisation of the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development, the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, the Mauritius Conference on Small Island Developing States, the Millennium Summit, World Summit on Sustainable Development and the UN World Summit, beside the Rio+20 Conference.
Plenary
Ensuring that the environment and oceans remain at the core of the Green Deal, delivering on the EU’s zero-pollution ambition, and leading the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan to promote the use of sustainable resources: these are among European Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius’ major responsibilities.
Other responsibilities include the proper implementation of legislation on ocean plastics, developing a zero-tolerance approach to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, the full implementation of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy and the evaluation of this policy by 2022, including the social dimension, climate adaptation and clean oceans.
In addition, Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius is developing a new approach for a sustainable blue economy, drawing on research, maritime spatial planning, marine renewable energy, blue investment and regional cooperation, and contributing to the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy on sustainable food. He plays a lead role in international discussions promoting international ocean governance and ensures that Europe leads the way to an ambitious agreement at the 2020 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Prior to serving as EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius was Minister of Economy and Innovation in Lithuania from 2017 to 2019 and a Member of the Lithuanian Parliament from 2016 to 2019.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:00 - 15:10
Presenting The role of Fiocruz in pandemic responses during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Nisia Trindade Lima is the president of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and the first woman to chair the institution in its 116-year history. She served as Fiocruz Vice-President of Teaching, Information, and Communication from 2011 to 2016. From 2006 to 2011, she was director of the publisher Editora Fiocruz.
Lima has been a Fiocruz civil servant for almost three decades. She was one of the founders of the specialization course on History of Health in the Amazon, as well as the History of Science and Health Graduate Program at the House of Oswaldo Cruz. Her major role in shaping up the partnership between Fiocruz and the Brazilian Government helped in enhancing the preservation of both cultural and tangible heritage of Health in Brazil. She earned a medal of honour from the Brazilian Academy of Letters and another during the Foundation’s 100th anniversary.
Lima has participated in international programmes and networks in the areas of the history of science and health and sits on the editorial boards of the journals Medical History; Revista Brasileira de História da Ciência; História, Ciências, Saúde—Manguinhos; Cadernos de História da Ciência (Instituto Butantan); and Escritos (Casa de Rui Barbosa Foundation). Her research interests include the history of science and health, especially the social sciences, and Brazilian social thought.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Satya Tripathi is UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of New York Office at UN Environment. Being a development economist and lawyer with over 35 years of varied experience, Tripathi has served with the UN since 1998 in key positions in Europe, Asia and Africa in the areas of Climate Change, Human Rights, Democratic Governance and Legal Affairs.
He was Chair of the Committees on Laws, Treaties and Administrative matters for the UN-mediated Cyprus unification talks in 2004. As the UN Recovery Coordinator for Aceh and Nias, he facilitated international cooperation and funding of over US$ 7 billion for post-tsunami and post-conflict recovery efforts in support of the Indonesian government and affected populations. He has also been the Executive Head of UNORCID, a UN System Office of 10 UN Agencies established by the UN Secretary General in 2011 to facilitate the implementation of a US$ 1 Billion REDD+ partnership between Indonesia, Norway and other stakeholders on climate change mitigation and adaptation through the conservation of forests and preservation of peat-land and bio-diversity.
Tripathi was instrumental in establishing the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) in Indonesia in 2016 and the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) in 2017 to leverage ‘private finance for public good’ at mega-scale to achieve transformative social and environmental impact in developing countries. He previously served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Forests; and in India as a member of its national civil service.
Speakers
Plenary
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:45
Participating as a panelist in The G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Leading the National Space Science and Technology Centre, developing and establishing manufacturing facilities and capabilities in design and build of satellites and R&D program in space science and technologies. Previously, spearheaded development and implementation of the Space Science & Technology and Innovation roadmap, the national space program for the UAE Space Agency inclusive of the program management of the UAE Mars Mission “The Hope” project, other small satellite projects and currently the 813 Arabic Satellite.
Held several roles in senior executive management positions that demanding critical business transformation as Chief Operating Officer, Executive Director, and Director at various Space, Aerospace, Oil & Gas industries, government administration and state-owned enterprises in areas of Strategy, Business Planning, Organization Development, and Operations.
Earned a Doctorate in Business Administration and an MSc in Thermal Power & Fluids Engineering from the University of Manchester, graduated from Harvard Business School–General Management, earned a Diploma in Public Sector Innovation from University of Cambridge. His first Degree was a BSc in Aerospace Engineering from Saint Louise University.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:45 - 14:00
Participating as a panelist in Opening statements during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Hussain serves a dual role as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE) and as the CEO of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park
(SRTIP). Both these entities were established through royal decree by the Ruler of Sharjah, who also directly appointed Hussain to these responsibilities in order to create collaborative long-term relationships between industry, academia and the public sector, fostering an ecosystem of enterprise and innovation.
Previously, Hussain served as the Director General of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a Member of the UAE Chamber Federation, and GCC Chambers for 8 years. He was responsible for the overall management and operations of the Chamber including the provision of services to its members. In this role, he launched several strategic economic initiatives for Sharjah such as the SME Act, Sharjah Export Centre, Sharjah Commercial Arbitration Centre, and the Sharjah Business Forum.
