Conference Program 2023

HE. Hamad Al Sheikh Ahmed Al Shaibani

Director-General, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), Dubai (TBC) | United Arab Emirates

Director-General, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD), Dubai

HE. Nivine El-kabbag

Minister of Social Solidarity, Arab Republic of Egypt | Egypt

H.E Minister Al Kabbag has more than 25 years of experience in the field of international cooperation, strategic management and institutional development. She also had considerable experience in social policies and in evaluation. Her graduate studies in international political economy and international relations in Canada complemented her practical experience in international organizations and in managing development cooperation agreements. Prior to her appointment as Minister of Social Solidarity in January 2020, she has worked as Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity for Social Protection and Development with a mandate to manage a number of files on top of the political state agenda including poverty alleviation, economic empowerment equity, gender mainstreaming as well as disability. Nivine is currently managing the secretariat of the Ministerial Committee for Social Justice led by the Prime Minister. Ten years working for UNICEF enhanced her international experience on the development framework and specifically on women and children issues. Before joining UNICEF, Nivine was the Deputy Director for America’s Development Foundation in Egypt and in National Council for Negro Women, which strengthened her skills in Advocacy, Governance and Sound Management. She was also a Policy, Planning and Monitoring Advisor for the General Secretary of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood and for the National Council for population. Nivine is the founder and was the chairperson of the first Egyptian Research and Evaluation Network (EREN) in Egypt.

HE. Martin Griffiths

United Nations Under Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (TBC) | USA

United Nations Under Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator

HE. Francesco Rocca

President, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) | Switzerland

Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent. Mr. Rocca was born in 1965 in Rome and is a lawyer by profession. He started his career with his own law firm. In 2003, he moved to the health administrative sector and was the Director of St. Andrea Hospital, headed the Department of Social Affairs of the City of Rome and until recently the General Director of a Dermatological Hospital. Mr. Rocca joined the Italian Red Cross in 2008 when he was asked to lead the change process of the Italian Red Cross and transform the structure from a public-sector organisation to a private volunteer-based organisation. The change process has been massive and today it works under a new umbrella guided by volunteers. Mr Rocca was elected president of this new structure in 2013. In 2009, when Italian Red Cross was elected member of the IFRC Governing Board Mr. Rocca was the appointed representative. In 2013 he was elected Vice President and in 2017 he was elected President of the IFRC, a position to which he was re-elected in 2022. Mr. Rocca speaks Italian, English, and Spanish. He is father of two sons and grandfather of Marie.

HE. Michael Koehler

Director-General, European Commission’s Department for Civil Protection And Humanitarian Aid Operations (TBC) | Belgium

Director-General, European Commission’s Department for Civil Protection And Humanitarian Aid Operations

HE. Hamdan Al Mazrouie

Speaking on Behalf of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President, United Arab Emirates Red Crescent Authority | United Arab Emirates

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Red Crescent

HE. Gerhard Putman-Cramer

CEO, DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation | Switzerland

Currently: -Ambassador, Permanent Observer of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva; -Chief Executive Officer, Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development (DIHAD) Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation; -Member, Dubai Council on the Future of Humanitarian Aid (Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives); Higher Council Member of the International Congress for Health Specialties (ICHS); Former member of the Advisory Committee on International Operations of the Swiss Red Cross and of the Board of the Henri Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue; former Senior Associate of the Global Humanitarian Forum, Geneva. In his capacity as Permanent Observer of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Putman-Cramer provides support to a number of initiatives undertaken by – or aimed at – PAM member states. This involves developing and applying various aspects of parliamentary diplomacy, often as inputs complementary to actions conducted under the auspices of the UN. As the CEO of the DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation, Amb. Putman-Cramer spearheads a number of the Foundation’s initiatives (including the newly created DIHAD College) and elaborates as well as oversees the Conference Programme of the annual DIHAD event (www.dihad.org). The most recent Conference (14-16 March 2022) had as its theme: “SDG 17, Partnerships and Cooperation for Sustainable Development”. From 1975 until 2009 Amb. Putman-Cramer was with the United Nations, initially with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and subsequently with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA/OCHA). He served in New York (on 3 separate occasions), in Geneva (also on 3 separate occasions) and in a variety of field locations (including 2 years in Malaysia and 3 years in Madagascar). The last 14 years of his UN career saw him in the position of Chief of OCHA’s Emergency Services (concurrently appointed as Deputy Director, OCHA Geneva), during which time he created and developed a number of effective international response mechanisms and instruments (e.g the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team – UNDAC – and the Civil/Military Coordination concept ) while also reinforcing, together with the concerned authorities in disaster-prone countries, essential response capacities at the community, national and regional levels. During this period also, he led a large number of emergency/disaster response missions to, inter alia, Iraq (in the years 1991-94 and in 2003, as Area Coordinator for the Centre Region), the Caucasus, Tajikistan, Pakistan (the 2005 earthquake), Turkey, Mongolia, Thailand and Indonesia (also in the context of the South-East Asia Tsunami). Amb. Putman-Cramer has a ‘’Diplôme Universitaire en Santé Humanitaire’’ from the University Claude-Bernard in Lyon, a Post-Graduate Diploma (Economics, International Relations and International Law) from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, a Post-Graduate Diploma (Economic Development) from the Polytechnic of North London and a B.A. (Hons.) in Literature from Bedford College, University of London. Amb. Putman-Cramer is married and has two daughters.

