National Planning Commission, Nepal

Swarnim Waglé is a Member of the National Planning Commission (NPC) in the Government of Nepal, ranked at par with an assistant minister. He served earlier in the same position between May 2014 and November 2015. In his portfolio covering macroeconomics and trade, he advises on the formulation of national strategies, coordinates policy across the public sector, and monitors major projects. In the aftermath of the Great Nepal Earthquake 2015, Waglé co-led the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and helped garner billions (US$) in pledges. He also led Nepal’s ministerial delegation to the landmark Third UN Conference on Financing for Development.

Waglé has worked as an international development professional for more than 15 years on policy assignments in over 20 countries, most recently as Senior Economist at The World Bank in Washington, D.C. Waglé has published several flagship reports and academic papers in areas spanning public finance, trade, investment, and the impact of macro-economic and social policies.

At the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), he co-authored the 2013 Human Development Report titled “The Rise of the South,” and co-led from 2002 to 2007 the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Initiative, a research and policy advisory program on WTO negotiations. He has also undertaken short-term assignments at the Asian Development Bank (Manila) and the International Trade Center (Geneva). Having been the South Asia editor of Harvard Asia Quarterly (1999-2000) and a regular broadcaster on BBC Nepali Service, he maintains an interest in current affairs.

Waglé holds a PhD in Economics from the Australian National University, an MPA in International Development (MPA/ID) from Harvard University, and a BSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics. He was born in Bungkot, Gorkha.

Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations

Ambassador Bin Momen is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, New York. He is the Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of the Least Developed Countries. He previously served as Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan and Italy. He also served in Bangladesh Missions in New York, New Delhi and Islamabad in different capacities. Ambassador Momen also worked in the SAARC Secretariat as a Director. Previously, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Director General. He holds a MSS in Economics from the University of Dhaka and an MA in International Relations from the Tufts University, USA.

Chairperson, Committee on World Food Security

Amira Gornass has been the Republic of the Sudan’s Ambassador to Italy and the Permanent Representative to the Rome Based Agencies, since 2012. In October 2015 she was elected Chair of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) for a two year term. Ambassador Gornass was the Deputy Head of Delegation of Sudan that led the G77 & China negotiations on Climate Change and was Chair of the Group in 2009 in Bonn, Barcelona, Bangkok, Tianjin and Copenhagen. Ambassador Gornass has worked for the promotion of the role of women in the Peace Process in Sudan and she was the initiator of the participation of women in the “Netherland initiative for the participation of women in the peace process in Sudan”. She has participated in Conferences all over the world. She is involved with civil society associations especially in the fields of environment, women’s empowerment and humanitarian assistance, giving special attention to small agricultural schemes for food security. She was the Chair of the Behaviour Enhancement Committee in Khartoum State and was the initiator and editor of the “Green Bulletin”, a publication that increased awareness and understanding of environmental issues and their impact on agriculture, food security, health, etc. at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research

Mr. Seth brings to the position over 35 years of service as an international and national civil servant and a wealth of experience in leading, supporting and managing complex portfolios and intergovernmental processes, including United Nations summits and conferences in the economic, social and environmental fields. Mr. Seth is currently the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). He also served as the Head of the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and has supported the follow-up processes, including the work on the post-2015 development agenda and the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States.

During his career with the United Nations, which began in 1993, Mr. Seth held positions as Director of the Office for Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination (2006-2011), Secretary of the Economic and Social Council and Second Committee of the General Assembly (2004-2006), Chief of the Policy Coordination Branch in the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination (2001-2003) and Special Assistant and Chief of Office to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (1993-2001).

Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Seth served, beginning in 1980, in the Indian diplomatic service, notably as a delegate in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York (1990–1993), with earlier diplomatic assignments in Geneva and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Married with two children, Mr. Seth holds a master’s degree in economics from Delhi University, where he also worked as a lecturer in economics at St. Stephen’s College.

Country Director Action Aid, Bangladesh

Farah Kabir has been working with ActionAid Bangladesh as the Country Director since June 2007. Over 20 years of vast experience in the field of development and research has made Farah Kabir a renowned human rights figure at home and abroad with an uncompromising voice against human-rights violation.

As the Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, Farah Kabir has been engaged in persistent advocacy with many organizations and institutions regarding support and commitment to the marginalized and disadvantaged population. She has taken up new initiatives for communities, and women leadership through ActionAid. She has worked with 150 girls for 9 years by building Happy Home, a safe home for these girls. Post Rana Plaza disaster, Farah Kabir was one of the few rights activists who took up a position for the affected workers and strongly advocated for corporate company’s accountability towards the affected garment workers.

Farah Kabir, a student of public administration and policy, commenced her career with the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS); she has research experience with a host of publications especially on Women in Politics to her credit. For her significant contribution in women’s rights movement of Bangladesh, Farah Kabir won the prestigious "Nawab Ali Chowdhury National Award 2012". She also led ActionAid to win the UN Sasakawa Award for disaster risk reduction and the Momentum for Change 2013 Lighthouse Activity on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Resilience in Bangladesh. She is the co-editor of two recent publications namely ‘Discourse Analysis as a Tool for Understanding Gender Identity, Representation and Equality’ and ‘Revealing Gender Inequalities and Perceptions in South Asian Countries through Discourse Analysis’.

Ms Kabir worked with British Council for nearly ten years both in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. She was the Consultant of Participative Democracy of British Council Governance Team in the UK with responsibility to develop Governance programmed in Scotland. Prior to that, she was Assistant Director, Governance of British Council Bangladesh. She is a fellow of the Advocacy Institute, Washington D.C, USA. Presently she is a member of the CSEF Funding Committee of the Board. She is a board member of UCEP.

Farah is engaged in climate change, women rights and governance issues; she has spoken on various occasions, such as climate change adaptation in the UN and the CSO dialogue in the UN, South Asian Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Climate Change by Climate Action Network South Asia in February 2013. She also spoke on Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) integration at the UNISDR in Geneva in May 2013.

She is an active member of many professional societies. To name a few, Ms Kabir was a member of the Governance Board of Napier University, Edinburgh Scotland, a member of Board of Trustees for Zero Tolerance, Scotland, a board member of Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA), advisory panel member of LDC Independent Expert Group on Post 2015 supported by International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). She is also working as a Chair of the Global Board of GNDR. She is presently a Board member of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), Member of Education Watch and Member of the Funding Committee of Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF).

Farah Kabir has been associated with the media since University life as a newscaster on both National Television and Radio.

Head of Directorate General for Multilateral Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Republic of Belarus

Ms Larysa Belskaya currently serves as the Head of the General Department for Multilateral Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

Ms Belskaya received a M.Sc. degree in history and socio-political science in Belarusian State University in 1987. After a few years of teaching and research experience she has joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus in 1994.

Her diplomatic career included holding several management positions: Head of the Secretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Senior Advisor on humanitarian cooperation and human rights issues, Deputy Head of the Department of Economic Cooperation and Sustainable Development.

She also served in various capacities in the diplomatic missions abroad including as First Secretary in the Embassy of Belarus to the United States (2004-2008) and Counselor of the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the UN (2012-2016). In this role she focused on different aspects of international politics in socio-economic development, gender equality and family policies, human rights and human trafficking. Ms Belskaya was elected to the post of Vice-Chair of the UN Commission for Social Development at the 51st and 52nd Sessions of the CSocD.