Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Seychelles to the United Nations.

H.E. Mr. Ronald (Ronny) Jumeau is Seychelles Ambassador at large. He was appointed Seychelles’ Permanent Representative (Ambassador) to the United Nations and Ambassador to the United States for the second time in March 2017. He started his career as a journalist and then Chief Editor of the Seychelles Nation daily newspaper. He became Secretary to the Cabinet in the Office of the President of Seychelles in 1992 before holding several ministerial posts from 1998 to 2007 including that of Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, which included responsibility for climate change, conservation, water, forestry, agriculture and fisheries. In 2007 Ambassador Jumeau was appointed Seychelles’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador to the United States, Canada, Brazil, Cuba and several Caribbean islands until 2012 when he became his country’s New York-based roving Ambassador for Climate Change and Small Island Developing State Issues. He is a Vice-President of the Assembly of SIDS DOCK, the global sustainable energy initiative for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and a Vice-Chair of its Executive Council. He is also the Alternate Member of the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), representing Small Island Developing States (SIDS). He was Chair of the Steering Committee of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) from 2013 to 2015 and is currently a Vice-Chair, and was Chief Spokesperson of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) from 2012 to 2014.

Chief Scientist - Emeritus, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)

Mr. Jake Rice is Chief Scientist-Emeritus for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada. Over the course of his research career he has worked on a variety of oceans-and climate change-related issues, including as a member of the Group of Experts for the UN Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, and as Lead Author for the chapter on Drivers, Trends and Mitigation of the IPCC Assessment Report 5. He has more than 270 publications in the scientific and technical literature, primarily on the ecosystem approach to integrated management.

Executive Director, Global Island Partnership (GLISPA)

Ms. Kate Brown is the Executive Director of the Global Island Partnership, a platform that enables island leaders and their supporters to take action to build resilient and sustainable island communities. Ms. Brown is a passionate advocate for islands. She is a valued and trusted international partnership and collaboration leader, with a unique ability to connect dots for issues and people. Ms. Brown has extensive experience in all island regions globally, and brings an extensive network of island leaders, blue sky thinkers and people dedicated to supporting islands. She has experience working inside government, non profits and intergovernmentally as well as a keen sense of the most important elements of the international policy setting space relevant to islands as well as what is needed for implementation to happen. A strategic thinker who is able to present clear ideas and set up the right conditions for collaboration to thrive.

Director, Coastal Policy and Humanities Research and Senior Associate, Global Ocean Forum

Ms. Marjo Vierros is the Director of Coastal Policy and Humanities Research, which undertakes interdisciplinary research on oceans issues. She is also a Senior Associate with the Global Oceans Forum and a Research Associate with the University of British Columbia Nereus Program. Previously she coordinated the Global Marine Governance Project at United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability and undertook research with its Traditional Knowledge Initiative. With degrees in biology, oceanography and marine biology, her career has included work with research, conservation and United Nations organizations in countries in the Caribbean, North and Central America, Bermuda and the Pacific. Her research interests include ocean governance and marine biocultural diversity.

Director, Pacific Indigenous and Local Knowledge Centre of Distinction at Te Kāpehu Whetū, Aotearoa, New Zealand

Ms. Tui Shortland is the Director of Te Kopu, Pacific Indigenous and Local Knowledge Centre, advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples of the Pacific to promote and protect the integrity of Mother Earth and the appropriate use of traditional knowledge to inform global decisions. Te Kopu has traditional knowledge holders and expert members from indigenous peoples organisations from throughout the Pacific, including Maluku, Samoa, West Papua, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji, Kiribati, Pohnpei, and the Solomon Islands. Ms. Shortland has led the initiation of coastal marine communities to develop their cultural monitoring frameworks to assess the health of their marine territories. Her marine specialties also include customary practices and research of marine mammals and migratory species.