UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee Tenth Annual Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 Speaker and moderator biographies
Helen Clark, Administrator United Nations Development Programme Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme on 17 April 2009, and was re-appointed for a second term on 12 April 2013. She is the first woman to lead the organization. She also chairs the United Nations Development Group, comprising the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues. Prior to her appointment with UNDP, Ms. Clark served for three successive terms as Prime Minister of New Zealand (1999-2008). Throughout her tenure, Ms. Clark engaged widely in policy development and advocacy in international, economic, social and cultural spheres. Under her leadership, New Zealand achieved significant economic growth, low levels of unemployment, high levels of investment in education and health, and the well-being of families and older citizens. She and her Government prioritized reconciliation and settlement of historical grievances with indigenous peoples and the development of an inclusive multi-cultural and multi-faith society. Prior to entering parliament, Ms. Clark taught in the Political Studies Department of the University of Auckland. She graduated with a BA in 1971 and an MA with First Class Honours in 1974.
Rebeca Grynspan, Associate Administrator United Nations Development Programme Rebeca Grynspan was appointed to the position of UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator effective 1 February, 2010. Prior to this, she served for four years as Assistant Administrator and Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, where she was a strong advocate for the Millennium Development Goals, system-wide coherence, and for an organization more responsive to the needs of developing countries. Prior to her service with UNDP, she was director of the sub-regional headquarters in Mexico of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (2001-2006). Before joining the United Nations system, Ms. Grynspan served in several ministerial-level positions with the Costa Rican Government (1986-1994), before becoming Vice-President (1994-1998). In addition to her experience as an adviser, lecturer and author, Ms. Grynspan has contributed to key United Nations initiatives such as the Millennium Project’s Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and the High-Level Panel on Financing for Development.
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies
Sigrid Kaag, Assistant Secretary-General and Director UNDP Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy Sigrid Kaag joined UNDP in August 2010, after serving at UNICEF as Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa, as Chief of Staff in the Office of the UNICEF Executive Director, and as Deputy Director (Regional and Inter-Agency Affairs), Programme Division. Prior to UNICEF, Ms. Kaag was senior UN adviser to the United Nations/World Bank Joint Assessment Mission for Sudan in the Office of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary- General in Khartoum during the period 2004-2005. Previous assignments in the United Nations include Deputy Director of Programmes and Chief, Donor Relations, at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, serving with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East at its headquarters location. Ms. Kaag has also worked with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Shell International headquarters in London. She holds a first degree in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo, a Master’s in Philosophy in international relations from St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, and a second Master’s degree in politics and economics of the Middle East from the University of Exeter.
Amina J. Mohammed Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning Amina J. Mohammed was appointed Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning in June 2012. She is also CEO and Founder of the Center for Development Policy Solutions (Nigeria) and an Adjunct Professor in the Master’s Programme for Development Practice at Columbia University, New York. Prior to this, Ms. Mohammed served as Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the Millennium Development Goals after serving three presidents over a period of six years. In 2005 she was in charge of coordinating debt relief funds ($1 billion per annum) towards the achievement of the MDGs in Nigeria. Her mandate included designing a Virtual Poverty Fund with innovative approaches to poverty reduction, budget coordination and monitoring, as well as providing advice on pertinent issues regarding poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development. Ms. Mohammed’s previous positions include Coordinator of the Task Force on Gender and Education for the United Nations Millennium Project (2002-2005) and Founder and Executive Director of Afri-Projects Consortium, a multidisciplinary firm of engineers and quantity surveyors (1991-2001). She also worked with Archcon Nigeria, an architectural engineering firm, in association with Norman and Dawbarn UK (1981-1991).
In alphabetical order: Walid Badawi, Team Leader, Emerging Partnerships UNDP Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy Since 2009 Walid Badawi has led UNDP’s efforts to scale up south-south cooperation and to engage emerging economies in new strategic partnerships with UNDP to contribute more effectively to achieving internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs. His previous assignments include Deputy Resident Representative (Programme) of UNDP in Iraq and Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States. Mr. Badawi concurrently oversaw a number of regional programmes in the areas of HIV/AIDS and the environment and was Deputy Director of the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People, based in New York. Prior to that, he served for eight years in the field working in UNDP Country Offices in Indonesia and Egypt. Mr. Badawi holds a Masters in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management, Arizona, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Fordham University in New York.
