Thank you everyone for your great contributions to another successful ICSD 2016!
Please mark your calendars for ICSD 2017, which will take place on September 18 & 19, 2017, on the Columbia University Campus in New York! Information on abstract submission will be posted on March 1, 2017. Information on registration will be posted in April 2017.
The Most Honourable Andrew Michael Holness was first elected as Member of Parliament (MP) to represent the Constituency of West Central St. Andrew in 1997, at the age of 25. Now in his fourth consecutive term as MP, Mr. Holness became Jamaica’s ninth Prime Minister after the Jamaica Labour Party defeated the People’s National Party at the polls on February 25, 2016. Mr. Holness has pledged to build real partnerships with the Private Sector, Civil Society, the Diaspora, the Opposition and International Partners in order to achieve the vision of shared prosperity for all Jamaicans through inclusive economic growth and meaningful job creation.
Mr. Holness first served as Head of Government from October 2011 to January 2012 having succeeded former Prime Minister the Honourable Bruce Golding. Prior to assuming the awesome responsibility of leading the nation, Mr. Holness has worked steadily at various levels of the political and governance systems. He has focused on several key portfolios areas including: social welfare, community development, housing and education. However, it is in the area of Education that Mr. Holness found his passion and distinguished himself both as the Opposition Spokesperson on Education and in the Cabinet as Minister of Education.
He brought national attention and focus to literacy and has instituted several programmes to place Jamaica on the path to universal literacy at the primary level. Under his watch, Jamaica saw the introduction of the Career Advancement Programme (CAP) – a post-secondary technical and vocational training programme for unattached youth. However, some of Mr. Holness’ more fundamental reforms to the Education System include: the establishment of institutions such as the Jamaica Teaching Council, the National Education Trust, the National Education Inspectorate, National College for Education Leadership, the Centres of Excellence Programme and the Alternative Secondary Transition Education Programme (ASTEP) designed to support students falling behind in general education.
With a Master of Science in Development Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies (Mona Campus), Mr. Holness brings a vibrant, pragmatic energy to the transformation of Public Sector Administration and to making Government more agile and responsive. The focus of his Government is to grow the economy, create jobs and improve the well-being of the Jamaican people.
Mr. Holness was born to working class parents on July 22, 1972 in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. At 43, Mr. Holness is Jamaica’s youngest Prime Minister to date and the first born after National Independence. He is married to Juliet, who is a first term Member of Parliament for East Rural St Andrew, a Chartered Accountant and Real Estate Developer. They have two sons, Adam 13 and Matthew 11. Mr. Holness enjoys a game of chess, jogging, cycling and a round of table tennis when he can find players.
Erna Solberg was born in Bergen 24 February 1961. She is married to Sindre Finnes. The couple has two children. Solberg holds a Cand. Mag. Degree (in Sociology, Political Science, Statistics and Economy) from the University of Bergen in 1986.
Solberg was Minister of Local Government and Regional Development 2001-2005, in Kjell Magne Bondevik's Second Government.
Solberg has represented the Conservative Party in the County of Hordaland at the Storting (Parliament) since 1989. At the change of government she was the Conservative Party's parliamentary leader. During the recent Storting period she was member of the Standing Committee on Health and Care Services Affairs, the Standing Committee on Foreign and Defence Affairs and the Electoral Committee, 08.10.2009 - 30.09.2013. She has previously been a member of standing committees on i.a. Finance and Local Government, and head of the Storting's delegation to NATO's Parliamentary Assembly.
Solberg has been leader of the Conservative Party since 2004.
