Secretary General, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri is the Secretary General of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East, responsible for protecting and preserving our natural resources and promoting sustainable development in the emirate.

Dr. Al Dhaheri holds a PhD degree in Wildlife Conservation and Protection from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, which makes her the first Emirati woman to earn the accolade. She also holds two Masters degrees: in Environmental Science from UAE University (UAEU) in Al Ain, and another in Biological Conservation From the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Species from UAEU.

Secretary-General, WEEC Network, Italy

Prof. Mario Salomone has a master's degree in Theoretical Philosophy. He is an environmental sociologist, former university professor at the University of Bergamo and Milano (IULM), is teaching Environmental sociology at the University of Milano Bicocca and Torino. Journalist, lecturer in hundreds of conferences, author or co-author of handbooks, papers and book chapters on environmental education, environmental communication, ecological economics and other environmental issues, and writer of novels and tales.

President, IUCN

Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is a United Arab Emirates native who for more than twenty years has supported her country’s efforts to realise a more sustainable future while spearheading progressive environmental protection, species conservation, and global climate action. She was elected President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it, in September 2021. She is the second woman to lead the organization in its 75-year history and its first president from West Asia. Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak serves as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of COP28 Presidency, which will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12, 2023.

Her diverse experience leading the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the largest environmental regulatory agency in the Middle East, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, an international philanthropic organization supporting species conservation projects worldwide, and Emirates Nature – WWF, an Emirates-based NGO focused on citizen engagement, earned her recognition as one of the top 100 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2018.

Director, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP)

A science-policy pacesetter, with over 34 years’ experience, Dr. Anantha plays a key role in positioning UNESCO MGIEP as a leading global research institute on education for peace, sustainable development and global citizenship. In working towards making education inclusive, immersive and interactive across formal, non-formal and informal systems, Anantha is driven by his own personal experience as the father of a dyslexic child and someone who himself didn’t start talking until he was six years old.

Co-Chair of Indigenous Studies and Senior Research Fellow Nulungu Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia

Prof. Anne Poelina, PhD, PhD, MA, MEd, MPH&TM, Co-Chair of Indigenous Studies and Senior Research Fellow Nulungu Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia, is a Kimberley, Nyikina Warrwa Indigenous woman; Chair, Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, an active community leader, human and earth rights advocate, and filmmaker. She holds membership to national and global Think Tanks. A Peter Cullen Fellow, Adjunct Professor, College Indigenous Education Futures, Arts & Society, Charles Darwin University with Visiting Fellowships at the Australian National University, Canberra, Charles Darwin University and the Institute for Post-Colonial Studies, Melbourne.

Professor Emeritus of Environmental Policy, Michigan Technological University

Barry Solomon is a professor emeritus of environmental and energy policy in the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Technological University. He is a past president and the founder of the United States Society for Ecological Economics.  Previously, he was a senior economist in the Acid Rain and Climate Change Divisions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., where he helped to design and implement the first national system of emissions credit trading, and before that he was senior staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy (EIA). From 1989-1991, he worked with the staff of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. He is coauthor or co-editor of 8 books, 80 refereed journal articles and over 130 other publications, most recently The Dictionary of Ecological Economics (Edward Elgar, 2023). He has received research funding from the EPA, DOE, NSF, Michigan Economic Development Corp., Caterpillar, Inc., and has consulted for the United Nations Environment Programme, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Postal Service, American Association for the Advancement of Science, United States Academic Decathlon, National Geographic Society, and the European Science Foundation.

Chief, Natural Sciences Unit UNESCO, New Delhi Office, India

Dr. Benno Böer holds a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. degrees in Biology from the University of Osnabrück, and a Ph.D. degree in Physical Geography from the University of Paderborn. He has worked in several positions in the area of ecology and anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems, in Germany, Ethiopia, India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and the UAE, including 20 years with UNESCO. He currently serves as the Chief of the Natural Sciences Unit at UNESCO New Delhi. Dr. Böer has published and co-edited many books and journal articles in the field of science-based environmental management.