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies
Marion Barthélémy, Chief, Intergovernmental Support and Interagency Branch United Nations Division for Sustainable Development Marion Barthélémy is Chief, Intergovernmental Support and Interagency Branch, in the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (UN-DESA). Prior to June 2012, she served as Chief of the Development Cooperation Policy Branch, in the Office for ECOSOC Support in UN-DESA where she supported the ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum and the General Assembly Review of UN system activities at country level. Ms. Barthélémy also served in the Office of the Secretary-General and in the front offices of two UN Under-Secretaries-General for Economic and Social Affairs. She has also worked with the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women.
Pedro Conceição, Chief Economist and Head, Strategic Advisory Unit UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa Pedro Conceição has been Chief Economist and Head of the Strategic Advisory Unit in the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa since December 2009. Prior to this, he served in the UNDP Office of Development Studies as Director (March 2007- November 2009) and Deputy Director (October 2001-February 2007). His work on financing for development and on global public goods was published by Oxford University Press in books he co-edited: The New Public Finance: Responding to Global Challenges, 2006; Providing Global Public Goods: Managing Globalization, 2003. His writings have appeared in a number of journals, including the African Development Review, Review of Development Economics, Eastern Economic Journal, Ecological Economics, Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change. Prior to joining UNDP, Mr. Conceição was an assistant professor at the Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal. He has degrees in physics and economics from the Technical University of Lisbon and a PhD in public policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with a Fulbright scholarship.
Geraldine J. Fraser-Moleketi, Director, UNDP Democratic Governance Practice UNDP Bureau of Development Policy Geraldine J. Fraser-Moleketi joined UNDP in December 2008 as head of the Democratic Governance Practice in the UNDP Bureau of Development Policy. Prior to this, she served in the Government of the Republic of South Africa as Minister for Public Service and Administration for two consecutive terms (1999-2008) and as Minister for Welfare and Population Development (1996-1999). In that capacity, Ms. Fraser-Moleketi was Deputy Chair of the UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration (2006-2007) and a member of the UNDP Africa Group on Capacity Development. She has written on a range of topics including administration, governance and public policy and is the author of Democratic Governance at Times of Mega-Crises, Rebuilding our Communities and Building our Citizens (2011). She was honoured by the University of Pretoria for her contribution to public administration and development in South Africa. Ms. Fraser-Moleketi obtained a Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pretoria and was awarded a fellowship to Harvard University by the Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government.
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies
Paolo Galli, Chief, Multilateral Affairs and UN Coherence Cluster UNDP Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy Paolo Galli is Chief of the UNDP cluster that handles UN and multilateral affairs, the Executive Board Secretariat and civil society relations. His 23-year experience in the UN system includes assignments as Deputy Director of UNDP’s Washington Liaison Office; Principal Officer and Acting Director of the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General/ Executive Office of the Secretary-General, handling development and peace-building, political matters; Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; Cluster Chief for the Western Balkans in UNDP’s Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States; Country Officer for West Africa, United Nations Capital Development Fund; and Assistant Resident Representative for Programmes in UNDP in Afghanistan. Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Galli worked in the financial sector in London. He holds an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics and a Diploma of Law from City University, London.
Cosmas Gitta, Chief, Division for Policy United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation Chief of the Division for Policy at the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, Cosmas Gitta oversees preparation of various reports and studies, including the biennial reports of the Secretary-General on the state of south-south cooperation. He was for many years Managing Editor of Cooperation South, a print and electronic development journal promoting collaboration among developing countries. In 2006, he launched an e-newsletter, Development Challenges: South-South Solutions as well as the related magazine Southern Innovator both of which are media to share information on development related innovations with partners around the world. Prior to joining UNDP, Mr. Gitta worked on various faith-based initiatives in his capacity as Chancellor and Educational Secretary as well as Vice Rector of St. Pius Seminary for the Diocese of Tororo, Uganda. On coming to the United States, he ministered to a church community in Greenwich, Connecticut for five years. Mr. Gitta holds a PhD in international and comparative education from Columbia University and has lectured on human rights education at his alma mater, and on a range of other subjects at various campuses of the City University of New York.
Fadzai Gwaradzimba, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director UNDP Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy Fadzai Gwaradzimba recently assumed the position of Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director in the UNDP Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy. Prior to this, she was the Division Chief for South and West Asia in the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific for five years, following an assignment as United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the Gambia (2006-2007). She joined UNDP in 1989 and has served the organization in a number of increasingly senior positions in different parts of the world. Prior to joining UNDP, she was an academic at the University of Zimbabwe where she taught political science and international relations. A native of Zimbabwe, she holds a PhD in International Relations and Economics from the School of Advanced International Studies in Johns Hopkins University, and a Master’s degree from the University of Oregon. She obtained her BA in political science and administration from the University of Zimbabwe.
