H.E. Mr. Perks Master Clemency Ligoya, Permanent Representative of Malawi to the United Nations
Dr. Perks M. Ligoya is a macroeconomist holding four university degrees, including a doctorate degree in Economic Policy Management obtained from CERDI, Clermont Ferrand, France, in 1998. He is fluent in both English and French. He was Governor of the Reserve Bank of Malawi, (September 2009 to April 2012). He served as Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund. He served as Malawi’s High Commissioner to India, Sri Lanka and Kenya and also accredited to Uganda, Central Africa Republic and Somalia. At the UN Office in Nairobi, Kenya he was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and to UN-Habitat. Under a World Bank funded project (Financial Management and Transparency Project (FIMTAP) he was hired as a consultant to serve as Director of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance and Treasury Economic Advisor to the Minister of Finance.
In 2001 he was a visiting lecturer at Yokohama State University, Japan, where he gave summer lectures in macroeconomic modelling. He was one of the founding members and President of the Economics Association of Malawi. After a stint serving as Chairman of the Board for the Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (MEDEF), he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Electricity Supply Commission of Malawi (ESCOM) from April 2017. He was appointed by the State President of the Republic of Malawi to serve as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Malawi to the United Nations with effect from 1st April 2018. He arrived in New York on 11th August 2018 to take up that position. Currently, he is Chairman of the Coordination Bureau of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
H.E. Ms. Rabab Fatima, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations
Ambassador Rabab Fatima is a senior career diplomat with extensive multilateral experience. Prior to taking up her current post as the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in December 2019, she was Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan.?
In her long diplomatic career, Ambassador Fatima has served in various Bangladesh missions including, as Second/First Secretary in the Permanent Mission to the UN, New York (1994-1998); Counsellor, Deputy High Commission, Kolkata (1998-2000); Counsellor, Permanent Mission to the UN, Geneva (2002-2005); and Minister/DCM, Embassy in Beijing (2005).?
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she has served in various positions, including as Assistant Secretary (UN), Director (UN) and Director General (East Asia & Pacific). She has specialization on human rights and humanitarian affairs, and was closely involved in the processes leading to Bangladesh’s accession to the major human rights and disarmament treaties.?
Ambassador Fatima also served in lien with two international organizations, namely, as Head of Human Rights (2006-2007) in the Commonwealth Secretariat, London; and with the International Organization for Migration as the Regional Representative for South Asia (2007-2011); and as the Regional Adviser for South and South-west Asia & Regional Adviser for Climate Change and Migration in IOM’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (2012-2015).?
Ambassador Fatima received her M.A. in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA, and B.A. in Social Science from the University of Canberra, Australia. She is married to fellow diplomat, Kazi Imtiaz Hossain, currently serving as the Ambassador of Bangladesh to France. They have a daughter, Naureen.
H.E. Ms. Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations
Ambassador Al-Thani was appointed Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in October 2013. An international though leader on human rights, social justice and sustainable development issues, Ambassador Al-Thani has authored and facilitated numerous ground-breaking General Assembly Resolutions dealing with issues such as international day to protect education from attack, the right to education in emergencies, autism, and improving the effectiveness and coordination of military and civil defence assets for natural disaster response, among others.
Since assuming her functions, she has played a key leadership role in numerous initiatives such as Chairperson of the Fiftieth Session of the Commission on Population and Development (2017). Ambassador Al-Thani has co-facilitated several critical processes, such as the intergovernmental negotiations on the Declaration for the Commemoration of the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the United Nations (2020); the General Assembly Resolution establishing the modalities for the 25th anniversary for the Beijing platform for action for women (2019); the Review of the Economic and social Council (ECOSOC) (2018); and the preparations for the high-level meeting to appraise the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons (2017).
She has initiated several United Nations Group of Friends, and currently co-chairs the Group of Friends for Gender Parity, the Group of Friends of the Responsibility to Protect; and the Group of Friends to Assist on the international, impartial and independent mechanism (IIIM) to assist in the investigation in crimes committed in Syria.
Between 2011 and 2013, Ambassador Al-Thani was Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and General Consul of the State of Qatar to the Swiss Federation. During the same period, she represented Qatar in the UN Human Rights Council, the Executive Council of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Executive Council of the International Labour Organization (ILO). She also held the prestigious post of President of the Social Forum of the Human Rights Council.