Professor Savaş Alpay joined the Islamic Development Bank as Chief Economist in June 2015. Professor Alpay received his PhD in economics from Johns Hopkins University in 1997, and taught at different universities in Turkey. Outside of academia, his professional experience includes consultancy services at a policy institute in the USA, and board membership in a Public Regulation Authority in Turkey. The principal focus of his earlier research has been on interactions among economic growth, international trade and the environment with an emphasis on the design and implementation of policies towards sustainable growth. More recently, his research focuses on policies towards boosting equitable and inclusive socio-economic development as well as knowledge economics, science and technology policies in developing countries. His first book, entitled “Trade and the Environment,” was published by Kluwer in 2002, and more recently he has edited many books on social and economic issues pertaining to OIC Member Countries. He has authored many articles published in different journals and conference proceedings, and has also been the editor of the Economic Cooperation and Development Review and the Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development, which publish scholarly articles on socio-economic development in the OIC Member Countries as well as in other developing countries. Previously he served as the Director General of the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) between 2006 and 2015.
Diana Amini is the Global Manager for the H&M Foundation. Previously, she has worked as a journalist but driven by a desire to improve people's lives and livelihoods, she started working in communications within the non-profit sector. Diana has an extensive background of working with organizations and Foundations, such as Plan International, Operation Smile and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
The H&M Foundation is a non-profit global foundation, privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of the fashion company H&M. The mission of the Foundation is to create long lasting positive change and improve living conditions by investing in communities, people and innovative ideas. Through partnerships with prominent organizations around the globe, H&M Foundation drives change within four focus areas; Education, Clean water, Strengthening women and Protecting the planet. In addition, the Foundation can also provide emergency relief. Since 2013, the Stefan Persson family has donated SEK 1.1 billion (USD 154 million/EUR 123 million) to H&M Foundation. For further information, visit
hm.com/hmfoundation
Shaida Badiee, is a co-founder and managing director of Open Data Watch, an NGO focused on monitoring and promoting open data in national statistical offices. She has been an active member of the UN Secretary General’s advisory group on data revolution, co-chairs the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Data Network, and has played a key role with the startup of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. Shaida brings several decades of experience in managing global development statistics as the long-time Director of the World Bank’s Development Data Group. During her tenure, flagship global statistical products were launched such as the World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, and the Atlas of Global Development. In 2010, she led the World Bank’s Open Data Initiative, a ground-breaking program to provide full and free access to the World Bank’s extensive statistical databases. Prior to that, she played a key role in the creation and operation of PARIS21 as well as leading international efforts to coordinate technical and financial support for statistics through initiatives like the Marrakech Action Plan.
Gidon Bromberg, co-founder of EcoPeace Middle East, is an attorney by profession and previously worked in public interest environmental law. He is a member of the Israel Bar Association. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and a law degree from Monash University in Australia. As a fellow of the New Israel Fund, he completed a master's degree in international environmental law at the American University in Washington D.C. and has published over twenty academic and popular publications concerning Middle East environmental policy and water security issues.
Mr. Bromberg co-founded EcoPeace Middle East in 1994, a unique regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East. It has offices in Amman, Bethlehem and Tel Aviv. Along with Nader Khateeb and Munqeth Mehyar - Palestinian and Jordanian Co-Directors of EcoPeace Middle East, Mr. Bromberg was honored by TIME Magazine as Environmental Heroe of 2008, and granted the prestigious Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2009. In 2010 the three directos received the Euro-Med Award for Dialogue and the Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment. In 2011 the International Development Committee of the Association for Conflict resolution awarded the organization their Outstanding Leadership Award and the Mount Zion Foundation honored it with their Award for EcoPeace's significantly contributing to understanding among the three Abrahamic traditions. In 2013, the organization was named one of the Top 100 NGOs in the world by The Global Journal.
Mr. Bromberg speaks regularly on water, peace and security issues in various forums. He has presented before the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the European Parliament and the advisory meeting to the UN High Level Panel on Security. In 2007, Mr. Bromberg was invited to join the prestigious EastWest Institute's International Task Force for Preventive Diplomacy. In 2007 he was awarded a Fellowship at Yale University on global leadership and was in invited by Yale University in 2009 to serve as an Advisory Board Member for the World Fellows Program.
