#NotTheCost 5th Anniversary Speakers Madeleine K. Albright, Former Secretary of State and NDI Chairman Madeleine K. Albright is a professor, author, diplomat, and businesswoman who served as the 64th Secretary of State of the United States. Dr. Albright received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Obama on May 29, 2012. In 1997, Dr. Albright was named the first female Secretary of State and became, at that time, the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. As Secretary of State, Dr. Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated for democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade, business, labor, and environmental standards abroad. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and was a member of the President’s Cabinet. From 1989 to 1992, she served as President of the Center for National Policy. Previously, she was a member of President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff and served as Chief Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Edmund S. Muskie. Dr. Albright is a Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Dr. Albright is Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and Chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. She also chairs the National Democratic Institute and serves as the president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. She is a member of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board, a group tasked with providing the Secretary of Defense with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy. Dr. Albright also serves on the Board of the Aspen Institute. In 2009, Dr. Albright was asked by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Chair a Group of Experts focused on developing NATO’s New Strategic Concept. Colleen Bell, Executive Director of the California Film Commission and former United States Ambassador to Hungary Colleen Bell was appointed executive director of the California Film Commission (CFC) by Governor Gavin Newsom on May 23, 2019. As Film Commissioner, she oversees governmental efforts to facilitate motion picture, television, commercial and new media production statewide. She works directly with all levels of state and local government to promote California as a production locale and create production-related jobs. In addition to directing the CFC’s wide range of services, she is also tasked with educating legislators, production industry decision makers and the public at large about the value of filming in California. Prior to leading the CFC, Ms. Bell had a distinguished career in entertainment production, business and diplomacy. She was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Hungary from 2014 - 2017. As Ambassador and Chief of Mission of U.S. Embassy Budapest, Ms. Bell led engagement on military cooperation, law enforcement and economic development between the U.S. and Hungary. She supervised a team of more than 300 while working on initiatives including treaty negotiations, cybersecurity, migration, biotechnology, cultural diplomacy, support for Ukraine and women’s issues. For her work as U.S. Ambassador, Ms. Bell was the first woman bestowed the Dr. Iván Völgyes award for business promotion from the American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary. In addition, she received the Order of Merit Middle Cross, which is the second-highest State Order of Hungary. Martin Chungong, Secretary General for the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong made history in 2014 by becoming the first African to be elected IPU Secretary General. After 14 years working in the Cameroonian Parliament, he spent more than 20 distinguished years within the IPU before being elected Secretary General. For more than three decades he has dedicated his professional life to promoting democracy worldwide. He has become a leader in the field of developing programmes to help parliaments become more transparent, accountable, representative and effective democratic institutions and has further contributed to establishing governance benchmarks to strengthen democracy. Mr. Chungong has also built an impressive portfolio in the promotion of dialogue and conflict resolution, issues that remain at the heart of the IPU’s work. His focus on helping countries emerge from conflict or in transition has been widely acknowledged by the IPU membership and IPU partners globally. In addition, he is an International Gender Champion, part of a network of decision-makers, male and female, who have committed to breaking down gender barriers. Ini Edo, Actress and NDI Ambassador for Women's Empowerment in Nigeria Iniobong Edo, popularly known as Ini Edo is an Award-winning Nollywood actress who rose to fame after featuring in more than two hundred movies since her debut Nollywood blockbuster movie “World Apart,” which earned her the award of the Most Promising Actress in Nigeria at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMMA). Off-screen, Ini Edo has become prominently involved in charity projects and philanthropic activities which include helping young women through her non-governmental organization Girls Empowerment Mentoring System (GEMS). As a result of her philanthropic activities she was appointed by the United Nations as the UN Habitat Youth envoy in 2011. Ini Edo attended Cornelius Connely College in Uyo, where she obtained her West African Senior School Certificate and then proceeded to the University of Uyo where she graduated with a Diploma in Theatre Arts. Thereafter, Ini Edo went to the University of Calabar and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in English. In 2016, Ini Edo was appointed by the Governor of Akwa Ibom state as the Special Assistant to the Governor on Culture and Tourism. After the 2019 general elections in Nigeria she was reappointed by the Governor to serve in the same role. In 2020, Ini Edo was appointed by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) as the ambassador for women empowerment programs. Jeanine Mabunda Lioko Mudiayi, MP and former Speaker of Parliament, Democratic Republic of Congo The Honourable Jeanine Mabunda Lioko Mudiayi was the first woman elected President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo, serving from April 24th, 2019 to December 10th, 2020. She has been a Member of the Congolese Parliament since 2011, having been re-elected in 2018, as a National Deputy of Bumba, Équateur Province. From 2014 to 2018, Mrs. Mabunda served as the Personal Representative of the President to combat sexual violence and child soldier recruitment. As part of this mission, she implemented a program to combat impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence and worked with victims to ensure that their voices would be heard, and justice would be served. She facilitated a dialogue between communities, various institutional stakeholders, and the victims themselves, to better understand the issues and what must be done to address them. During her tenure in this position, instances of sexual violence in the DRC were reduced by 85%, but much work remains to be done. The progress toward combating child soldier recruitment was recognized by the United Nations in 2017, when the armed forces of the DRC were removed from the UN’s list of parties to armed conflict that recruited child soldiers. From 2007 to 2012, Mrs. Mabunda served as Minister of Portfolio and Public Enterprises, charged with reforming the DRC's state-owned enterprises. At that time, state-owned enterprises employed over 100,000 workers and the country was facing several socio-economic challenges. Fadzayi Mahere, National Spokesperson for the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance Fadzayi Mahere practices as an advocate at the Harare Bar. Her main fields of practice include constitutional law, human rights law and administrative law. She also takes on appellate criminal work and specialised crime. She holds a Masters in International Law from the University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Zimbabwe. She has also completed the executive leadership course at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government entitled “Leadership for the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict and Courage.” Prior to reading law at Cambridge, Fadzayi worked in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in the Hague and for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She was also awarded a Pegasus Fellowship from the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple in London, which enabled her to work in various Chambers in London, including Essex Court Chambers and Doughty Street Chambers. She has marshalled with Judge Paget QC at the Old Bailey, London’s Oldest Criminal Court in 2010. In addition to her practise as an advocate, Fadzayi is also a law lecturer in the fields of Property Law and Administrative Law. Dr. Nomafrench Mbombo, Western Cape Minister of Health and the Democratic Alliance Women’s Network Federal Leader in South Africa Dr. Nomafrench Mbombo, was born and bred in Mdantsane Township in East London, Eastern Cape, SA. She is currently the Western Cape Health Minister having assumed the position on 1 January 2015. She is the first woman ever appointed in this position in this Department. Before being appointed as the Health Minister, she was the Minister at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports. She is a mother, a human rights activist and nature lover. Before entering into politics, Dr Mbombo was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa. She holds a PhD in the area of Gender and Human Rights (UWC), Masters in Maternal & Child Health (UKZN) and a Bachelors in Nursing Science (UFH). She previously worked in provincial and local government health departments in the Eastern Cape and KZN respectively. Dr. Mbombo has held advisory and consultative roles to various ministries of health in Africa and in multinational organisations across the globe.