Prior to this, from 2007 to 2011, she held several posts the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar in New York, including as Deputy Permanent Representative. Earlier in her career, Ambassador Al-Thani held a number of positions in Qatar, including as Director of the Department on the Rights of the Child in Qatar’s Supreme Council for Family Affairs.
Ambassador Al-Thani sits on the boards of several international human rights and development organizations. She is the recipient of prestigious awards, including being selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum Committee to improving the State of the World in 2013.
She holds a M.A. in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Qatar University.
Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
Ms. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu is the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States. She assumed her role in May 2017.
Ms. ‘Utoikamanu is responsible for monitoring and following up on the implementation of all three Programmes of Action under the purview of UN-OHRLLS. She is also called on to advocate for the issues and concerns of these vulnerable countries as well as to ensure their integration into and coherence with global processes, including those related to the 2030 Agenda and other global development frameworks. Ms. ‘Utoikamanu also coordinates advocacy work related to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in forums and platforms outside the United Nations.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. ‘Utoikamanu was Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Tourism, Tonga; Acting Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Council of the University of the South Pacific (2015); Deputy Pro-Chancellor and Deputy Chair of the Council of the University of the South Pacific (2009-2016); Deputy Director General and Director of Education, Training and Human Development of the Secretariat of Pacific Community (2009-2015); Permanent Representative and Ambassador of the Government of Tonga to the United Nations, United States of America, Cuba and Venezuela and High Commissioner to Canada (2005-2009); and Secretary for Foreign Affairs and European Commission’s National Authorizing Officer for Tonga (2002-2005).
A Tongan national, Ms. ‘Utoikamanu speaks Tongan and English. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics (1980) and a Masters in Commerce in Economics (1983) from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. (Source).
Mr. Moussa Oumarou, Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships, ILO
Mr Moussa Oumarou completed his secondary studies in the Niger and advanced studies in France where he graduated as Inspector of Technical Studies and Vocational Training.?
Mr Oumarou occupied positions in teaching and public administration which led him to occupy several positions of responsibility such as that of Inspector of Technical Studies and Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Education. He was appointed Minister of Public Services, Labour, Employment and Social Security from 1997 to 1999. He was a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee responsible for economic and social reforms, and President of several committees instructed to negotiate for the Government with the social partners.?
Mr Oumarou started working for the ILO in 2001, as a consultant on social dialogue and as coordinator for the promotion of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work declaration. In 2006, he joined the ILO headquarters where he served as Senior Labour Administration and Inspection Specialist.?
In 2011 he was appointed Director of the Industrial and Employment Relations Department. He became Director of the Governance and Tripartism Department in 2013 and subsequently Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships on 1 January 2018.?
His career earned him the decoration of Chevalier des Palmes Académiques and Chevalier de L’Ordre National de Niger.
Mr Moussa Oumarou completed his secondary studies in the Niger and advanced studies in France where he graduated as Inspector of Technical Studies and Vocational Training.?
Mr Oumarou occupied positions in teaching and public administration which led him to occupy several positions of responsibility such as that of Inspector of Technical Studies and Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Education. He was appointed Minister of Public Services, Labour, Employment and Social Security from 1997 to 1999. He was a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee responsible for economic and social reforms, and President of several committees instructed to negotiate for the Government with the social partners.?
Mr Oumarou started working for the ILO in 2001, as a consultant on social dialogue and as coordinator for the promotion of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work declaration. In 2006, he joined the ILO headquarters where he served as Senior Labour Administration and Inspection Specialist.?
In 2011 he was appointed Director of the Industrial and Employment Relations Department. He became Director of the Governance and Tripartism Department in 2013 and subsequently Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships on 1 January 2018.?
His career earned him the decoration of Chevalier des Palmes Académiques and Chevalier de L’Ordre National de Niger.
