Baha’i International Community
Daniel Perell, UN Representative (NY)
Daniel Perell joined the Baha’i International Community’s United Nations Office as a Representative in 2011. His areas of work include global governance, climate and the environment, and social and sustainable development. He is formerly a Global Organizing Partner of the NGO Major Group and the Chair of the NGO Committee for Social Development.
In 2010, Dan received a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Mr. Perell has worked with the International Service for Human Rights in Geneva, the United Nations in Aceh, Indonesia and other organizations in the Marshall Islands and Chile.
Club de Madrid
María Elena Agüero, Secretary General
Ms. Agüero joined the Club de Madrid in 2003 and has since held the positions of Director of Special Projects, Director of Institutional Relations and of Deputy Secretary General until selected to become Secretary General of Club de Madrid in 2016.
Early in her career Ms. Agüero worked in the Rockefeller Commission on Critical Choices for Americans as research assistant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. She was also trade policy officer at the U.S. Department of Treasury during the Tokyo Round of GATT negotiations.
Ms. Agüero has over 35 years of international experience in economic development, social cohesion, governance, institutional strengthening and democracy support, particularly in Latin America. As project officer, sector specialist and senior advisor in the Inter-American Development Bank and the United Nations Development Program she worked in these organisation’s Washington, Uruguay, Brussels and Paris offices, leading projects and programmes implemented in partnership with other international organisations, governmental and non-governmental organisations, at both the national, regional and international levels.
Ms. Agüero holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree and a Masters in Latin American Economic Development from Georgetown University in Washington D.C.
Agustina Briano, Outreach and Development Coordinator (Alternate)
Agustina is the Outreach and Development Coordinator at Club de Madrid where she is responsible for the strategies of institutional relations, communications, fundraising and internal governance of the organisation. She is also Adjunct Professor at the School of Global and Public Affairs at IE University.
Agustina has more than twenty years of experience in international relations, having worked both in NGOs and the multilateral system. She joined Club de Madrid in 2002 as Assistant of the Director of Special Projects and Institutional Relations and since progressed to Special Projects and Internal Governance Assistant, Project Officer and later Senior Officer for Outreach. This experience has given her a broad view and expertise in different areas of management, ranging from full cycle project management to internal statutory meetings and organisational management but her true passion lies in partnerships; getting initiatives up and running for positive impact. Her experience has allowed her to establish an important network and knowhow of the international agenda. She has also worked with UNESCO (UK), UNDP (Uruguay), AMREF Flying Doctors (Spain) and Reaching U (Spain).
Agustina holds a BA in Politics and International Relations and an MA in Globalisation and Development, both from the University of Warwick.
Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
Beckie Malay, GCAP Asia, Convener of GCAP Philippines & PRRM Trustee (Philippines)
Beckie Malay has more than 30 years experience in managing policy advocacy, campaigning, and building capacity in the areas of sustainable development and human rights; debt, trade, aid, and economic justice Issues; poverty, inequality and climate change; transparency, accountability and people’s participation; electoral and political reform, election observation and monitoring; and voter education.
Beckie is currently Treasurer and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement and its Director for Advocacy and Development Cooperation and serves as Treasurer of the Institute for Popular Democracy. She is Co-Chair with the Philippine Government’s National Economic and Development Authority’s SDG Stakeholders’ Chamber which monitors and provides policy inputs for the achievement of the SDGs in the country. She also sits as a member of the Steering Committee of the Asian Civil Society Platform for Sustainable Development (APSD). She is former Chair of GCAP Global Foundation and Co-chair of the GCAP Global Council and the Organising Partner for Asia of the NGO Major Group.
Beckie finished her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines and holds a certificate from the African Program on Rethinking Development Economics.
Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)
Rafiu Adeniran Lawal, Executive Director, Building Blocks For Peace Foundation; Regional Representative, GPPAC West Africa
Rafiu Lawal has more than eight years of experience in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, youth, peace and security, climate security and network management. Currently, he is the founder and executive director of the Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, a youth-led non-governmental organisation working on conflict prevention and peacebuilding in Nigeria. Previously he has worked as the regional coordinator of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders in West and Central Africa, coordinating youth peace organizations and leading advocacy for the implementation of the youth peace and security agenda across West and Central Africa. He is also currently the regional representative for the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) in West Africa.
Lawal holds a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Ibadan and a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies Education from Obafemi Awolowo University. He is a passionate peace advocate, teacher, social commentator, and researcher. He co-edited the book ‘Connecting and Amplifying Voices of Youth Building Peace in Nigeria’ (2020) and the policy brief ‘Complementarity of the UN Security Council Resolution 2250 and the AU Continental Framework on Youth, Peace, and Security’ (2021). Lawal is a 2022 Mandela Washington Fellow – a leadership initiative of the United States Department of State.