Nicolas de Cordes has been in the telecom industry for 18 years, and is today Vice President Marketing Anticipation for the Orange Group, in charge of identifying trends and exploring new business opportunities. He helped open Call Data Records for Senegal and the Ivory Coast through the Orange D4D challenge. Nicolas is also member of the WEF’s Global agenda Council on Data-Driven Development 2014-2016, and serves on the UN Secretary-General Independent Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) on the “Data Revolution for Development.”
Hervé P. Duteil has spent most of its career with BNP Paribas in New York, with the exception of two short stints in Sydney, Australia and with a fund of hedge funds. For over 20 years, he specialized in trading derivatives and managing capital market activities, spanning from commodities, currencies, and fixed income instruments to electronic markets. In 2014, he was appointed Regional Coordinator for Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainable Finance in North America, bringing a heavy focus on the development of innovative responsible financial products and the promotion of business solutions to address some of society’s challenges.
Mr. Duteil holds a Master in Business Administration with distinction from the Harvard Business School, a Master of Science from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor in Mathematics & Physics from the University of Paris.
Ms. Grete Faremo joined UNOPS as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director in August 2014. Before this appointment, Ms. Faremo held various senior-level positions for the Government of Norway. Most recently she was Minister of Justice and Public Security, a role she held for two years. During her first appointment as Minister of Justice, Ms. Faremo initiated negotiations between Schengen member countries and Norway on security and free movement in Europe, which culminated in the Nordic Schengen Agreement, signed in 1996 by the Governments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. She was Minister of Defence (2009-2011), Minister of Oil and Energy (1996), Minister of Justice (1992-1996), and Minister of Development Cooperation (1990-1992) for the Norwegian Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was elected member of Parliament from 1993 to 1997.
Ms. Faremo also brings a wealth of experience from the private sector, working as the Executive Vice President for the Norwegian insurance group, Storebrand, from 1997 to 2003. From 2003 to 2008, she held the position of Director of Law and Corporate Affairs at Microsoft Corporation’s Western European Office, where she developed the legal and public affairs division responsible for corporate compliance in the region.
Ms. Faremo has sat on various advisory boards and associations throughout her career, including Norwegians Peoples’ Aid, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, the Competence Development Fund of Southern Norway, Norsk Hydro ASA, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the University of Bergen.
Ms. Faremo graduated from the University of Oslo in 1978, with a degree in Law, specializing in International law. She entered the public service in 1979, as an executive officer in the Norwegian Government’s Ministry of Finance, later moving to NORAD in 1980, and the then newly established Ministry of Development Cooperation, where she worked for six years.
Ms. Faremo was born in 1955 in Byglandsfjord, Norway. She is quadrilingual, fluent in English, Danish, Swedish, and her Norwegian mother tongue. She is married and has one daughter.
Rebeca Grynspan, economist and former Vice President of Costa Rica, was unanimously chosen as the Latin American Secretary General on 24 February 2014 in Mexico DF, by the 22 countries that form part of the Latin American Conference. Her term of office began on 1 April 2014.
Before her appointment as the Latin American Secretary General, Mrs. Grynspan was a UN Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), appointed by the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 1 February 2010. During her term in the UNDP she was President of the GSIC (Gender Steering and Implementation Committee), a high level corporate mechanism commissioned with designing and ensuring implementation of the gender equality and parity strategy within the entire UNDP, from which she promoted the transversalization of gender equity in the organisation scheduling. She was also the spokesperson for gender before the UNDP Executive Board.
She worked as a UN Representative on the Temporary Committee for the Reconstruction of Haiti, a board comprising Haitian government officials, former President of the United States Bill Clinton and other high-level international partners. From 2006 to 2010 Mrs. Grynspan was Assistant Secretary General and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the UNPD. Prior to this appointment she has been Director of the Subregional Headquarters in Mexico of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), from which she co-chaired the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Executive Board and took part in the advisory group for the PROLEAD Programme (supporting women’s leadership in Latin America) of the IADB.