Director, National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

Bora Simmons serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiated the Project in 1993 to help educators develop and deliver effective environmental education programs. The Project has drawn on the insights of literally thousands of educators across the United States and around the world to craft guidelines for top-quality environmental education.

Programme Assistant, UNEP

Bryan Michuki is an experienced Communications and Youth Officer with a demonstrated history of working in youth programs who is keen to make a difference. He has experience working in non-profit organization and his strengths include analytical skills, event management and project management. He is a passionate education professional who graduated with a Masters in International Relations (Foreign Policy and Diplomacy) from United States International University (USIU) – Africa.

Member, The Club of Rome

Carlos Alvarez Pereira is a senior professional combining more than 30 years of experience in research and innovation, entrepreneurship, and business management, with a passion for complexity thinking and transdisciplinarity. He is keen on exploring the cultural transformation required to cross the threshold towards equitable human well-being within a healthy biosphere.

Director, Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute, The George Washington University

Dr. Costis Toregas is the director of the Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute at The George Washington University, where he manages and conducts education, research and service projects in cybersecurity and privacy. His current research interests include cybersecurity risk assessment and organizational strategies, the role of insurance in cyber risk management, the use of block chain in Disaster Risk Reduction, apprenticeships and exploring a fuller utilization of Community Colleges in cybersecurity workforce strategies.  He is a consultant to the National Cybersecurity Training and Education Center where he is responsible for international program expansion and East Coast representation to academia, industry and government.  He serves on several non-profit boards including the National Cyber League, Ecocity Builders, Women in Cyber Security, and is a Trustee of the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics at UCLA.

Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics and senior adviser to the president of Oberlin College

Dr. David W. Orr is a Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics and senior adviser to the president of Oberlin College. He is a founding editor of the journal Solutions, and serves as the executive director of the Oberlin Project, a collaborative effort of the city of Oberlin, Oberlin College, and private and institutional partners to improve the resilience, prosperity, and sustainability of Oberlin.

Kenyan Environmentalist and Young Climate Leader, Kenya and Founder of the Green Generation Initiative (GGI)

Elizabeth Wathuti, a dedicated environmentalist and dynamic young climate leader from Kenya, is the driving force behind positive change. She is the visionary Founder of the Green Generation Initiative (GGI). Her efforts extend to leading and establishing the Wangari Maathai Foundation's Youth Hub, which recently played a crucial role in supporting the largest delegation of African youth at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Elizabeth's commitment to environmental preservation is further exemplified by her role as a Counties Advisory Committee (CAC) member for the Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund and the youngest Presidential Appointee in Kenya as a Commissioner representing civil society and youth at the Nairobi Rivers Commission. Her global impact is undeniable, having served as the Global South Youth Co-chair for the COP26 Civil Society and Youth Advisory Council during the United Kingdom (UK) Government's COP26 presidency and recently organized and spearheaded the Lead Coordination of the first and biggest ever African Youth Climate Assembly (ACYA), which also served as the formal youth engagement mechanism for the Africa Climate Summit.

Professor and Research Chair in Environment and Sustainability Education,  Environmental Learning Research Centre

Prof. Eureta Rosenberg is a Full Professor and Chair of Environment and Sustainability Education in the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University, South Africa, where she is also the Dean of the Education Faculty, and the Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee. Prof Rosenberg is currently the Country Co-Director (South Africa) in the TRANSECTS programme, focusing on Transdisciplinary Education Collaborations for Transforming Sustainability. Her background includes an M.Sc. in Medical Science, an Honours in Psychology, a Masters in Environmental Education and a PhD (1995) that focussed on transformative research methodology. Her scholarly interests include evaluation that supports organisational learning; strategic planning and organisational learning; research ethics and skills for green work. Prof Rosenberg supervises M.Ed. and PhD students and Post-Doctoral Fellows in these and related research areas.