Prof. Mukesh Kapila

Professor Emeritus, Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester; Former Under Secretary-General, IFRC | Switzerland

Mukesh Kapila is Professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester. He is also Senior Adviser to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. He is a writer, public and media speaker, and has extensive experience in global health, humanitarian affairs, conflict and security, international development, human rights and diplomacy, He has qualifications in medicine, public health, and development from the Universities of Oxford and London. He has served in senior leadership functions at the UK Government Department for International Development, United Nations, World Health Organization, and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. He has advised many multilateral institutions including the World Bank and UN agencies, and international NGOs. He has served on several Boards, including Chair of Minority Rights Group International, and of Nonviolent Peaceforce which was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. His other roles have included Founder CEO of the Defeat-NCD Partnership at the United Nations. His many awards include a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II, the Global Citizenship Award of the Institute for Global Leadership, the “I Witness!” award for human rights, and a special resolution of the California State Legislature for “lifetime achievements and meritorious service”. His first memoir “Against a Tide of Evil” was shortlisted for the 2013 Best Non-Fiction Book award. His further book (2019) is entitled “Not a Stranger to Kindness”.

HE. Yvette Stevens

Executive in Residence, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Former Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone; Former Director, OCHA, Geneva | Switzerland

Ambassador Stevens has had a broad and long experience in the United Nations System. An Engineer by training, She joined the United Nations in 1980 and served ILO, UNHCR, UNDESA, Office of the Special Adviser for Africa, OCHA and ISDR. At UNHCR, she served as Evaluation Officer as well as Chief of the Technical Support Section of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, both of which involved thorough analyses of refugee situations in about 30 countries, all over the world. She also served UNHCR in Africa, first as Deputy Liaison Representative in Ethiopia and as the UNHCR Representative to Kenya and Somalia. She became Director for Africa at the UN Secretariat in New York. Before retirement, she was the United Nations Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator and Director of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva from 2004 to 2006. After retirement from the UN, between 2006 and 2009, Ambassador Stevens worked as a freelance consultant on humanitarian issues as well as on disaster risk reduction in Africa. Following this, she worked as an Energy Policy Adviser to the Government of Sierra Leone, before being appointed Permanent Representative in Geneva in 2012. As Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone, Ambassador Stevens was active, inter alia, on human rights issues, (including Child Early and Forced Marriage, Persons Living with Albinism and Women’s Rights); trade (Women and Trade, Trade Assistance to Least Developing Countries); disarmament (Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems). She served as Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Implementation of the DDPA from 2016 to 2018. She is currently Executive in Residence at the Geneva Center for Security Policy.

Mr. Spyridon Charamis

Head of Electricity and Energy Center of Expertise, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Geneva | Greece

Spyros has more than 20 years professional experience, with a master’s degree in electrical engineering from EPFL in Switzerland, he started his career as field engineer in the private sector in prestigious firms as SIEMENS and HEWLETT PACKARD Co. he then moved to the humanitarian sector, UN and then ICRC, his previous position in ICRC Geneva HQ, was electricity and energy global focal point for the Water and Habitat Unit. He brings extended expertise on electrical energy and renewable energy systems. Between others, he is an aviation accident investigator as electrical systems specialist. His present position with ICRC is the head of the newly formed Electricity and Energy Centre of Expertise in Nairobi, globally responsible for energy matters in ICRC’s premises and electrical installations safety.

Mr. Ivano Iannelli

CEO, Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence; Senior Advisor to the CEO, Emirates Global Aluminium” | United Arab Emirates

Ivano is widely acknowledged as the GCC's foremost expert in the fields of Sustainability, GHG inventories and Carbon Markets. He is a Board Director of the ESG Foundation and a subject matter expert in green economy, Sustainability and low carbon pathways from an economic standpoint. His primary work is with governments and corporate clients to develop long-term economic scenarios that help them understand the risks and opportunities that the transition to a low-carbon economy could bring to their operations. Ivano is currently the Senior Advisor to the CEO of Emirates Global Aluminium, the world’s 3rd largest aluminium producer, on ESG and Carbon Border Adjustment mechanism (CBAM). He has extensive experience in developing policy solutions both for the Gulf Region and internationally through 25 years of combined experience with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, as the CEO of Dubai Carbon, and working for the United Nations. He heads up the Global Carbon Markets team acting as Dubai’s lead negotiator on market-based mechanisms at the UNFCCC COPs, helping to design the future framework for global carbon markets. Ivano helped to develop Dubai’s and the UAE’s Green House Gas reporting on annual basis, the National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the energy efficiency policy framework, assessing potential policy solutions for both industries, small businesses, and residential properties. He is part of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s working group developing the new market-based measure for aviation and supports the UAE’s input into CORSIA. Ivano is an active part of the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, Partnership for Market Readiness, and the Task Force for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (now Integrity Council). He helped design the AED 100bn Dubai Green Fund, an innovative financing scheme designed to drive green infrastructure, renewables and energy efficiency in large, non-energy intensive industries and led a team exploring policy solutions to overcome the barriers preventing small businesses from taking up energy efficiency measures. As a development economist, he specializes in the integration of international financial incentives and PPP models into the project development phase with a particular focus on the carbon layer, green energy and sustainable commercial initiatives, thus increasing the profitability of socio-environmental projects. Of notable mentions are Dubai’s PPA legislation that kicked off the renewables drive and global benchmarks. Ivano is a Doctoral Candidate with Herriot Watt University researching CBAM, has post-graduate specialization from MIT in Blockchain Economics and in Strategy from Harvard Business School, with a focus on Disruptive Innovation. He also holds an MBA with a concentration in Aviation Management from the University of Coventry (UK), a Master's Degree in International Management from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from the University of Memphis (USA). Ivano has more than 25 years of extensive business experience in different regions. Short Ivano is widely acknowledged as the GCC's foremost experts in the fields of Sustainability, GHG inventories and Carbon Markets. He is Board Director of the ESG Foundation, formerly the CEO of Dubai Carbon and a United Nations senior official before then. He is a subject matter expert in environmental economics and low carbon strategies. Ivano has extensive experience in facilitating economically relevant low-carbon pathways and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). For the past 2 decades, he has aggregated and managed GHG National inventories across the GCC, NDCs and State Action Plans, with a focus on Private Sector synergies. He is part of the UAE Negotiation team on carbon markets at the UNFCCC COP as well as part of the ICAO working group on new market-based measures for aviation, and currently supports the UAE’s input into CORSIA. Ivano is also working with the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, Partnership for Market Readiness, and the newly launched Task Force for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets. He is currently pursuing his Doctoral Research on CBAM.