Before entering the SEGIB and the United Nations, Mrs. Grynspan was elected Vice President of Costa Rica, 1994-1998. She was also Minister for Housing, Minister Coordinator for Economic and Social Affairs during that same period and Deputy Minister for Finances for her country in Oscar Arias’ Government.
As Vice President she coordinated the creation and implementation of the Task Force on Poverty from the Social Council within the framework of which she created the first programme aimed at female heads of households, a programme that became a Republic Law through at the initiative of the then MP Maria Lydia Sánchez.
Since 1 May 2014, Rebeca Grynspan has served as the President of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). In addition to her experience as an adviser, lecturer and author, Mrs. Grynspan has been actively involved in key United Nations initiatives such as the Millennium Project’s Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and on the High-Level Panel on Financing for Development. She is also a member of the International Advisory Group of the Think Tank Initiative of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). She has worked with several governmental institutions, and national and international organisations as an adviser, consultant and researcher.
Mrs. Grynspan is the author or co-author of numerous articles and books on social and economic policy, and on gender and poverty. Born in San José, Costa Rica, she has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Sussex (United Kingdom).
Jody Heymann, MD, PhD is the Dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Dean Heymann works with faculty, staff, students and FSPH community leaders to expand the school’s partnerships with communities in the U.S. and globally, advance efforts focused on reducing health disparities and increasing inclusion, and improving the spread and effectiveness of translating research to impact. Under Heymann’s leadership, FSPH has developed a series of new programs for students including the Opportunity and Recognition Awards, Public Health Leader Awards, Ric and Suzanne Kayne Fellows, Bill and Laurie Benenson Fellows, and the expansion of global health fellowships. Opportunities for faculty and students to pilot initiatives with community partners have been expanded. Global partnerships with schools of public health and population health programs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have been expanded. Heymann has overseen the school’s reaccreditation, strategic planning, and departmental reviews.
Heymann also serves as Founding Director of the WORLD Policy Analysis Center. An unprecedented effort to improve the level and quality of comparative policy data available to policymakers, researchers and the public, WORLD examines health and social policies and outcomes in all 193 UN countries. WORLD’s mission is to strengthen equal opportunities worldwide by identifying the most effective public sector approaches, improving the quantity and quality of globally comparative data available, and working in partnerships to support evidence-based improvements in countries worldwide. WORLD has worked with global bodies (WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, ILO and others), civil society, research groups, private sector leaders and other global change agents. WORLD’s launches on policies affecting children reached people in 190 countries, as did their No Ceilings partnership with the Clinton and Gates Foundations on equal opportunities for women, men, girls, and boys. Heymann previously held a Canada Research Chair in Global Health and Social Policy at McGill University where she was the founding director of the Institute for Health and Social Policy. While on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health, she founded the Project on Global Working Families.
Heymann has authored and edited more than 300 publications, including 17 books. Selected titles include Changing Children’s Chances (Harvard University Press, 2013), Making Equal Rights Real (Cambridge University Press, 2012), Lessons in Educational Equality (Oxford University Press, 2012), Protecting Childhood in the AIDS Pandemic (Oxford University Press, 2012), Profit at the Bottom of the Ladder (Harvard Business Press, 2010), Raising the Global Floor (Stanford University Press, 2009), Trade and Health (McGill Queens University Press, 2007), Forgotten Families (Oxford University Press, 2006), and Healthier Societies (Oxford University Press, 2006).
Heymann has received numerous honors, including election to the U. S. National Academy of Medicine in 2013 and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2012. She has worked with leaders in North American, European, African, and Latin American governments as well as a wide range of intergovernmental organizations including the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, the World Economic Forum, UNICEF, and UNESCO.
Heymann’s findings have been featured on CNN Headline News; MSNBC; Good Morning America; Fox News; National Public Radio’s All Things Considered; Fresh Air and Marketplace; in The New York Times; Washington Post; Los Angeles Times; Business Week, Inc; Portfolio; Forbes India and USA Today among other internationally and nationally syndicated programs and press.
