His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in January 2016 and as the Prime Minister in March 2023.In the early beginning of his career, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs worked as an Economic Researcher at the Ruling Family Council in 2003. He moved up the career ladder until he became the Director of Economic Affairs from 2005 to 2009.In 2009, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed Director of the Small and Medium Enterprises Support Project as well as Director of the Department of Public and Private Sectors Partnership at the Ministry of Business and Trade. In the same year, he launched “Enterprise Qatar” – an organisation that provides technical and financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises. His policy agenda is aimed at fostering economic diversification programs through attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) to Qatar, and through promoting entrepreneurial ventures to contribute to the country’s economic growth.In 2010, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs served as the Secretary of the Personal Representative of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for Follow-up Affairs at the Amiri Diwan. In the same year, he became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Mining Company.In 2011, he became Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aspire – Katara Investment Company. He attained the rank of Undersecretary in 2012.In 2013, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed as the Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs. His policies focused on promoting multilateral cooperation along with implementing the development and aid agenda of the State of Qatar.He currently serves as the Chairman of Qatar Fund for Development. In 2014, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed led the restructuring of Qatar Fund for Development and advocated targeting support to primary and secondary education, global health and economic development.On 4 November 2018, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs was appointed Chairman of Qatar Investment Authority.His Excellency is also a member of the Supreme Council for Economic and Investments Affairs.

António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017.Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth, from refugee camps to war zones, the Secretary-General has centered his efforts on ensuring human dignity for all.  In a period of unprecedented global challenges, he has drawn on his commitment to the UN Charter to mobilize people and launch action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, address the climate emergency, advance gender equality, and achieve ambitious 21st century reforms to enhance the Organization’s vital efforts to secure peace, sustainable development, human rights and humanitarian aid.Prior to his appointment as Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015,  heading one of the world’s foremost humanitarian organizations during some of the most serious displacement crises in decades. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Yemen, led to a huge rise in UNHCR’s activities as the number of people displaced by conflict and persecution rose from 38 million in 2005 to over 60 million in 2015.Before joining UNHCR, Mr. Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service. He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, during which time he was heavily involved in the international effort to resolve the crisis in East Timor.As president of the European Council in early 2000, he led the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and co-chaired the first European Union-Africa summit. He was a member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1991 to 2002.Mr. Guterres was elected to the Portuguese Parliament in 1976 where he served as a member for 17 years. During that time, he chaired the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Finance and Planning, and later the Parliamentary Committee for Territorial Administration, Municipalities and Environment. He was also leader of his party’s parliamentary group.

Rina Amiri is currently the U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights. Under the Obama Administration, she served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ms. Amiri brings over two decades of political expertise, advising and working with governments in various conflict settings in West and the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and Europe. Her areas of focus are peace and security, with a specialization in inclusion in mediation processes. Ms. Amiri has served in the United Nations in several capacities including as a Senior Mediation Expert and as a member of the United Nation’s Special Representative of the Secretary General’s political team in Afghanistan during the implementation of the Bonn Agreement. She has held senior and leadership positions in a variety of universities and think tanks, including the Women in Public Policy Program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy’s School of Government; Princeton University’s Innovations for Successful Societies; and New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and The Center on International Cooperation where, as a Senior Fellow, she led the Afghanistan and Regional Policy Initiative. She has championed the rights of Afghan women and girls for decades and is a founding member of Inclusive Security, a global women’s initiative advocating for the inclusion of women in peace processes.