HE. Fabrizzio Carboni

Regional Director Near and Middle East, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) | Belgium

Mr. Fabrizzio Carboni holds a degree in Law and a Master in International Law from Université Libre de Bruxelles. Mr. Carboni joined the ICRC in September 1998 as an intern in the legal division. In November 1999, he conducted his first mission, in Afghanistan. He then alternated between the field and headquarters, leading operational activities while in the field. From 2010 to 2013 he was the deputy head of the Multilateral Organizations, Policy and Humanitarian Action division in Geneva. Mr. Carboni was head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon before taking over as head of the ICRC delegation in Yangon in August 2017. Since September 2018 he has been Regional Director for the Near and Middle East and is based in Geneva. Mr Carboni is married and has two children.

Mr. Rein Paulsen

Director, Office of Emergencies and Resilience, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome | Democratic Republic Of The Congo

Mr. Rein Paulsen was appointed, Director of Office of Emergencies and Resilience, effective 1 June 2021. Mr Paulsen, a national of Norway, holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Andrews University in the United States. Prior to joining FAO, Mr Paulsen served as Director ad interim of the Coordination Division at the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva, Switzerland. In this role within OCHA’s Top Management Team, he was responsible for the Response Services Branch, the Assessment Planning and Monitoring Branch, as well as the Inter-Agency Services Branch of OCHA. He served as Head of OCHA’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama City, Panama, from 2018 to 2020. He joined OCHA in 2015, as Head of Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Kinshasa. With experience in the non-governmental organization (NGO) sector before joining the UN, he started his career in 1996 as Technical Assistant at the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International in Maryland, United States, before moving to his first field assignment working on food security activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In 1999, he joined World Vision International (WVI) as Programme Officer in the Global Rapid ResponseTeam based in San Jose, Costa Rica. In 2002, he served as Humanitarian Advisor with the UN in Kigali, Rwanda. Between 2003 and 2005, he returned to the WVI as Regional Manager of the multi-country Southern Africa Food Security Emergency Response, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2004, he was Operations Director of the WVI Asia Tsunami Response, based in Singapore, and, subsequently, Director of Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs, in Washington DC, United States. Between 2008 and 2015, he held a number of leadership responsibilities at the WVI. His final role, prior to joining OCHA, was Senior Director of Humanitarian Quality, Strategy and Policy at WVI at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ms. Sara Al Nuaimi

Director, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), Dubai | United Arab Emirates

Ms. Sara Al Nuaimi is Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI). She supports and oversees collaborations of more than 30 humanitarian and developmental entities carrying out initiatives and projects to benefit populations in over 108 countries. Since she joined MBRGI in 2017, Al Nuaimi led some of the UAE’s key regional and global humanitarian campaigns including the Madrasa e-Learning Platform, the 100 Million Meals campaign, the Arab Reading Challenge, among others. Al Nuaimi develops strategic plans and manages partnerships with international organizations and NGOs, including UN agencies, to expand the outreach and impact of humanitarian work to the largest scope of beneficiaries. Central to her efforts is designing sustainable projects and deploying resources effectively to address major societal issues and build better lives across the world. Latest success: 100 Million Meals Campaign In numbers: • 216 million meals secured in less than a month • Food distribution in 30 countries • Partnerships with 12 food banks and 9 humanitarian organizations including WFP • 385,000 donors from 51 countries, thanks to fundraising campaigns

Mr. Alex Marianelli

Director, Supply Chain Division, World Food Programme (WFP) | Italy

Mr. Marianelli is Director of the Supply Chain Division of the world’s largest humanitarian agency, the United Nations World Food Programme, which serves more than 100 million people every year in more than 80 countries. In his role, Mr. Marianelli oversees the full span of WFP’s extensive supply chain operations, from the planning and procurement of more than US$ 3 billion worth of food, goods and services, through to shipping, logistics and aviation operations to deliver more than 4 million mt of food each year, carried out by more than 4,000 staff globally. He also oversee’s WFP’s supply chain activities in support of the wider humanitarian community through managed and mandated services such as the Logistics Cluster, the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service, and the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depots. A highly experienced humanitarian logistician, over his twenty year career with WFP Mr. Marianelli has worked in a range of humanitarian settings, spanning deep field operations, regional bureaux and headquarters. He has led numerous emergency responses across natural disasters, conflicts and health emergencies, and has used his expertise to work with national disaster management authorities and governments around the world to strengthen their disaster logistics response capacity. Mr. Marianelli has a strong interest in people and workforce management, and prior to serving as Director of Supply Chain, also served as Deputy Director of WFP’s Human Resources Division. An Australian national equally fluent in English and French, before joining WFP Mr. Marianelli worked as a scientist focusing on environmental issues.