Mariéme Jamme is a Senegalese-born British businesswoman in technology. Her consultancy company Spotone Global Solutions helps technology companies to set a foothold in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. She has supported many organisations such as Google, Ernest and Young, HSBC Private Banking, The Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown, The Africa Progress Panel chaired by Kofi Annan, The Obama Administration, and multiple African governments through their STEM policies. Often called the diplomat of technology, Mariéme was named one of the 100 most influential Africans by the African Business Magazine and 20 youngest powerful women in Africa by Forbes. Marieme newly became Advisory Board Member of Data Pop Alliance, a global coalition promoting a people-centered Big Data revolution and a judge and Academy member of the Prestigious Global Teachers Prize Academy. Marieme was honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum for her activism work in empowering and investing in young girls and women in Africa through Creative learning, entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics and Design (STEAMD). Co-Founder of Africa Gathering, one of the leading platform in Europe that enable businesses, governments, investor and entrepreneurs to share ideas about Africa for positive change, she also recently joined forces with a group of African leaders to create Accur8Africa, a new platform aiming at enabling governments, businesses, entrepreneurs and the civil society in Africa at measuring the success of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 with Accurate Data. Marieme’s latest venture includes the launch of IAMTHECODE, a new movement aiming at mobilising governments, businesses and investors to support girls and young women in STEAMD (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Design).
Professor Khagram has been with the Diplomacy and World Affairs department since 2012. He is the chair and director of the John Park Young Initiative on the Global Economy, and a co-faculty advisor to Oxypreneurship. Dr. Khagram was recognized as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and wrote the UN Secretary General's Report on the Impacts of the Global Economic Crisis in 2009. He was previously also Dean of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, Senior Advisory Policy/Strategy at the World Commission on Dams, Associate Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Wyss Visiting Professor at the Harvard Business School, and Professor of Public Affairs and International Studies/Director of the Lindenberg Center for International Development at the University of Washington. Most recently, Dr. Khagram was the Architect/Producer of the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency and Founder/Chair of Innovations for Scaling Impact. He has worked with global networks, multi-stakeholder initiatives, international agencies, governments, corporations, civil society organizations, professional organizations and universities all over the world. Dr. Khagram's recent research has focused on open governments, fiscal transparency, and open data. See his widely acclaimed volume published by Brookings Press, Open Budgets: The Political Economy of Transparency, Participation and Accountability.
Dominique is an environmental lawyer dedicated to finding sustainable solutions through legal frameworks. She has previously worked in a range of research and writing roles with NGOs such as the United Nations Environment Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature, Greenpeace, and Environmental Defenders Office in Australia.
Dominique is qualified as a lawyer in Australia and holds a Juris Doctor degree in law from The University of Sydney and a BA from Boston University. She is also a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and specializes in issues relating to climate change and biodiversity conservation.
Morten Nielsen is a business executive with more than 15 years experience from international organizations working in Commercial and Administrative functions, including Corporate Affairs, Corporate Communications, CSR partnerships and sustainability and Commercial and Sustainable Business Development. He is currently Managing Director in Sustainia – Sustainia helps public and private organizations create a more sustainable tomorrow, building on the solutions available today. As a world leader in navigating the new market opportunities for the Sustainable Development Goals and with an extensive, global database of cutting-edge innovations, Sustainia‘s mission is to innovate the business models of the future. Sustainia is supported by strategic partners R20 and UN Global Compact, and is incubated by Monday Morning.
Femi Oke is an international journalist, writer and moderator. Since the 1980s, she has worked for BBC television and radio, Sky TV, all U.K. terrestrial television networks, CNN and U.S. public radio. Oke’s reporting has been recognized by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Communications Agency and InterAction. Her engaging moderating style is well known at the United Nations, World Bank, European Union and numerous NGOs where she regularly moderates at high profile events. You can connect with her anytime via Twitter @FemiOke.