Dr. Ahmed Awad BinMubarak holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Baghdad and received the Distinguished Graduate Shield from the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA) of National Defense University in Washington, DC. He worked as an Assistant Professor in several Yemeni universities and headed the Business Administration Centre for Graduate Studies at Sana’a University. He has supervised dozens of university thesis and dissertations and worked as a consultant for several international institutions in and outside Yemen. He was the head of the academic group in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and has chaired and actively participated in memberships of Boards of Directors for a number of civil society institutions and private sector. In 2012, Dr. BinMubarak was appointed as a member of the Preparatory Committee in charge of preparing for the biggest turning points in the Yemeni transitional process as an independent representative, and was elected as committee rapporteur.On January 18, 2013, President Hadi issued a decree assigning him Secretary General of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference, to lead 120 employees in addition to hundreds of volunteers who were among the finest young men and women working in Yemen. He facilitated mediation efforts and technical support for the 565 participating members, and most importantly for the members of the Constitution Drafting Committee.Dr. BinMubarak, along with the United Nations, chaired the Steering Committee and the Peacebuilding Fund and played a facilitating role for many crucial sessions in the Conciliation Committee as well as the Southern Issue committee. During the final stages of the conference, Dr. BinMubarak was appointed as a member and rapporteur of the Territory Determination committee that defined the parameters of the proposed new federal Yemen.On multiple occasions, President Hadi also sent him as his special envoy to the United Nations Security Council and to the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In 2014, he was appointed Director of the Presidential Office (i.e., Chief of Staff) and in the same year appointed to be Prime Minister for which he declined in accepting the position. Dr. BinMubarak was kidnapped in January 2015 by the Houthi militia while carrying the original new draft constitution to present it to the National Authority to Monitor the Implementation of the Outcomes of the National Dialogue. Dr. BinMubarak has participated in most of the United Nations peace talks as an advisor to the negotiating team for the legitimate government of the Republic of Yemen. In July 2015, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Yemen to the United States of America, in Washington, DC, and has also functioned as non-resident ambassador to Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. He was also appointed as the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations during the year 2018. 

Mr. Vladimir Voronkov was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism on 21 June 2017, established by General Assembly resolution 71/291. Mr. Voronkov brings to the position more than 30 years of experience within the Foreign Service of the Russian Federation, working primarily on United Nations affairs, with responsibilities ranging from public diplomacy and social and economic development issues to intergovernmental affairs. Prior to his appointment, he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna. Under his leadership, the Permanent Mission launched several flagship projects with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and developed successful collaborations with the UNODC Antiterrorist Branch. Mr. Voronkov also served on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during which time he led several delegations of the Russian Federation to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Prior to serving in Vienna, Mr. Voronkov was Director of the Department of European Cooperation (2008-2011), during which time he served as the Head of the Russian Delegation during the Russia-European Union negotiations on the visa-free regime (2010-2011). He started his career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1989 and has served in various capacities, among them as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna (2005-2008), Deputy Director of the Personnel Department (2002-2005) and Minister Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Embassy to Poland (2000-2002). Mr. Voronkov holds a PhD from Moscow State University. He has authored various scientific publications on international issues.

Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, a foreign policy expert and diplomat specializing in national security affairs, is Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She brings over 30 years of government and international experience across senior levels of diplomacy, business, and defense. She was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Thomson Reuters and held the Distinguished National Security Chair at the U.S. Naval Academy.  Her high-level government positions include Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, President's Envoy to Northern Ireland, National Security Council Director of European and Soviet Affairs, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.  A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy, Dobriansky also served on the Defense Policy Board, the Secretary of State's Foreign Policy Board and as Chair of ExIm Bank's Council on China Competition. She has a BSFS summa cum laude from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and an MA and Ph.D. in Soviet political/military affairs from Harvard University.  She has received high-level international recognition from the governments of Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania and Colombia and has five Honorary Doctorate degrees.

