A journalist in Asia for more than 35 years, Maria Ressa co-founded Rappler, the top digital only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines. As Rappler's CEO and president, Maria has endured constant political harassment and arrests by the Duterte government, forced to post bail ten times to stay free. Rappler's battle for truth and democracy is the subject of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival documentary, A Thousand Cuts.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin is Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. On 1 January 2023 she will take office as the first woman elected to the post of ITU Secretary-General.
A leader with more than 30 years’ experience in international relations, she is a passionate advocate for digital development and inclusion.
Dr. Tawfik Jelassi was appointed UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and
Information on 1st July 2021. In this position, he is responsible for the Organization’s
programmes on building inclusive knowledge societies, leading digital transformation,
strategizing the role of ICT in education, and fostering freedom of expression.
Dr. Jelassi holds a Ph.D. doctorate in information systems from New York University (USA)
and postgraduate diplomas from the University of Paris Dauphine (France).
Göran Marby was appointed CEO & President on 23 May 2016. He brings over 20 years experience as a senior executive in the Internet and technology sector, as well as his leadership as Director General at the independent regulatory body Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS), where he worked closely with international organizations and standards bodies.
H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, born on 21 June 1960, the Chadian Minister of Foreign Affair was elected as the new African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson. H.E. Mahamat speaks French, Arabic and English fluently and had occupied very senior positions with a thirty-year (30) experience.
Antonio M.A. Pedro is the Acting Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Africa’s premier thought leadership institution focused on generating knowledge and applying policy research in support of accelerated economic diversification and structural transformation. A mineral exploration geologist with more than 40 years’ experience, Pedro has broad experience of and exposure to international development issues and management at national, sub-regional, and continental levels.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Mr. Li Junhua of China as the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs effective 25 July 2022.
H.E. Abiy Ahmed Ali (PhD) is the fourth Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. He was born on August 15, 1976 in the small town of Beshasha, located near Agaro, Oromia. Raised by a Muslim father and a Christian mother, the values of tolerance and understanding across divides were instilled in him at an early age.
António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017.