Mr. Sean Rafter

Managing Director, Help Logistics (Kühne Foundation), Amman (TBC) | Switzerland

Managing Director, Help Logistics (Kühne Foundation), Amman

Ms. Umra Omar

Community Conservation Strategist and Founder, Safari Doctors, Lamu, Kenya | Kenya

Revolutionary | Mother | Humanitarian | Public Servant Born in Kenya and educated around the world, Umra is a globally recognized public figure known for pushing the limits to navigate identity politics and make a difference by disrupting oppressive status quo paradigms. She currently lives in Lamu, Kenya, where she is the founder of a free medical program, a school for the disenfranchised and sports programs to uplift young boys and girls. Umra is running for Governor of Lamu County in Kenya’s 2022 General Elections making her the first and youngest woman from Kenya’s coast to ever make such an attempt despite the toxic patriarchy and security risks involved. AWARDS & RECOGNITION 2021: Amujae Leader, EJS Presidential Center for Women and Development, Liberia 2020: National Hero Award, Government of Kenya 2020: United Nations Real Life Hero, Global 2019: Young Global Leader (YGL), World Economic Forum 2019: Coast Woman of the Year, Kenya 2019: Robert Burns Humanitarian, Scotland 2018: Aurora Goodwill Ambassador, Armenia 2017: UN Kenya Person of the Year, Kenya 2017: African Leaders for Change, South Africa 2017: Business Daily Top 40 under 40, Kenya 2016: CNN Hero, United States of America

Ms. Laila Baker

Regional Director for Arab States, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) | Egypt

Laila Baker is the Regional Director for Arab States in UNFPA, the UN agency for sexual and reproductive health. Ms. Baker has 30 years international experience in global humanitarian and development settings primarily in the Arab region, leading and strategizing programme delivery, resource mobilization, and interagency coordination in complex geopolitical situations. Ms. Baker has served in several representational and advisory roles, she is an expert in UNFPA mandate areas and programmes, including sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence especially in humanitarian settings. Ms. Baker’s career also includes work with major non-UN organizations such as the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s Regional Office in Tunisia, OXFAM UK and as the Director of Strategic Planning of the national branch of the IFRC in Palestine. As HQ Director for UNRWA’s Relief and Services Program from 2014 to 2016, she instituted a series of reforms to the poverty and social inclusion programs. Ms. Baker comes from a long history of service with the United Nations, most notably, UNDP, UNRWA and a twenty-year career with UNFPA, where she served in Palestine, Geneva and as Representative in Syria and Jordan. She was previously the Regional Director for Arab States, UNDCO, in Amman since August 2019. Mr. Baker has been committed to development and humanitarian work in the Arab region, and is also passionate and strongly committed to seeing through the achievement of the three transformative results in the region by 2030. A national of the United States of America, and of Palestinian descent, Ms. Baker completed her master’s degrees in public health from the University of Wales and Cardiff University School of Medicine and Community.

Dr. Maha El-Adawy

Director, Healthier Populations Division, World Health Organization (WHO) | Egypt

Dr El-Adawy currently works as Director, Division of Healthier Populations since July 2016. She previously worked as the Representative of UNFPA in the Islamic Republic of Iran from August 2015 to July 2016. She also held the position of Program and Technical Regional Advisor, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights in UNFPA Regional Office in Cairo, Egypt from January 2009 to August 2015. Dr El-Adawy was the Policy Adviser for Health in UNDP office in New York, USA from June 2007 to December 2008. Prior to this post, Dr El Adawy was the Senior Regional Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, New York, USA from March 2000 until June 2007. She held other senior health positions at the European Commission (EC) Delegation in Cairo, Egypt as well as at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA. Dr El-Adawy holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Cairo University, Egypt. Dr El-Adawy holds a Master’s degree of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA as well as a Doctorate degree of Public Health from Cairo University, Egypt. She also holds the Eisenhower fellowship for leadership development from the Eisenhower Fellowship program, Philadelphia, USA. She also holds a Takemi fellowship from Harvard School of Public Health. She worked as a consultant for UNICEF, World Bank and the American University in Beirut

HE. Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair

Co-Founder and Chairman, Al Ghurair Foundation | United Arab Emirates

Co-Founder and Chairman, Al Ghurair Foundation

Ms. Yasmine Sherif

Director, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), New York | USA

Yasmine Sherif is the Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – the United Nations Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crisis established by the World Humanitarian Summit. A lawyer specialized in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law (LL.M), she has over 30 years of experience with the United Nations (UNHCR, UNDP, OCHA) and international NGOs, starting her international career in 1988. Ms. Sherif has served in some of the most crisis affected countries and regions on the globe, including Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and across the Middle East, as well as in New York and Geneva. Her expertise spans across the humanitarian, development, human rights, gender and peacekeeping spectrum. Ms. Sherif has also worked as an Adjunct Professor responsible for the Masters Programme on the United Nations, humanitarian assistance, and human rights at Long Island University (LIU), and has published on international humanitarian and development issues, as well as international law. She is the author of the book, The Case for Humanity: An Extraordinary Session, which was launched at the United Nations in New York in 2015, and a Champion for ‘No Lost Generation.’ In 2017, she received the annual award “Sweden’s UN Friend of the Year” and in 2020 she was awarded the Global Educator Award in the United States.