Hussain has held leadership roles at leading regional and international companies such as the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), and several Dubai Holding entities. He currently serves as honorary board member of both, the Tatweer Forum and of Maastricht University in the Netherlands, and as chairman of the Emirates Business Council for Sustainable Development. He also serves as a board member of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa). Hussain possesses an MBA from the American University of Sharjah and a BA in Economics and Communications from Seattle Pacific University in the US.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Iana Aranda is the Director of the Engineering for Global Development Department at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) where she sets the business strategy of a portfolio of programmes and platforms that advance knowledge, workforce and hardware-led social innovation to improve the quality of life of underserved communities. Iana also serves as the President of Engineering for Change, LLC (E4C) – a knowledge organisation and global community of over 1 million individuals dedicated to design and delivery of essential technologies advancing sustainable development. In both roles, Iana is driving an agenda for a multidisciplinary and human-centred approach to international development enabled by technology, cross-sector partnerships, innovation ecosystems and engineering workforce development. Iana has 15 years of experience in academic, research and non-profit sectors focusing on the intersection of engineering design, business strategy and social impact.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Frank Aswani is the CEO of Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), a network of social investors who collaborate to increase the flow of capital into social investors across Africa and ensure that the capital is deployed for maximum social Impact. He is Kenyan, lives in Johannesburg and holds a Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Nairobi and an MBA from GIBS (Gordon Institute of Business Studies), University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
Technology and innovation hold the key to accelerating the SDGs, as we strive to build back better from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people need to be at the forefront of driving this change.
26/10/2020, 14:20 - 14:55
Participating as a panelist in Roundtable: Living the change during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Iconic youth leader, global influencer, champion of children and women’s rights, peace and sustainability campaigner, 20-year-old Kehkashan Basu is a trailblazer who has been challenging the status quo and the social strictures that impede the progress of future generations.
Winner of the 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize, Kehkashan is a tireless advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the youngest recipient of Canada’s Top25 Women of Influence. She is a United Nations Human Rights Champion, a National Geographic Young Explorer, the youngest ever Global Coordinator for the UN Environment Program’s Major Group for Children & Youth, and a Climate Reality Mentor. She is also a TEDx speaker, an author, musician and the Founder President of the global social innovation enterprise Green Hope Foundation. Green Hope Foundation works in 16 countries empowering young people, especially those from vulnerable communities, in the sustainable development process.
Kehkashan is the recipient of the inaugural 2020 Voices Youth Award for Peace, a 2020 L’Oreal Women of Worth Honouree and a winner of the 2019 Innovator of the Year Award, the John Muir Conservation Award for Habitat Restoration, the Energy Globe Award and the Turner Prize for Social Change. She has recently been featured as one of the Top100 SDG Leaders of the world. A powerful voice for future generations, she has spoken at over 200 global forums across 25 countries.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 14:00 - 14:10
Presenting Accelerating the transition to a sustainable economy in the UAE during the High-level inaugural session plenary session.
Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri was appointed Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the new government structure approved in July 2020. Prior to his appointment, Al Marri held important positions in the government as a senior, top-ranking official.
He was the Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet since 2017, during
which he was instrumental in strengthening the interdependence between the federal and local governments. In this role, he also spearheaded many initiatives to get the pulse of the people and know their sentiments, as well as build the UAE’s long-lasting relations with
international organizations such as the World Economic Forum.
He is also the former Director General of the Executive Office of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He was part of the high-profile team that was behind the launch of ‘Area 2071’, the nucleus of the future envisioned in the UAE Centennial Plan 2071. Furthermore, the UAE Minister of Economy, in his previous post, took part in the unveiling of the Hatta Economic Zone development project and the relaunching of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
In addition, he was the CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, enabling him to play a vital role in the successful launch of Dubai 10X and other initiatives of national importance. The Dubai 10X initiative, in particular, aims to strengthen the emirate’s bid to become the city of the future.
Al Marri is a member of the Boards of Directors of different federal entities. His memberships allow him to actively support the development of priority sectors in the country such as the Golden Visa initiative, which seeks to attract talented individuals from across the world.
The UAE Minister of Economy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Sheffield in the UK. Also, he is a graduate of the UAE Government Leaders Program and Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development.
Water Plenary
27/10/2020, 10:15 - 11:15
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion: cooperation towards resilient water systems during the Round Table: cooperation towards resilient water systems plenary session.
Plenary Health
28/10/2020, 15:10 - 15:20
Presenting Water and sanitation in the context of epidemics: challenges imposed to society and health facilities during the Looking beyond COVID-19: Integrated pathways to address health, economy, and climate plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 14:45 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in Closing remarks about the G-STIC conference at Expo 2020 during the Expo 2020 Roundtable special session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 13:50 - 15:00
Participating as a panelist in How to foster job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa during the Fostering job creation by social entrepreneurs in Africa special session.
Dino Corell is an Employment and Migration Officer in the Country Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and ECOWAS, based in Abuja, Nigeria. He focusses on employment, youth employment, skills development and labour migration. Prior to that, Dino served as Programme Analyst in the ILO Office for the United Nations in New York. Before joining the ILO, he worked for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the University of Vienna.
Water Plenary
27/10/2020, 10:15 - 11:15
Participating as a panelist in Panel discussion: cooperation towards resilient water systems during the Round Table: cooperation towards resilient water systems plenary session.
Plenary
27/10/2020, 11:00 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Shifting from a volume to a value driven economy during the Sustainable Finance for Business Transformation special session.
Plenary
26/10/2020, 12:05 - 12:30
Participating as a panelist in Q&A during the Sponsored session by ING special session.
26/10/2020, 11:35 - 12:05
Presenting Sustainable Finance and the role of banks as enabler of green transition during the Sponsored session by ING special session.