H.E. John Cardinal Onaiyekan is the Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, and a Co-Moderator of the World Council and Co-Chair of the African Council of Religious Leaders at Religions for Peace.
His Eminence Onaiyekan was elevated to Cardinal on 24 November 2012. He was born on 29 January 1944 in Kabba, Nigeria. He received a licentiate in theology, a licentiate in Sacred Scriptures and a doctorate in theology from Pontifical Urbanian University. Cardinal Onaiyekan was ordained in 1969 at Sacred Heart Church in Kabba. He served in a variety of posts as a priest before he was ordained titular bishop of Tunusuda and auxiliary bishop of Ilorian on 6 January 1983. He was later appointed Bishop of Ilorin in 1984 and then Coadjutor Bishop of Abuja in 1990. Cardinal Onaiyekan became Bishop of Abuja on 28 September 1992 and Archbishop of Abuja on 26 March 1994.
Cardinal Onaiyekan has served as President of the Christian Association of Nigeria and President of the Catholics Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria. He has also served as President of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. He currently serves as a Member of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and as a Member of the Presidential Committee of the Pontificial Council for the Family. Cardinal Onaiyekan was named Paz Christi International’s 2012 Peace Laureate.
Malcolm Preston is Global Head of Sustainability Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, leading a team of some 700 sustainability and climate change experts, with over 100 based in the UK.
Malcolm specialises in the measurement and valuation of environmental, social and economic impacts. He leads PwC’s Total Impact Measurement and Management (TIMM) team, delivering projects for numerous clients including a number of Fortune 100 corporates.
Additionally, Malcolm leads PwC’s thought leadership on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and, in particular, the role of the private sector in their achievement. He is actively engaged with Corporates and NGOs on this subject and is responsible for the development of PwC’s bespoke tool, the SDG Business Navigator.
An accomplished speaker, Malcolm has spoken at numerous events including the BASD and B4E events at Rio +20; the UN’s Post 2015 MDG Forum; the Economist Global Ocean Summits; the World Economic Forum; and UNCTAD XIV in Nairobi.
Dr. Irwin Redlener is a recognized national leader in disaster preparedness and the public health ramifications of terrorism and large-scale catastrophic events. He and his team have developed major programs to enhance public health and health systems readiness with respect to disasters. He has written and spoken widely on the response to Hurricane Katrina, U.S. readiness for pandemics and the concerns of children as potential targets of terrorism. Dr. Redlener has also had more than three decades of experience providing healthcare to medically underserved children in rural and urban communities throughout the U.S. As founder and president of the Children's Health Fund, he is a renowned advocate for access to healthcare for all children. Dr. Redlener served as a principal developer and president of the new Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx. He has been a formal and informal adviser to the president and various cabinet members since 1993, over the last few years working with key members of the U.S. Congress on disaster preparedness and child health access. In 1993 & 1994, Dr. Redlener served as special consultant to the National Health Reform Task Force for the Clinton White House. He has taught medical students in rural Honduras and has led or assisted in international disaster relief in Central America and Africa. Dr. Redlener has also created a series of direct medical relief programs and public health initiatives in the Gulf region ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Jeffrey D. Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 100 countries. He has twice been named among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders. He was called by the New York Times, “probably the most important economist in the world,” and by Time Magazine “the world’s best known economist.” A recent survey by The Economist Magazine ranked Professor Sachs as among the world’s three most influential living economists of the past decade.
Professor Sachs serves as the Director of The Center for Sustainable Development and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He is Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Millennium Development Goals, having held the same position under former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He is Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He is co-founder and Chief Strategist of Millennium Promise Alliance, and is director of the Millennium Villages Project. Sachs is also one of the Secretary-General’s MDG Advocates, and a Commissioner of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Development. He has authored three New York Times bestsellers in the past seven years: The End of Poverty (2005), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), and The Price of Civilization (2011). His most recent books are To Move the World: JFK’s Quest for Peace (2013) and The Age of Sustainable Development (2015).