Dr. Sonia Ben Jafaar

CEO, Al Ghurair Foundation, Dubai | United Arab Emirates

Dr. Ben Jaafar currently serves as the CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, one of the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiatives in the Arab world. Prior to this role, she was the Managing Director of EduEval, where she cultivated partnerships with governments, international agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and multinational corporations to promote evidence-based decisions for a greater positive impact on education. She is currently the Chairperson for the Global Councils on Sustainable Development Goals, which was established by the World Government Summit to implement projects with tangible outcomes and support the international implementation of the SDGs. She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership, and a MA in Curriculum Studies from the University of Toronto. She is passionate about coupling her experience with her academic background to promote knowledge sharing and education for good

Dr. Waleed Al Ali

Secretary General, The Digital School, UAE | United Arab Emirates

Dr. Waleed Al Ali – is the secretary general and board member for The Digital School Initiative, He also holds responsibilities in a number of leading initiatives in Dubai including senior advisor at Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the general coordinator for Madrasa.org e-learning initiative and the coordinator for Dubai Future Council for Humanitarian Aid. Dr.Waleed has extensive experience in the areas of strategic planning, educational strategies, social & humanitarian innovation, and digital transformation. الدكتور وليد آل علي هو أمين عام وعضو مجلس إدارة مبادرة المدرسة الرقمية، ويتولى كذلك عدد من المسؤوليات في عدد من المبادرات الرائدة بما فيها مستشار أول في مؤسسة مبادرات محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم العالمية والمشرف العام لمنصة مدرسة للتعليم الإلكتروني، ويشغل أيضاً مهمة منسق مجلس دبي لمستقبل العمل الإنساني. وللدكتور وليد خبرة واسعة في مجالات التخطيط الاستراتيجي وإدارة الابتكار، واستراتيجيات التعليم، ومشاريع الابتكار الاجتماعي والتنموي والتحول الرقمي.

Mr. Claus Sorensen

Senior Adviser on Resilience, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Norwegian Refugee Council; Former Director-General, ECHO | Denmark

Senior Adviser on Resilience, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Norwegian Refugee Council. Until 2016 Mr. Sørensen was the Director General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection in the European Commission (ECHO). Before that he held the post as Director General of Communication. He is a career diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. His first posting from 1981 was at the Danish Delegation to the OECD (Paris). In 1988-89 he was trade and finance councilor at the Danish Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. In 1990 he moved to the Executive arm in the Commission under the lead of Jacques DELORS and joined the Cabinet of Vice-president Christophersen working on the EURO, relations with Eastern Europe, the Enlargement with Sweden, Austria and Finland as well as Social and Environmental issues. As Sweden became member of the EU in 1995 he joined their first Cabinet and worked on the fight against organized crime, social and labor market issues and the further enlargement of the EU to the East. Between 1999 and 2011, Mr. Sørensen held top management positions within the European Commission, most notably Director for International Environmental issues, Head of Cabinet for the Commissioner for Agriculture and later Head of Cabinet for the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian assistance. He is a Board member of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oslo, Institut Bioforce, Lyon, Center for Global Development, Washington, the Global Executive Leadership Initiative, Geneva, Committed to Good, Dubai and Thinktank Europa, Copenhagen. Mr Sørensen has a Master of Economic Science from Aarhus University and is regularly lecturing at the University of Lund, Kings College and Copenhagen.

Mr. Amin Awad

Senior Fellow, Advanced Leadership Initiative, Harvard University and Former UN Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine | Switzerland

2022 Assistant Secretary General and United Nations Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine In light of the escalating crisis in Ukraine (some 14 million people displaced internally and externally): Represented the Secretary – General in Ukraine, led and coordinated UN’s operational response to the evolving situation on the ground. Liaised with government, de facto non-government actors. Coordinated security planning and programming criticality. Served the primary public spokesperson for the UN operations in Ukraine. 2020-2021 Senior Fellow, Advanced Leadership Initiative, Harvard University Amin Awad is a 2020 to 2021 Senior Fellow, Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative, engaged on issues related to vital sectors and drivers for economic and social change in fragile states and states in transition. Prior to this, Mr. Awad served in dual capacity as United Nations Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Syria and Iraq Situations, and as Director of the Bureau for the Middle East and North Africa of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland. In this capacity, he led the UN Refugee Agency’s humanitarian response in the Middle East and North Africa. He coordinated over 9,000 staff and 270 organizations, in close partnership with the respective governments, delivering protection and humanitarian aid to some 20 million displaced persons in the region and in the context of some of the most severe displacement crises of the century. Prior to this, he also worked extensively in the Middle East, including in Yemen during the Somali boat people crisis in 1992, and in Iraq and Jordan, during the first Gulf War in 1990-1991. He again worked in the capacity of Regional Coordinator for the Iraq crisis during the second Gulf War in 2003. Mr. Awad was engaged in humanitarian action with the United Nations for over 30 years, where he distinguished himself in some of the most challenging field operations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. He held a series of leadership positions in the field and at headquarters during many of the mega-crises of the 1990s, including the collapse of the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. During the first and second Gulf Wars, he handled the complex political negotiations in cooperation with cross-Atlantic security and military institutions, namely NATO and the OSCE, as well as regional institutions, such as the EU, OIC and the Arab League. Mr. Awad also held Humanitarian Coordinator positions on several occasions, including in Tajikistan, FYR Macedonia, and Sri Lanka. Amin Awad was given the opportunity to contribute to reform and improvement within the United Nations system, as a focal point for UNHCR. Through this role, he pushed for the UN reform agenda including the UN Transformative Humanitarian Agenda, as well as in the areas of policy development, field implementation, security sector, and technical areas such as procurement, supply and oversight. His profound expertise comprises, inter alia, development cooperation, emergency management, refugee assistance, inter-agency coordination, resource mobilization, global supply chain oversight, and political negotiation. A Senior Fellow at Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative , Awad holds a BA in Political Science and Economics and completed higher studies in International Development Administration.