His Excellency Mr. Ayman Hussein Safadi was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in October 2020. From January 2017 until October 2020, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.Minister Safadi served as a member of the Jordanian Senate, where he presided over the Senate Communications and National Guidance Committee and served as a member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2010, Mr. Safadi was appointed as Deputy Prime Minster, State Minister, and Spokesperson for the Government. In addition, Mr. Safadi served as an advisor to His Majesty King Abdullah II from 2008 until 2010.In 2004, Minister Safadi served as a Spokesperson for the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq. He served as Director of communications at the Royal Hashemite Court also as Press Secretary to HRH Prince El-Hassan bin Talal. Mr. Safadi is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Path Arabia, a political consultancy that operated out of Abu Dhabi and specialized in producing policy papers and political analysis of regional issues and international affairs affecting the Middle East.Born in 1962, in Jordan, His Excellency Safadi holds a master’s degree in International Journalism from Baylor University in Texas and a bachelor’s degree in English Language & Literature from Yarmouk University. Mr. Safadi edited a number of Jordanian newspapers, including the Jordan Times and AlGhad. He is also a regular commentator on Middle Eastern affairs for regional and international media.

Børge Brende is President of the World Economic Forum. Previously he was the Norwegian minister of Foreign Affairs, minister of Trade and Industry, and minister of Climate and the Environment. He served as deputy chairman of the Norwegian Conservative Party as well as MP. He was also vice-mayor in his hometown Trondheim. He was chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and secretary- general of the Norwegian Red Cross. He was board member of Statoil and the Norwegian School of Economics. He has been the Chair of Mesta, Norway’s largest contracting group in the area of road and highway maintenance. He is a member of the Advisory Council, Harvard International Negotiation Program, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), the Strategic Committee of Sciences Po, and is currently on the board of the Bilderberg Meetings.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 12 May 2021 the appointment of Martin Griffiths of the United Kingdom as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  He will succeed Mark Lowcock of the United Kingdom to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his dedicated service to the Organization and commitment in mobilizing assistance and resources to protect and alleviate the conditions of the many people affected by humanitarian crises. Mr. Griffiths brings extensive leadership experience in humanitarian affairs at headquarters and country levels, both strategically and operationally, as well as senior level experience in international conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation, most recently as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen (since 2018), a position he will continue to serve until a transition has been announced.  Mr. Griffiths served as Adviser to three Special Envoys of the Secretary‑General for Syria and Deputy Head of the United Nations Supervision Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic (UNSMIS) (2012-2014).  He was the first Executive Director of the European Institute of Peace (2014-2018) and founding Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva (1999-2010), where he specialized in developing political dialogue between Governments and insurgents in a range of countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. His professional records span from resource mobilization and donor relations managing response to natural disasters, to international advocacy and diplomacy, having worked within the British diplomatic service, the United Nations, international humanitarian organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children and Action Aid.  He served in Geneva as the Director of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs (1992), which preceded the establishment of OCHA, as Deputy to the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator in New York (1998-1999) and as United Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes and in the Balkans. He holds a master’s degree in Southeast Asian studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and is a qualified barrister. He speaks English and French.

Dr. Comfort Ero was appointed Crisis Group’s President & CEO in December 2021. She joined the organisation as West Africa Project Director in 2001 and rose to become Africa Program Director and then, in January 2021, Interim Vice President.Dr. Ero has spent her entire career working on or in conflict-affected countries. In between her two tenures at Crisis Group, she served as Deputy Africa Program Director for the International Centre for Transitional Justice (2008-2010) and, prior to that, Political Affairs Officer and Policy Advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Mission in Liberia (2004-2007). She has a PhD from the London School of Economics, University of London. Dr Ero is also the Chair of the Board of the Rift Valley Institute and sits on the editorial board of various journals, including International Peacekeeping.

Dr. Henry Huiyao WANG is the Founder and President of Center for China and Globalization (CCG), a leading Chinese nongovernmental think tank accredited with UN “Special Consultative Status” and ranked 64th among think tanks worldwide in 2020 Global Go to Think Tank Index (GGTTI) by the University of Pennsylvania.Dr. Wang is the former Counselor to the State Council of China appointed by the Chinese premier. In addition, he serves as Vice Chairman of MOFCOM’s China Association for International Economic Cooperation (CAIEC); Vice Chairman of China Talent Research Society; a Director of MFA’s Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation; Vice Chairman of China Public Relations Association. He is also Professor and Dean of the Institute of Development at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and a member of Advisory Committee for Global Competence Development at Tsinghua University. Currently, he is a Steering Committee Member of Global Governance for the Digital Ecosystems (GGDE), the Paris Peace Forum, Pandemic Action Network(PAN) and Metropolis International, and he also sits on the Advisory Board of Duke Kunshan University and Richard Ivey Business School.

