LEADERS EVENT FOR NATURE & PEOPLE 28 SEPT 2020 9.00 -10.30am EDT MASTER OF CEREMONY Dr. Musonda Mumba Chair of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration Musonda Mumba is the current Chair of the Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration (GPFLR). She is also the head of the Terrestrial Ecosystems Team at UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In her role, she provides strategic leadership on Forest and Climate Change, Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) Approaches; Policy support to Governments globally; developing appropriate policy dialogue and strategic direction around Terrestrial Ecosystems. She is a public speaker who has also published widely in various journals, newspapers, books and blog articles. She received her PhD at University College London in Geography focusing on Wetland Conservation and Hydrology. OPENING SPEAKER H.E. Mr Volkan Bozkir President of the General Assembly of the United Nations Volkan Bozkir is the first Turkish national to head the General Assembly. Previously he served as the head of the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. He was also serving as the Justice and Development (AK) Party lawmaker from Istanbul. He served in Turkey’s foreign service for nearly 40 years including in countries such as Iraq, Germany, Romania and New York. He was elected as a Turkish legislator in 2011. He had also previously served as Turkey's Minister of European Affairs and Chief Negotiator. SPEAKER H.E. Mr António Guterres Secretary General of the United Nations The ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017. Previously, he served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015. Mr. Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service. He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, as President of the European Council in early 2000. Mr. Guterres is a member of the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world. SPEAKER Mr Marco Lambertini Director General, WWF International With 35 years of conservation leadership, Marco Lambertini began his association with WWF as a youth volunteer growing up in his native Italy. Previously he served as Chief Executive of BirdLife International, overseeing a global partnership of over 120 civil society organizations in the world. He sits on the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCCICED), is an international ambassador of the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), and a founding member of the Nature Action Agenda and Friends of Ocean Action of the World Economic Forum, the Business for Nature Coalition and the Global Commons Alliance. LEADERS UNITE FOR MORE NATURE BY 2030 TO PROTECT PEOPLE & PLANET AND BUILD FORWARD BETTER EMERGING FROM THE PLANETARY & HEALTH EMERGENCY THEME 1: NATURE & PEOPLE SPEAKER H.E. Ms. Ursula von der Leyen President of the European Commision Since summer 2019, Ursula von der Leyen has been President of the European Commission. Prior to this, the physician was Minister at federal level in Germany for more than 14 years and responsible for family, then labor and social affairs and later defense. One of her first actions after her election as Commission’s President, was to table the European Green Deal, an ambitious strategy how to make Europe the first climate neutral continent by 2050. She is convinced that the green and digital transition hold the key to Europe’s future prosperity and resilience and believes that the European Union can be a convening power for the public common goods, such as our environment and a vaccine against COVID-19. SPEAKER H.E. Mr Iván Duque Márquez President of the Republic of Colombia Born in Bogotá, he is a lawyer from Sergio Arboleda University, with major studies in philosophy and humanities. Expert in economic issues, with executive studies at Harvard, and with master’s degrees from Georgetown, in Public Policy Management, and from American University, in Economic Law. On June 17, 2018, Iván Duque was elected President of Colombia for the constitutional period 2018 – 2022. He has worked as a columnist and professor. He was Head of the Culture, Creativity, and Solidarity Division at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where he worked on social innovation, entrepreneurship, youth, and creative economies. SPEAKER H.E. Mr Uhuru Kenyatta President and the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Forces of the Republic of Kenya President of Kenya Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is the fourth and the current President of Kenya, in office since 9 April 2013. He previously served in the Government of Kenya as Minister for Local Government from 2001 to 2002, and he was leader of the official opposition from 2002 to 2007. President Uhuru Kenyatta attended Amherst College, Massachusetts, United States, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in politics and economics. The President has had a long and outstanding career in politics, having served in various capacities in previous administrations heading dockets. SPEAKER H.E. Mr David Kabua President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands President David Kabua is the ninth President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. President Kabua has been representing Wotho Atoll since his first appointment in 2008. In his second term, he was given the portfolio as the Minister of Health and then later as the Minister of Internal Affairs. During his early years, President Kabua had worked in several Public Service positions and has an extensive background in the private sector for more than ten years as a business owner. President Kabua furthered his education at Hilo College and at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. SPEAKER H.E. Mr Alexander Van der Bellen Federal President of the Republic of Austria Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen was inaugurated as the Federal President of the Republic of Austria on January 26, 2017. As a member of the Green Party, he served as Federal Spokesperson from 1997 to 2008, as well as the Chairman of the Greens’ Parliamentary Group from 1999 to 2008. He was a member of the National Council (the Austrian House of Representatives) from 1994 to 2012, and a member of the Vienna State Parliament and Vienna City Council from 2012 to 2015. He was appointed a full professor in Economics at the University of Vienna and served as Deputy Dean and then Dean of the University of Vienna School of Social and Economic Sciences. SPEAKER H.E. Ms Jeanine Áñez Chávez Constitutional President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia Jeanine Áñez Chávez was born in San Joaquín, a small town in the Amazons region in Bolivia. She graduated as a lawyer and her personal experiences motivated her to enter politics with the commitment to improve democracy and promote social justice and women's rights in Bolivia. She was a representative in the 2006 Constituent Assembly, and then was elected senator for her region in two terms for the Beni Department. In November 2019, the Legislative Assembly elected Jeanine Añez as President of Bolivia. SPEAKER H.E. Mr Danny Faure President of the Republic of Seychelles President of the Republic of Seychelles, Danny Faure, was born to Seychellois parents in Kilembe, Uganda. He was the Minister for Finance, Trade and Industries for 6 years, where he oversaw the implementation of the first generation of reforms under the IMF macro-economic reform programme which started in October 2008. President Faure is a strong proponent of people-centred sustainable development and climate action. In 2018, he was appointed as the official ‘Champion of the Blue Economy in Africa’ by the African Union. He is also the 2019 recipient of the National Geographic Planetary Leadership Award for his contributions toward ocean protection. SPEAKER H.E. Mr Imran Khan Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan The 22nd and current Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi is a cricketer turned politician. He is also the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan’s Movement for Justice in 1996. Before entering into politics, Khan was an International Cricketer and Captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team which he led to Pakistan's victory in 1992 Cricket World Cup. He attended Keble College, Oxford and graduated in 1975 in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. His Government is spearheading a transformational green agenda includes flagship initiatives like Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, Green Stimulus and the Protected Areas Initiative. SPEAKER H.E. Mr János Áder President of Hungary János Áder has been President of Hungary since May 2012. He was re-elected for his second term in 2017. President Áder has played a role in the global campaign launched before the historic Paris COP21 climate summit to raise the ambition level in the subsequent agreement. He was a key actor to inspire the National Assembly through which Hungary became the first EU member state ratifying the Paris Agreement. He is a frequent lecturer at Hungarian universities, high schools, business and science associations on water, climate change and sustainability. President Áder has launched a climate foundation to raise awareness and generate action for sustainable development in Hungary and beyond its borders. SPEAKER H.E. Mr Laurentino Cortizo Cohen President of the Republic of Panama Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, President of the Republic of Panama, the country with the best air and maritime connectivity in Latin America. He has a business degree from Norwich University, and MBA and PhD studies in International Business from the University of Texas. His life has been dedicated in the private and public sectors. In the private sector his business activities have been related in the concrete products industry and cattle farming. In the public sector, President Cortizo has been elected twice Legislator/Senator, also served as President of the General Assembly/Senate and Minister of Agriculture.