Mr. Aurelio Parisotto, Head, Employment and Economic Analyses Unit, Employment Policy Department, ILO
Mr. Aurelio Parisotto is Head, Employment and Economic Analyses Unit at the Employment Policy Department of the ILO. Formerly, he was senior economist at the Multilateral Cooperation Department of the ILO, coordinating ILO work on the 2030 sustainable development agenda. Mr. Parisotto also worked at the Division of Transnational Corporations of UNCTAD and was Head of the Education Programme at the International Institute for Labour Studies in Geneva. He was a member of the technical secretariat of the?World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization in 2002-2004 and senior specialist in the ILO Subregional Office for South-East Asia and the Pacific from 2004-2007. ?
Mr. Parisotto contributed to major reports by the ILO, UNCTAD and the United Nations. His research work on globalization and regional integration, foreign investment and transnational production networks, employment and labour markets has been published by the ILO, OECD, UN, UNCTAD and commercial publishers. Mr. Parisotto studied economics at the University of Modena, Italy and Oxford, UK.
Mr. Bo?tjan Skalar, CEO, World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies
Bo?tjan Skalar is a Slovenian citizen born in Ljubljana, Slovenia and is currently serving as an Executive Director - CEO of World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies. WAIPA is the umbrella organization of worldwide investment promotion agencies established in 1995 in Geneva under auspices of UNCTAD. Previously he served as a Director of new Slovenian Public Agency for Promotion of Investment, Internationalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (SPIRIT). He also served as a Consul for Economic Affairs of Slovenia in Istanbul, Turkey. He has also effectively performed his international business activities and managing roles in different sectors in many foreign countries. He has over 20 years of management experience and is one of the global leaders in investment promotion area with a private-sector focus. His vast experiences in different fields from private to public sector give him a global overview on current business and geopolitical trends that influences the flows of FDI.
Ms. Chema Triki, Advisor, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Embedded at the Jobs Creation Commission in Ethiopia
Chema Triki is working as an Advisor at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, embedded within the Ethiopian Jobs Creation Commission as an Advisor to the Commissioner, leading and contributing to several national reforms on employment and private sector development. She worked before on private sector development in the MENA region at the OECD and contributed to different research on employment and investment in North Africa. She has also worked for several years in management consulting in financial services. She is an Engineer in Applied Mathematics and holds a Master of Public Administration from Sciences Po Paris and London School of Economics, with Economic Policy as a major.
Ms. Khamati Mugalla, Executive Secretary of East African Trade Union Confederation
Ms. Caroline Khamati Mugalla is the first ever female appointed to head a sub-regional trade union in Africa, the East Africa Trade Union Confederation with a membership of over 3.5 Million. She has wide experience spearheading vision, strategy, and execution of trade unions and labor organizations advocacy work representing the voice of workers at high level forums nationally and internationally. She began her career as a junior officer at Central Organisation of Trade Unions -COTU-K – Nairobi, Kenya at the age of 24 years. She has risen through ranks in a male dominated career and at 32 years of age, she was appointed the first female to head a sub-regional trade union in Africa, the East Africa Trade Union Confederation.?
Caroline Khamati Mugalla is affiliated and a board member with several organizations. She is a former member of the Commonwealth Civil Society Advisory Committee representing Eastern Africa and a board member of the African Labour Research and Education Institute. Currently, she is serving as a?board member of the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network.?
In her current position, she is tasked with overseeing all aspects of union coordination, organization,?and leadership for underrepresented workers while maintaining compliance with established?regulations and ensuring adherence to best practices and guidelines. She is distinguished as executive?secretary, Board member and labor relations specialist. She has served in many leadership roles for?which she has been recognized locally and internationally.
Ms. Grace Suh, Vice President, Education and Skills, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility
Grace Suh is Vice President, Education, Corporate Social Responsibility at the IBM Corporation. In her position, Grace manages IBM’s global education portfolio, including the P-TECH 9-14 School Model, a public education reform initiative spanning more than 200 schools and 20 countries, and SkillsBuild, a newly launched program designed to upskill and reskill adults through online learning, mentorship and hands-on experiences.
Prior to IBM, Grace worked at the Children’s Defense Fund, a national child advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. In addition to the corporate and nonprofit sectors, Grace has worked in city government with a focus on juvenile justice issues. Grace serves on a number of education committees and boards, including the Coalition for Career Development, bCahn Fellows Programs and Schools That Can.
Grace has a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University