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies
Degol Hailu, Senior Policy Advisor and Team Leader on Economic Governance and Globalization UNDP Bureau of Development Policy Degol Hailu is currently Senior Policy Adviser and Team Leader on Economic Governance and Globalization for the Poverty Practice of the UNDP Bureau of Development Policy. Between 2008 and 2009, he was the Acting Director of the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth in Brasilia. During 2005-2007, Degol worked as the Economic Policy Advisor for the Caribbean Region with UNDP, based in Trinidad and Tobago. Prior to joining the UNDP, Mr. Hailu spent quite a few years at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, researching, teaching and consulting. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of London. He is widely published on development issues. In 2008, he received an honorable mention from the African Studies Association Melville J. Herskovits Award for a co-authored book, written with a grant awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council of the United Kingdom.
Homi Kharas, Lead Author and Executive Secretary Secretariat of the Post-2015 High Level Panel Homi Kharas comes to the secretariat of the Secretary-General’s High Level Panel from Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., where he is a Senior Fellow and Deputy Director in the Global Economy and Development programme. He studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of the middle class, and global governance and the G-20. His most recent co-authored books are After the Spring: Economic Transitions in the Arab World (Oxford University Press, 2012) and Catalyzing Development: A New Vision for Aid (Brookings Press, 2011). He has recently served as a Non-Resident Fellow of the OECD Development Center (2009); a member of the National Economic Advisory Council to the Malaysian Prime Minister (2009-2010); the post- Busan Advisory Group to the DAC co-chairs (2011); and the International Panel Review Committee on Malaysia’s economic and governance transformation programs (2012). He was a member of the Working Group for the Commission on Growth and Development, chaired by Professor A. Michael Spence (2007-2010). Prior to joining Brookings, Dr. Kharas spent 26 years at the World Bank, serving for seven years as Chief Economist for the Bank’s East Asia and Pacific region and Director for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management.
Paul Ladd, Head, Post-2015 One Secretariat UNDP Bureau for Development Policy Paul Ladd joined UNDP in 2006 and currently heads the organization’s team on the post- 2015 development agenda. Previously, he led UNDP’s policy team on inclusive globalization – including trade, development finance, and migration. From 2008 to 2009, he supported the Office of the Secretary-General on the financial and economic crisis and the UN’s engagement with the G20. Before his New York assignment, Mr. Ladd was a policy adviser on international development for the UK Treasury, including during the period building up to and through the UK’s Chair of the G8 and European Union in 2005. Prior to that, he was Chief Economist and acting Head of Policy with the UK charity, Christian Aid; economic adviser to the UK Department for International Development for Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland, and a financial adviser in the Central Bank of Guyana. Mr. Ladd received his BSc in Economics and MSc in Quantitative Development Economics from the University of Warwick (UK).
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies
Ole Lund Hansen, Head of Global Compact LEAD United Nations Global Compact Ole Lund Hansen is Head of Global Compact LEAD, a platform for corporate sustainability leadership, and leading its work on ‘Sustainable Energy for All’, an initiative of the UN Secretary General. During his time in the Global Compact Office, Mr. Hansen has also been project manager of the development of the Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership and the Global Compact Management Model. Before joining the Global Compact Office, he worked at DI International Business Development as a consultant on corporate sustainability, business and climate change, and on strategies for reaching the markets at the base of the pyramid' (BOP). He was focal point for the Nordic Global Compact Network and led the Danish BOP Learning Lab. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hansen worked in a political risk consultancy, a national business association and an environmental NGO.
Khalid Malik, Director UNDP Human Development Report Office Khalid Malik joined the UNDP Human Development Report Office as Director in June 2011. He has held a variety of senior management and substantive positions in the United Nations. He has been active on UN reform and worked closely with development partners and UN intergovernmental bodies. He served as UN Resident Coordinator in China (2003-2010) and as Director of the UNDP Evaluation Office (1997-2003). Before joining the UN, Mr. Malik taught and conducted research at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (1975) and at Pembroke College, Oxford (1974-1975). Mr. Malik has written widely on a range of topics. His latest book, "Why China Has Grown So Fast for So Long" was published in 2012 by Oxford University Press. In 2009, Mr. Malik was one of ten “champions” – and the only foreigner – to be honored for their contributions to the protection of the environment in China. He was educated as an economist at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Essex and Punjab.