HE. Nawal Al-Hosany

Permanent Representative of the UAE to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) | United Arab Emirates

Her Excellency Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany is the Permanent Representative of the UAE to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) since April 2018. Previously, Dr. Al Hosany held the position of the Executive Director of Sustainability at Masdar, the international renewable energy leader based in Abu Dhabi. She also served as the Director of the Zayed Future Energy Prize (now known as the Zayed sustainability Prize) for eight years between 2011-2018. She is currently a Jury member of the Prize. She was also the Deputy Director General of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) between 2017-2018. Apart from her current position and as part of her professional career, Dr. Al-Hosany holds positions across various business sectors, government entities and academic institutions in the UAE and internationally. She is also an active and prominent member of several key international, regional and local climate-focused boards and committees, including the advisory council of National Geographic magazine, the advisory board of the Payne Institute in Colorado School of Mines, the advisory Panel for the Momentum for Change initiative of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She is a board member of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the international organization that works in partnership with the United Nations to accelerate action on Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), the Paris Climate Agreement, the Emirates Schools Establishment and the UAE Sailing & Rowing Federation. Concurrently, she serves as the Vice Chair for the Global Council of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dr. Nawal Al Hosany’s numerous professional achievements have been widely acknowledged through prestigious awards. In July 2018, Dr. Al-Hosany was presented the “Doctor of letters Honoris Causa” from Keele University in the UK in recognition for her achievements in the field of sustainability. Dr Al-Hosany also received the “Arab Woman Award” and the “Emirates Business Women Award”. She graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at the UAE University in 1992 and obtained her PhD from Newcastle University in the UK in 2002. Dr. Al-Hosany is also credited as one of the first two Emirati women to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres above sea-level.

Dr. Caroline Abu Sa’Da

Executive Director, SOS Mediterranée, Geneva | France

Dr Caroline Abu Sa’Da holds a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from Sciences Po Paris/France. She is the founder and the current Executive Director of SOS MEDITERRANEE in Switzerland. She has led humanitarian programs in the field, notably in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, for Oxfam GB, the United Nations and Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Dr Abu Sa’Da is the author of numerous books, papers, contributions and reports on humanitarian action, NGOs and the Middle East. She has taught political science at New York University (Paris/France); Sciences Po (Paris/France); Institut des Sciences Politiques (Lille/France) and the University of London in the United Kingdom. She is today an honorary lecturer at Manchester university’s Humanitarian and Conflict Research Institute. Dr Abu Sa’Da has also been the Director of Doctors Without Borders’ Research Unit in Geneva/Switzerland, and the Editorial Responsible for the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva. She is the co-author of the 2016 documentary “Non Assistance” focusing on migration in the Mediterranean.

Mr. Othman Belbeisi

Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, International Organization for Migration (IOM) | Egypt

Mr. Othman Belbeisi as the Regional director for Middle East and North Africa, based in Cairo, Egypt. Prior to this appointment, Othman has been serving as the Senior Regional Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa within the Executive Office. Othman has been with IOM since 2003 and has previously served as the chief of Mission in Libya. He has also worked for IOM Jordan and as IOM Head of Office in Lebanon. Throughout his nearly two-decade career with IOM, Othman has been deployed to various MENA countries on numerous assignments. He also served as emergency coordinator for the Syrian and Libyan crises. In addition to his current duties as SRA MENA, Othman currently served as Special Coordinator for Syria, leading and coordinating activities undertaken by IOM in Syria and neighboring countries. In addition to this recent role. He has been serving as the IOM Director General's Special Envoy for Iraq since early 2022. Othman holds a master's degree in Business Administration and has completed various national and international professional training and qualifications.

Mr. Mark Gibson

Operational Lead, Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) | Switzerland

Mark Gibson is an energy and environmental specialist with over 25 years of experience. He joined The Global Plan of Action (GPA) for Sustainable Energy Solutions in Displacement Settings in 2018, and is the Operational Team Leader. Mark is an Energy Expert deployed by NORCAP: NRC Expert Deployments to UNITAR / GPA in Geneva. Prior to which he spent two years with UNHCR Tanzania where, among other things, he produced the country-wide Energy and Environmental Strategy to address key impacts from the humanitarian response at three refugee camps. Before working in the humanitarian sector, Mark spent 20 years providing private sector support to a broad spectrum of energy and environmental projects in Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Mark holds a degree in Environmental Studies and masters degrees in Environmental Law and Marine Resource Management.