Global Women Leaders Voices (#GWL)
H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Ecuador
María Fernanda Espinosa is the first woman from Latin America and the Caribbean to be President of the United Nations General Assembly (2018-2019). She has over 30 years of multilateral experience in international negotiations, peace, security, defense, disarmament, human rights, Indigenous peoples, gender equality, sustainable development, environment, biodiversity, climate change, and multilateral cooperation. She has served Ecuador as Minister of Foreign Affairs (twice), Minister of National Defense, and Coordinating Minister of Natural and Cultural Heritage. She was the first woman to become Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations in New York (2008).
Currently, Maria Fernanda is President of Cities Alliance and Executive Director of Global Women Leaders for Change and Inclusion. She is also a member of leading international organizations, including the International Crisis Group, Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the UN Advisory Board on Human Security, and the Generation Equality Forum. She chairs the work of the Coalition for the Un We Need, Debt Relief for a Green and Inclusive Recovery, Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and Global Commission on Climate Governance.
Maria Fernanda has received many awards, including the “Eleanor Roosevelt Award” from the UN Association of the United States (2022), the Sir Brian Urquhart Award from the UN Association of the United Kingdom for her “Distinguished Service to the UN” (2021), the “5th Sun Award” for her “outstanding contribution to advance the agenda of the rights of Indigenous Peoples” (2021), and the Rehabilitation International Award for Outstanding Achievements in Innovation “for her innovative work advancing the rights of persons with disabilities globally” (2019). She was also declared one of the 100 most inspiring and influential women globally by the BBC (2019). Throughout her career, she has published over 50 scholarly articles, op-eds, reports, and book chapters on issues ranging from peace and security, geopolitics, and multilateralism to trade and investment, sustainable development, human rights, and climate change.
International Alliance of Women
Soon-Young Yoon, UN Representative (NY)
Soon-Young Yoon is the NY representative for the International Alliance of Women to the UN. She founded and is co-director of the Cities for CEDAW History and Futures Project. In 2021, she was appointed to the Council on Gender Equality convened by H. E. Ambassador, Abdhulla Shahid, the President of the 76th UN General Assembly. Soon-Young was a Social Development officer for UNICEF in the Southeast Asia office, Social Scientist at WHO/SEARO in New Delhi and senior consultant for the Tobacco Free Initiative at the WHO. In 1995, she helped organize the NGO Forum for the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. She co-edited the WHO monograph on Gender, Women and the Tobacco Epidemic with Jonathan Samet. Yoon received her A.B. in French literature with honors and Ph.D. in anthropology from the U of Michigan. She is married to Richard M. Smith, former Editor-in-Chief and President of Newsweek and current President of the Pinkerton Foundation.
Oxfam International
Ed Pomfret, Deputy Advocacy Campaigns & Engagement Director, Oxfam
Ed Pomfret serves as the Deputy Director of Advocacy, Campaigns, and Engagement at Oxfam International. In this role, he leads initiatives to address global challenges such as inequality, climate action, and humanitarian issues. Prior to this, Ed was the Campaigns and Policy Manager for Oxfam International’s project in Somalia, focusing on policy development and advocacy strategies. His extensive experience in international development and policy advocacy has been instrumental in shaping Oxfam’s global strategies.
Brenda Mofya, Head, New York Office (Alternate)
Brenda Mofya is the Head of Oxfam International’s New York Office, where she leads advocacy strategies to influence UN policies on governance, inequality, human rights, gender, humanitarian action, and peace and security. With over two decades of experience, she has worked with intergovernmental institutions and civil society organizations, including the African Union’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and the American Friends Service Committee. Brenda holds a Master of Laws in European and International Law from Bremen University, an Executive Master’s in Managing Peace and Security from Addis Ababa University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Zambia.
SDGs Kenya Forum
Florence Syevuo, Executive Director & Co-Chair, Coalition for the UN We Need
Florence Syevuo is a renowned Civil Society Coalition Builder, Coordinator and Campaigner for ending poverty and inequalities, leaving no one behind. Florence worked initially as a coordinator and youth champion for Millennium Development Goals since 2006 jointly with the then Ministry of Devolution and Planning-MDGs Unit, United Nations Millennium Campaign as a convener of civil society organizations under the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP). Following a vast coalition building experience she was appointed as the Country Coordinator of The SDGs Kenya Forum in 2016 to champion a harmonized approach to implementing the 2030 Agenda in Kenya by fostering partnership and ownership among all stakeholders.
Florence has been instrumental in numerous policy advocacy & change processes, generated research papers and key reports, and coordination of mass citizen mobilization for action events including Stand Up & Speak Out Campaign and Action 2015. Florence and colleagues have specialized as co conveners facilitating civil society organizations joint action and engagement with government executive, legislature, judiciary arms and technical ministries, private sector, academia and media to accelerate progress and to facilitate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in Kenya.
Stimson Center
Richard Ponzio, Senior Fellow and Director, Global Governance, Justice & Security
Dr. Richard Ponzio is Director of the Global Governance, Justice & Security Program and Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center, where he also co-directs the Global Governance Innovation Network, serves on the Steering Committee for the Mary Robinson-led Climate Governance Commission, and earlier directed the Albright-Gambari Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance (2014-2016). Widely published, Richard has served in senior peacebuilding roles with the United Nations and U.S. State Department in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, New York, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, and Washington, D.C. He is the author of Democratic Peacebuilding: Aiding Afghanistan and other Fragile States and co-author (with Dr. Arunabha Ghosh) of Human Development and Global Institutions: Evolution, Impact, Reform. He completed his doctorate in politics and international relations at the University of Oxford on a Clarendon Scholarship and undertook earlier studies at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (M.A.), The Graduate Institute Geneva (M.A.) as a MacJannet Fellow, and Columbia University (B.A).