Magdy Martínez-Solimán, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director UNDP Bureau of Development Policy Magdy Martínez-Solimán has been with the United Nations for the past 15 years. From 2008 to 2012, he was UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Mexico. Mr. Martínez-Solimán was Senior Governance Advisor in UNDP for the 18 West African countries (2000-2003) and Practice Manager of the UNDP Democratic Governance Team (2003-2006). In 2006, he was appointed by the Secretary-General as the first Executive Director of the United Nations Democracy Fund. He has also served in Burundi, Togo, Bangladesh and Senegal. Prior to the United Nations, Mr. Martínez-Solimán was State Secretary for Youth in the Spanish National Government, CEO of two public corporations and member of the Organizing Committee of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He was also Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, in charge of relations with the Parliament of Andalusia, and an elected member of the Municipal Council of his hometown, Malaga. Mr. Martínez-Solimán initiated his law studies at the University Complutense of Madrid, holds a degree in law (Juris Doctor) from the Universidad de Malaga and has been a Member of the Spanish Bar Association since 1984.
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies
Turhan Saleh, Strategic Plan Coordinator UNDP Executive Office Turhan Saleh joined UNDP in 1997 and is currently working on the next UNDP Strategic Plan (2014-2017) as Coordinator in the Executive Office of the Administrator. Prior to joining the Executive Office in 2012, he served as Chief of Country Support in the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa (2010-2012), UNDP Country Director in Nigeria (2006-2010), Resident Representative a.i. of UNDP in Nigeria (2009-2010), Director of the MDGs Unit in the Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships (2002-2006) and Policy Advisor at the Operations Support Group (1997-2002). He started his career in UNICEF where he worked for eight years (1989-1997) in Africa (Ghana and Eritrea) focusing on social research, policy advocacy, programme formulation, monitoring and evaluation. He has also carried out assignments at the World Bank and the UN World Food Council. Mr. Saleh has a Bachelor’s degree (Honours) from Cornell University and a Master’s in public affairs from Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School). He has also pursued undergraduate studies at Oxford University (Christ Church).
Heather Simpson, Special Advisor to the UNDP Administrator UNDP Executive Office Heather Simpson is currently Special Advisor to the Administrator of UNDP. She has previously held positions in New Zealand as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister for three parliamentary terms, as Director of Policy and Research for the Parliamentary Labour Party and as lecturer in economics at Otago University. She has broad experience in all aspects of policy development and implementation, negotiation and management and in recent years was closely involved with the development of the policy and legislation to introduce a comprehensive emissions trading scheme in New Zealand.
Casper Sonesson, Deputy Director, Private Sector Division UNDP Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy Casper Sonesson has been involved in leading the expansion of UNDP’s work with the private sector over the last decade. He has developed and overseen numerous UNDP partnerships with private sector companies; pioneered UNDP’s work with the private sector in innovative inclusive business approaches; guided UNDP’s role in establishing more than 40 of the Global Compact’s Local Networks; supported numerous UNDP Country Offices worldwide in private sector initiatives and established a UNDP worldwide community of practice on private sector issues. Before joining the UNDP Private Sector Division, Mr. Sonesson worked in different positions in the UN system (UNCDF, UN Secretariat and UNDP) on issues related to small and medium enterprise development, microfinance and business partnerships. He is a political scientist and economist by training with a degree from the University of Lund, Sweden.
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies
René Mauricio Valdés, Chief of Staff, Post-2015 One Secretariat UNDP Bureau for Development Policy René Mauricio Valdés is Chief of Staff of the Post-2015 One UN Secretariat, where he is supporting and helping to coordinate at the technical level the various streams of work established by the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to advance the global development agenda that will be put in place after 2015. Prior to this, he was UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Guatemala and in Ecuador, served with UNDP as Operations Coordinator in the UNDP Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Country Director in Colombia and Deputy Resident Representative in Panama. He has also served as Director of International Economic Affairs in El Salvador’s Ministry of Economy, and director of the master’s degree programme in public administration hosted jointly by Central American Institute for Public Administration and the University of Costa Rica. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Toronto, and a Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Costa Rica.
UNDP Civil Society Advisory Committee | Tenth Meeting, New York, 24-25 April 2013 | Speaker and moderator biographies