HE. Yerlan Baidaulet

Director General, Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) | Kazakhstan

Director General, Islamic Organization for Food Security

Dr. Youssef Nassef

Director, Adaptation Division, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Bonn | Germany

Director, Adaptation Division, UN Climate Change

Ms. Barbara Hintermann

Director-General, Terre-des-Hommes, Lausanne | Switzerland

De ses 20 ans au Comité Internationale de la Croix-Rouge (CICR), passées tant sur le terrain qu’au siège, Barbara Hintermann a acquit une connaissance approfondie de l’action humanitaire ainsi que de son écosystème. Ella a notamment fait des missions dans plusieurs pays au Moyen-Orient, en Afrique et en Amérique Latine et elle a travaillé dans différentes positions de senior leadership au siège à Genève. Ensuite, pendant 5 ans, elle a dirigé la fondation Initiatives et Changement Suisse active dans la reconciliation et promotion de la paix. Depuis janvier 2020, Barbara Hintermann est la Directrice Générale de la Fondation Terre des hommes à Lausanne qui œuvre pour le bien-être des enfants et la promotion des droits de l’enfant. During her 20 years with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), both in the field and at headquarters, Barbara Hintermann has acquired an in-depth knowledge of humanitarian action and its ecosystem. She has worked in various countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America and hold several senior leadership positions at the Headquarters in Geneva. Afterwards, for five years, she has headed the Initiatives of Change Switzerland foundation, which is active in reconciliation and promotion of peace. Since January 2020, Barbara Hintermann is the Director General of the Terre des hommes Foundation in Lausanne, which works for the wellbeing of children and the promotion of children's rights.

Ms. Elise d’Epenoux

Senior Director for Public Affairs and International Communications, The SeaCleaners | France

After starting her career as an international reporter for RFI (Radio France Internationale) in Africa (Republic of Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast), Elise d’Epenoux became a journalist for AFP (Agence France-Presse) for over 12 years. For AFP, she was a specialist in environmental issues, climate change and plastic pollution. As such, she also extensively covered the COP21 and the Paris Agreement. She then worked for 2 years as a communications officer, editorial manager and writer for the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) where she was notably in charge of the engagement of all stakeholders and the moderation of the sessions and panel discussions for COP23 and COP24. Since June 2021, she has been the Senior Director of Public Affairs, Head of International Communications and Spokesperson for the international NGO SeaCleaners, which fights marine plastic pollution.

Mr. Karim El-Jisr

Chief Sustainability Officer, Diamond Developers, The Sustainable City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates

Karim El-Jisr is an effective and passionate communicator in urban development, smart cities, and climate change. He worked 15 years in conservation management and then shifted his attention to making future cities and communities more livable and climate-proof with a people-centric focus. He is based in The Sustainable City in Dubai, an award-winning master-planned community which has become a living laboratory for future technologies and climate action. Karim graduated from the American University of Beirut in agricultural engineering (1997) and environmental sciences (1999). He completed a course in Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. A seasoned speaker at international venues, Karim is fluent in Arabic, English, French, and Danish.

Dr. Carole Nakhle

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Crystol Energy; Energy Research Fellow, Surrey Energy Economics Centre, UK | United Kingdom

Dr. Carole Nakhle is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Crystol Energy, an advisory, research and training firm, which received several awards including Best Independent Energy Consultancy in the UK in 2018 and again in 2021. Dr Nakhle is an internationally recognised authority on the interplay between economics, energy, governance and geopolitics. With a unique breadth of experience gained from working across a wide spectrum of stakeholders, Dr Nakhle worked with major energy companies at the executive level, governments and policy makers (including Special Parliamentary Advisor in the UK), international organisations (Commonwealth Secretariat, IMF, United Nations and World Bank), as well as academic institutions and specialized think tanks on a global scale. She sits on the Governing Board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and is a Member of the Advisory Boards of the Middle East Institute and Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines. She is a program advisor to the Washington based International Tax and Investment Centre and Lead Energy Expert with the Geopolitical Intelligence Services. Dr Nakhle has played an integral part in the OECD Policy Dialogue on Natural Resource-based Development and has contributed to the development of the organisation’s Principles for Durable Extractive Contracts. She has lectured at leading academic institutions, including: the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, University of Surrey in the UK, The Graduate Institute in Geneva, Saint Joseph University in Lebanon, The National Defense University in the USA and Nato Strategic Direction South Hub in Italy. Her views are highly regarded. She has published extensively in academic journals, newspapers and magazines and acts as a Reviewer to leading academic journals. She is an avid commentator on energy in the international media and at major conferences and industry gatherings. She has appeared on Al Arabiyya, Al Jazeera, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, Africa News, France 24, and Sky News to name but a few, and was quoted in leading newspapers such as the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. She is also the author of two widely acclaimed books: Petroleum Taxation: Sharing the Wealth published in 2008 and re-printed in 2012 and used as primary reference in leading universities and industry training courses; and Out of the Energy Labyrinth (2007), co-authored with Lord David Howell, former Secretary of State for Energy in the UK. Dr Nakhle has worked on projects in many countries, collaborating closely with host governments, ministries, and parliaments, in addition to the private sector and civic society. She has also been on exploratory visits to the Arctic (organised by the Norwegian Government) and the North Sea. She is fluent in Arabic, English and French. In 2017, she gave evidence to the International Relations Committee at the UK Parliament on the transformation of power in the Middle East and implications for UK policy. An avid supporter of gender balance, in 2007, she founded the not-for-profit organisation ‘Access for Women in Energy’, with the aim of promoting the development of women in the energy sector. She has also supported the development of similar initiatives in Ghana, Tunisia and the UAE, where she sits on ADIPEC’s Advisory Board for Inclusion and Diversity. In 2022, Dr Nakhle featured in the ‘Top 22 Outstanding Women CEOs of 2022’ published by the New York based The Women Leaders. A year earlier, she was selected ‘CEO of the Year’ in the UK, by CEO Monthly Magazine. In 2020, she was awarded the prestigious Fellowship of the Energy Institute and featured on the Energy Council’s list of Top Female Executives in the global energy industry. In 2017, she received the Honorary Professional Recognition Award from the Tunisian Minister of Energy, Mines & Renewable Energy.