Professor Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development and the fight against poverty. His work on ending poverty, promoting economic growth, fighting hunger and disease, and promoting sustainable environmental practices, has taken him to more than 125 countries with more than 90 percent of the world’s population. For more than a quarter century he has advised dozens of heads of state and governments on economic strategy, in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Sachs is the recipient of many awards and honors, including membership in the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Society of Fellows, and the Fellows of the World Econometric Society. He has received more than 20 honorary degrees, and many awards and honors around the world. Professor Sachs is also a frequent contributor to major publications such as the Financial Times of London, the International Herald Tribune, Scientific American, and Time magazine.
Prior to joining Columbia, Sachs spent over twenty years at Harvard University, most recently as Director of the Center for International Development and the Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Sachs received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard.
John Rutherford Seydel III (John R.) is a recent graduate from the University of Denver specializing in political science, business, and communications. As the eldest of Ted Turner’s grandchildren, he is also the first grandchild to be a Trustee on the Turner Foundation.
John R. has a passion for politics and has worked for the Governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper and former Senator Mark Udall’s campaign in Colorado during his undergrad. He also has a passion for social good entrepreneurship, and founded Revolution Nation, an action media company created to connect people their representatives on the policies they are most passionate about, when their reps are making legislative decisions on these issues. He is a big proponent of the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals, and his vision is to use RN as a means to help inspire people take action and push their decision makers around the world to meet these global goals.
Dr Dhananjayan (Danny) Sriskandarajah has been Secretary General and CEO of CIVICUS since January 2013. His previous roles have included Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Interim Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, and Deputy Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research. Danny is the author of numerous reports and academic articles on international migration and economic development. He writes and appears often in the media on a range of topics, including contributing regularly to Al Jazeera, Guardian, HuffPo, and Weekend on the BBC World Service. He sits on the boards of several organisations, including the Baring Foundation and International Alert, and was a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Humanitarian Finance. He has been a consultant to several international organisations and is a co-founder of the Ockenden Prizes and the Migration Museum Project. Danny holds a degree from the University of Sydney, and an MPhil and DPhil from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. In 2012, he was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He can be found @civicussg on Twitter and Facebook.
Achim Steiner was appointed Director of the Oxford Martin School on 1st September 2016. Prior to joining the University of Oxford he served as United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (2006-2016).
During his tenure at the United Nations, Mr Steiner helped to position UNEP as a central global player on issues such as climate change, technology innovation, ecosystems management and the role of markets and the private sector in sustainable development. He also led UNEP through a major reform and transformation process culminating in the UN General Assembly establishing a new UN Environment Assembly in 2014, to foster more effective global environmental cooperation and governance. As Executive Director he pioneered a number of new major initiatives linking economic and environmental transitions such as on the green economy, finance, energy, and resource management. Professor Steiner also served as a member of the UN Secretary General’s Chief Executive Board and chaired the UN System’s High Level Committee on Programmes.
During his career, which he began as a development economist and which gradually led him into the broader arena of sustainable development, international relations and global diplomacy, Mr Steiner has led a number of institutions as Chief Executive, including as Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams, Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Director General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). He has lived and worked in Oman, UK, India, Pakistan, Germany, Zimbabwe, USA, Vietnam, South Africa, Switzerland and Kenya.
He currently serves on a number of Boards and Councils – including as International Vice-Chair of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, as Chair of the AGORA Verkehrswende Council, Germany, and as a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Sustainability and Legacy Commission.
Mr Steiner was born in Brazil and holds both Brazilian and German nationality. He graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (MA) at the University of Oxford, holds an MA from the University of London/School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and completed his post-graduate studies at the German Development Institute as well as the Harvard Business School Executive Programme. He has been awarded a doctorate honoris causa by the International University in Geneva and is an Honorary Professor at Tongji University, Shanghai. His work and leadership have been recognised through numerous awards such as the Talberg Foundation's Award for Principled Pragmatism, the Bruno H. Schubert Prize for Environmental Leadership, the Slovak Republic's Gold Medal for Diplomatic Service, the Republic of Korea Order of Diplomatic Service Award and the German Sustainability Award. Mr Steiner is an Officer of the Order of St Charles.