On February 4, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden appointed Tim Lenderking as US Special Envoy for Yemen. Mr. Lenderking previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs in the Near East Bureau at the U.S. Department of State. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Mr. Lenderking served previously as the Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d' Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2013-2016. He served as the Director of the Pakistan Office at the Department of State from 2010-2013. From 2008-2010, Mr. Lenderking completed two tours in Baghdad, the first as the Senior Democracy Advisor at the US Embassy, and the second as the Policy Advisor to the Commanding General of Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I), based at Camp Victory. Before his Iraq tours, Mr. Lenderking served as the Economic Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at US Embassy Kuwait. He was also the Political Counselor at Embassy Rabat from 2002-2006. Mr. Lenderking’s other tours in the Foreign Service include serving as the Special Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs 2001-2002, as the Lebanon Desk Officer 2000-2001, and as a Watch Officer in the Operations Center. Mr. Lenderking also served in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and in Damascus, Syria. Mr. Lenderking joined the Foreign Service in 1993 after a career in the refugee field, where he held numerous positions with American NGOs and with the United Nations in New York, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Thailand. Mr. Lenderking received a Master’s Degree in History and International Relations from the University of Washington in 1989 and a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors from Wesleyan University in 1985. He is the recipient of the Presidential Merit Award, nine Superior Honor Awards from the Department of State, and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award from the Department of the Army for his service in Iraq.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Thani was appointed Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer in March 2020. Sheikh Mohammed was also the Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo Qatar from 2020 to 2023 where he strategically steered the company through the challenges of the pandemic and successfully led the operation to its greatest successes, including Ooredoo’s record-breaking achievements during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. He has extensive experience in communications, digital transformation, finance and accounting, and has held various management positions within Ooredoo since he joined the company in 2009.    Sheikh Mohammed is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ooredoo Kuwait and Ooredoo Oman and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asiacell in Iraq.Previously, he was CEO of Ooredoo Kuwait and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ooredoo Myanmar, Ooredoo Algeria and President Commissioner of Indosat Ooredoo, where he achieved great success. He holds a Masters degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Cardiff, UK and a Bachelors degree in Accounting from Qatar University.

Achim Steiner became UNDP Administrator on 19 June 2017. The United Nations General Assembly confirmed his appointment following his nomination by Secretary- General António Guterres. In April 2021, the General Assembly confirmed his appointment to a second four-year term beginning in June2021.Mr. Steiner is also the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which unites 40 entities of the UN system that work to support sustainable development.Over nearly three decades, Achim Steiner has been a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. He has worked tirelessly to champion sustainability, economic growth and equality for the vulnerable, and has been a vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals.Prior to joining UNDP, he was Director of the Oxford Martin School and Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, University of Oxford. Mr Steiner has served across the United Nations system, looking at global challenges from both a humanitarian and a development perspective. He led the United Nations Environment Programme (2006- 2016), helping governments invest in clean technologies and renewable energy. He was also Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. Achim Steiner previously held other notable positions including Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams.Achim Steiner has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the United States. He graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (MA) from Worcester College, Oxford University and holds an MA from the University of London/School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

Ms. Hanna Tetteh is the UN Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, a position she has held since April 2022. Prior to that she had held the positions of UN Special Representative to the African Union, and earlier on the Director General of the UN Office in Nairobi. Before joining the United Nations Ms. Tetteh held various political offices in the Republic of Ghana. She has previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and before that Minister for Trade and Industry. She was also Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya West Constituency. Ms. Tetteh is a Lawyer by profession.