Mr. Giuseppe Saba

CEO, International Humanitarian City, Dubai | United Arab Emirates

Chief Executive Officer of International Humanitarian City; Founder of UNHRD Network and former Network Coordinator Appointed as CEO of Dubai’s International Humanitarian City in early March 2017, Giuseppe Saba brings more than 36 years of extensive experience in the humanitarian field with the United Nations and international organizations. Saba is a leading logistics and support services expert. He is the founder of the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot Network (UNHRD); In 2000, he set up under the UN World Food Programme (WFP) the first UNHRD in Brindisi, south-east of Italy, as a consortium of UN Agencies and international humanitarian organizations, including governmental and non-governmental entities. Following the lessons learned from the emergency response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, he developed and expanded UNHRD into the current network by opening hubs and negotiating agreements with various hosting governments in Dubai, Malaysia, Ghana, Spain and Panama. As a result of his efforts, UNHRD became one of the largest international humanitarian platforms with more than 90 partners operating in emergency preparedness and response. Saba is an Italian citizen and since his retirement from the UN-WFP in 2013, he has served as a consultant to various humanitarian agencies including the Norwegian Refugee Council and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).

HE. Sultan Al Shamsi

Assistant Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation(MOFAIC), UAE | United Arab Emirates

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs, United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Sultan Al Shamsi is the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs, with over 23 years of experience in governmental organizations and private sector. In addition to providing strategic guidance to the UAE leadership on issues relating to foreign assistance, his current responsibilities include supervising two departments: Foreign Aid Affairs and Technical Cooperation, also he is chairing the Women Empowerment Committee within the Ministry. HE Al Shamsi is also a board member of UAE Water Aid Foundation, a board member of UN OCHA's Advisory Board for Annual Partnership Conference, and board member of DIHAD International Scientific Advisory Board (Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference). H.E. Al Shamsi served as the Assistant Under-Secretary for International Development at the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development (MICAD) from 2013-2016, when MICAD was merged under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At MICAD, HE Al Shamsi was responsible for setting up the new ministry, as well as acting as the lead for the development of the UAE foreign aid policy, and coordinating with the OECD/DAC regarding the documentation, evaluation and policy dialogue. He also acted as the Coordinator of the UAE Committee for the Coordination of Foreign Humanitarian Assistance, and chaired MICAD’s Innovation Committee and Shaping the Future Committee. H.E. Al Shamsi was the Executive Director (Assistant Under-Secretary) of the UAE Office for the Coordination of Foreign Aid (OCFA), from its establishment in 2009 until it became part of MICAD in March 2013. During this time, HE Al Shamsi was responsible for establishing and monitoring the implementation of OCFA’s structure, policies, strategic plans, and programs. H.E. Al Shamsi’s previous roles include acting as: Director of Customer Services & Compliance at the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport; and Support Services Manager at Al Foah Company in Abu Dhabi General Holding Corporation. H.E. Al Shamsi is a graduate of Management Information Systems (MIS) from the UAE University, and holds a Master degree in Business Administration/Information Management from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia.

HE. Gerhard Putman-Cramer

CEO, DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation | Switzerland

Currently: -Ambassador, Permanent Observer of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva; -Chief Executive Officer, Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development (DIHAD) Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation; -Member, Dubai Council on the Future of Humanitarian Aid (Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives); Higher Council Member of the International Congress for Health Specialties (ICHS); Former member of the Advisory Committee on International Operations of the Swiss Red Cross and of the Board of the Henri Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue; former Senior Associate of the Global Humanitarian Forum, Geneva. In his capacity as Permanent Observer of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Putman-Cramer provides support to a number of initiatives undertaken by – or aimed at – PAM member states. This involves developing and applying various aspects of parliamentary diplomacy, often as inputs complementary to actions conducted under the auspices of the UN. As the CEO of the DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation, Amb. Putman-Cramer spearheads a number of the Foundation’s initiatives (including the newly created DIHAD College) and elaborates as well as oversees the Conference Programme of the annual DIHAD event (www.dihad.org). The most recent Conference (14-16 March 2022) had as its theme: “SDG 17, Partnerships and Cooperation for Sustainable Development”. From 1975 until 2009 Amb. Putman-Cramer was with the United Nations, initially with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and subsequently with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA/OCHA). He served in New York (on 3 separate occasions), in Geneva (also on 3 separate occasions) and in a variety of field locations (including 2 years in Malaysia and 3 years in Madagascar). The last 14 years of his UN career saw him in the position of Chief of OCHA’s Emergency Services (concurrently appointed as Deputy Director, OCHA Geneva), during which time he created and developed a number of effective international response mechanisms and instruments (e.g the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team – UNDAC – and the Civil/Military Coordination concept ) while also reinforcing, together with the concerned authorities in disaster-prone countries, essential response capacities at the community, national and regional levels. During this period also, he led a large number of emergency/disaster response missions to, inter alia, Iraq (in the years 1991-94 and in 2003, as Area Coordinator for the Centre Region), the Caucasus, Tajikistan, Pakistan (the 2005 earthquake), Turkey, Mongolia, Thailand and Indonesia (also in the context of the South-East Asia Tsunami). Amb. Putman-Cramer has a ‘’Diplôme Universitaire en Santé Humanitaire’’ from the University Claude-Bernard in Lyon, a Post-Graduate Diploma (Economics, International Relations and International Law) from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, a Post-Graduate Diploma (Economic Development) from the Polytechnic of North London and a B.A. (Hons.) in Literature from Bedford College, University of London. Amb. Putman-Cramer is married and has two daughters.