Patrick Paul Walsh is the Professor of International Development Studies in University College Dublin, Ireland. He also a Senior Advisor to the UN SDSN, New York and chair of the Academic Steering Committee of the Global Association of Masters of Development Practice that is based at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
During the academic year 2014-2015 he was a Visiting Senior Research Scholar and Senior Advisor to the UN SDSN at the Earth Institute and adjunct Professor in the School of International Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York. During 1992-2007 he worked in Trinity College Dublin. He left Trinity College Dublin as a College Fellow and Dean of Social and Human Sciences. He was a Visiting Professor at K.U. Leuven during 1997-1999 and a Research Scholar in the Department of Economics, Harvard University, during the academic year 2002-2003.
He co-ordinates the UCD Ph.D. in Global Human Development which trains academic staff in East African Universities up to a Ph.D. level across several subject areas. He co-directs the TCD-UCD Masters in Development Practice.
His professional activities include honorary secretary, and editor of the Journal, of the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society of Ireland. He has extensive experience providing external services for the Irish Competition Authority, la Fiscalía Nacional Económica in Chile, European Commission and World Bank.
Amongst other journals he has published in the Review of Economics and Statistics, Economic Journal, Journal of Industrial Economics, International Journal of Industrial Organization and Electoral Studies. His current research is on Agricultural Productivity in East Africa, Social Security for all, Socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS, Elections in Malawi, Post-Conflict Resolution, Cartels and Global Food Security and issues surrounding the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Union Theological, 3041 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Alfred Lerner Hall, 2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Femi Oke, Moderator
Patrick Paul Walsh, Welcome
In partnership with Columbia’s World Leaders Forum
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
Jeffrey Sachs
Achim Steiner
Femi Oke, Moderator
Grete Faremo
Malcolm Preston
Savas Alpay
Diana Amini
Hervé Duteil
H.E. Dr. Hakima El Haite, Accelerating Progress on Climate Change and Implementing the Paris Agreement
Gidon Bromberg, Advancing the SDGs in Midst of Conflict Through Environmental PeaceBuilding
Irwin Redlener, Is Development Truly Sustainable? The Impact of the Child Refugee Crisis
In partnership with Columbia’s World Leaders Forum
Prime Minister Erna Solberg
Sanjeev Khagram, moderator
Shaida Badiee
Nicolas de Cordes
Jody Heymann
Dhananjayan (Danny) Sriskandarajah
John Seydel, moderator
Rebeca Grynspan
Mariame Jamme
Dominique Maingot
Morten Nielsen
H.E. Amina Mohammed
Presentation of Best Paper Awards and Closing Remarks by Patrick Paul Walsh and Lucia Rodriguez.
A limited number of complementary tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. To be considered please register at bit.ly/concertSept21. To guarantee a seat, please purchase tickets online for $25.
Join us for a special musical event at Zankel Hall within New York’s historic Carnegie Hall! Music for a Sustainable Planet will feature contemporary orchestral works celebrating the Sustainable Development Goals. Tickets are $25 for ICSD participants and can be purchased online. Student and senior discounts of 50% are available, but only if you purchase in-person at the box office.
Performers
Program
Faculty House, 64 Morningside Drive, New York, NY 10027
Tishman Auditorium, The New School, 63 Fifth Avenue (at 13th Street), Room U100, New York, NY 10003
Seating will begin at 5:15 pm and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. It takes 45 minutes to travel to The New School from Columbia University. Directions.
John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Keynote
President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia (Video Message)
David E. Van Zandt
Jeffrey Sachs
Yves Leterme
Abigail Moy
Mary Watson