Nudhara Yusuf, Executive Coordinator, Global Governance Innovation Network – Co-Chair, Coalition for the UN We Need
Nudhara Yusuf is the Executive Coordinator of the Global Governance Innovation Network (GGIN) and sits on the Global Governance, Justice and Security Program at the Stimson Center.
Prior to Stimson, Nudhara worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s SDG Integration Team and the UNDP Regional Bureau for the Asia Pacific’s Strategic Foresight Unit. Previously, she worked on Education and Training with the World Federation of United Nations Associations and supported the British Shadow Secretary of State for Justice in the UK’s Parliament. She is the founder and trustee of several grassroots NGOs and CSOs across India and the UK. Her research primarily focuses on the governance of and with future generations, the role of globalization, emerging technologies, and development in the shifting multilateral architecture and engaging youth and civil society in governance and multilateral institutions.
In addition to her role at GGIN, Nudhara served as Co-Chair of the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Support of the Summit of the Future, as well as Coordinator of the 2023 Global Futures Forum, and formerly Global Youth Coordinator at the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN), as well as fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and UN University Center for Policy Research. She is a lead co-author of the annual Global Governance Innovation Report and Future of International Cooperation Report series.
United Nations Association – UK
Enyseh Teimory, Head of Policy
Enyseh lead’s UNA-UK’s policy work having previously managed communications and supported campaigns. For over five years she has worked to support UNA-UK’s long standing objective to make the UN more open, accessible and accountable to the people it serves.
Enyseh currently represents UNA-UK on the Steering Committee of the 1 for 8 Billion campaign, a global movement campaigning for a fair, open and inclusive process to appoint the next UN Secretary-General. She previously co-coordinated Blue Smoke, a campaign that seeks to shine a light on elections and appointments to senior positions within the UN, and also co-edited its associated newsletter published in partnership with PassBlue. Prior to this, Enyseh helped coordinate UNA-UK’s Together First campaign, a network of over 200 experts, practitioners, youth and civil society groups from all regions of the world, leading the campaign’s communications outputs. This campaign supported the key UN75 and Our Common Agenda processes and worked to promote actionable and achievable ideas for reforming the UN.
Prior to UNA-UK, Enyseh has held positions as English Social Media Manager for the online literature journal Asymptote, Co-Editor of the St Leonards College Magazine and News Editor of The Stand. She also previously interned at Saqi Books and spent time at CNN International. Enyseh completed her Masters degree at the University of St Andrews, where she focused on Middle Eastern Literature and Culture, and holds a first-class degree in Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS, University of London.
World Future Council
Neshan Gunasekera, WIJA, Councillor
Neshan Gunasekera is an international lawyer, educationist, leadership coach, facilitator and environmentalist from Sri Lanka. He is committed to bring communities together for environmental protection, healing and conservation through the use of intergenerational, holistic and experiential learning.
Neshan is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Lund, Sweden. During his earlier tenures, he has supported and advised several international organizations including the United Nations Agencies and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In his last tenure, he provided technical guidance to the United Nations on Peace and Governance during 2016-2022, including bringing together all 14 UN Agencies, Government, private and civil society stakeholders under these themes and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in Sri Lanka.
Neshan is engaged by several international organizations, including as Director of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), Member, Steering Committee, of the Ecological Law and Governance Association (ELGA), Co-Chair, Earth Trusteeship Working Group and a Lead Counsel, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions at the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law.
Alyn Ware, Councillor (Alternate)
Alyn Ware serves as Program Director for World Federalist Movement – Institute for Global Policy, Peace and Disarmament Spokesperson for the World Future Council, Director of the Basel Peace Office, Global Coordinator of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, and International Representative for Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace. Alyn is a trained educator and began making peace education his own project in the early 1980s. He founded the Mobile Peace Van Society, educated on all aspects of peace education in New Zealand kindergartens, elementary schools and high schools, helped the New Zealand government to develop peace studies guidelines for the school curriculum and was active in the successful campaign to ban nuclear weapons from New Zealand.
In the early 1990s, Alyn shifted to New York to advance international peace and disarmament campaigns with a focus on the United Nations. This included action at the UN Security Council on the Gulf War, UN negotiations on the creation of an International Criminal Court (ICC), and leading the efforts at the United Nations to achieve an International Court of Justice decision on the illegality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons globally. For seven years (1992-1999) Alyn Ware was executive director of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, the US section of the International Anti-Nuclear Lawyers (IALANA). In 1995 he co-founded Abolition 2000, the Global Network for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. This network quickly grew to over 2000 organizations worldwide and has as its main objective the achievement of a global agreement including the nuclear armed states to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.