Speakers and guests

Adriana Abdenur is a Brazilian scholar and policymaker. She is currently Co-President of the Global Fund for a New Economy (GFNE). From 2023 to 2025, Adriana served as Special Advisor in International Affairs in the office of the President of Brazil, where she worked on the President’s vision and priorities for the G20, climate change, and reform of global governance. She earned a PhD in sociology focusing on development sociology from Princeton University. 

Reem Alabali Radovan has been Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2025 and is a member of the Bundestag, representing the constituency of Schwerin. Previously she served as Minister of State at the Chancellery, Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration (2021–2025) and was the first Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Racism (2022–2025).

Konstantin Bärwaldt is Head of the Department for Global and European Policy of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Previously, he coordinated the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's global peace and security policy programme and represented the FES in the Working Group on Peace and Development (FriEnt). From 2013 to 2016, he was head of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's office in Myanmar. His main interests are international processes, changes in the global system and strengthening peace and security.

Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder is the Vice-President, Global Strategies and Managing Director, Europe, of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Nathalie is responsible for initiating and overseeing major initiatives across IISD’s programs, including secretariats managed by IISD, such as the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development and the International Support Office (SISO) of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), among others. Additionally, Nathalie is a visiting professor on international investment law at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Before joining IISD, Nathalie served as Managing Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in Geneva. In Switzerland, Nathalie is admitted to the Bar of Basel.

Francesca Bria is an innovation economist and Professor at UCL's Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose in London. She serves on the Board of the European Innovation Council, is President of the Italian Innovation Agency in Bologna, and is founder of the EuroStack initiative for European digital sovereignty. A Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, she has been named among Forbes' top 50 Women in Tech and the world's top 20 most influential people in digital government. Furthermore, she is the Scientific Director of the data platform The Authoritarian Stack, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. 

Bambang Brodjonegoro is an Indonesian national, is the Dean and CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). Before joining ADBI in April 2025 he was Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Indonesia for Economic Affairs and National Development. He was Indonesia’s Minister of Finance (2014–2016), Minister of National Development Planning (2016–2019), and Minister of Research and Technology (2019- 2021). Dean Brodjonegoro holds a doctorate and master's degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Ambassador Dino Patti Djalal is Senior Advisor to The Asia Group, based in Indonesia. A distinguished diplomat and public figure, he served as Indonesia’s Ambassador to the United States, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Special Staff to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Indonesia’s Sherpa to the G8. He played a key role in strengthening U.S.–Indonesia relations and has decades of experience in diplomacy, government, and business. Ambassador Djalal holds degrees from Carleton University, Simon Fraser University, and the London School of Economics.

Amr Hamzawy is a senior fellow and the director of the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.His research and teaching interests as well as his academic publications focus on Egypt’s and other middle powers’ involvement in regional security in the Middle East. He also researches democratization processes in Egypt and the region, tensions between freedom and repression in the Egyptian public space, political movements and civil society in Egypt, contemporary debates in Arab political thought.

As Head of Political Economy, Jakob Hensing leads work on economic security and critical technologies at the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), an independent think tank in Berlin. In 2025, he spent several months as a DAAD Research Fellow at the American-German Institute in Washington, D.C.. Prior to that, he worked, amongst other things, as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. He obtained his PhD at Oxford, where he also studied International Relations and Social Sciences, as well as in Bremen and Paris.

Matthias Jobelius is Director of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's New York Office. He previously served as Head of the European Union and North America Department as well as the Central and Eastern Europe Department at FES Headquarters in Berlin. He was FES Representative in Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and was posted to FES in India. He studied Political Science and Development Studies in Berlin and London

Halimé Kaakour holds a Ph.D. in International Public Law and Human Rights and is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at the Lebanese University. She is also a researcher in local development, human rights and gender equality. She is a Member of the Lebanese Parliament and a founding member of LNA – Social Democratic Party. She is committed to promoting human rights, equality, and dignity for all. Through her legal and policy work, she has drafted laws and reforms that protect vulnerable groups, strengthen gender equality, and ensure fair access to education, healthcare, and social security. Her work also defends freedom of expression and the right to question power. She has achieved notable successes in key constitutional and judicial cases, always guided by the values of justice, accountability, and respect — principles that help reduce discrimination, prevent bullying, and build a more inclusive society.

Lars Klingbeil currently serves as Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) since 2021 and Germanys Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor since 2025. Prior to that, he served as his party’s Secretary-General from 2017 to 2021. During this time, Klingbeil organized the coalition negotiating process and initiated substantive and organizational reforms. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2009. Before that, he spent a long and intensive period in local politics. Lars Klingbeil studied political science, sociology, and history in Hanover.

Jonathan Menge is a programme officer for digitalisation and state modernisation in the Analysis, Planning and Advisory Department of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Previously, he worked, amongst other roles, in the FES Democracy Team and was head of the FES office in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Jennifer Morgan is a globally recognized leader and expert with over 30 years of experience in international climate and energy policy, diplomacy, and civil society leadership. She recently served as the State Secretary and Special Envoy for International Climate Action for the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, a position where she spearheaded the development of Germany’s Climate Foreign Policy and led its delegations at major international negotiations, including COP27, COP28, and COP29. During her tenure, she was instrumental in securing key global outcomes, including the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund and the historic decision to justly transition away from fossil fuels.

Bengisu Özenç is an economist with 20 years of experience in policy analysis and data-driven policy design across a range of sectors. In 2020, she founded the Sustainable Economics and Finance Association (SEFiA)—a climate policy think tank that combines in-house research expertise with a strong commitment to supporting Türkiye’s transition to a low-carbon economy. SEFiA provides economic and financial insights to inform climate action and supports the country’s progress toward more ambitious climate goals.

Roland Paris is Professor of International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, Associate Fellow of Chatham House, and former Senior Advisor on Foreign Policy to the Prime Minister of Canada. His research on international security and cooperation has appeared in leading academic journals and received numerous distinctions, and he has taken several academic leaves to work in Canada's foreign ministry, cabinet office, and Prime Minister's Office. He has also advised governments and international organizations, including as a member of an expert group convened by the Secretary General of NATO. He previously served as Director of Research at the Conference Board of Canada, the country's largest think tank, and has held visiting positions in Europe and the United States. 

Ebrahim Patel served as a South African Cabinet Minister for 15 years from May 2009 to June 2024, responsible for portfolios of Economic Development and Trade, Industry & Competition. He supervised Africa's largest industrial development finance institution with new investments in green energy, labor- absorbing industrialization and cross-border investment. He chaired the Council of African Ministers of Trade that concluded the legal modalities for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Prior to cabinet service, he led the Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers Union. He lives in Cape Town where he is currently researching aspects of the history of global trade, migration, technology and changing geo-politics.

Stewart Patrick is a senior fellow and director of the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His research focuses on the shifting foundations of world order, the future of American internationalism, and the challenges of effective multilateral cooperation on transnational issues, including technological change, anti-globalization movements, and the ecological crisis. He co-directs the Global (Dis)Order project, a collaboration between Carnegie and the British AcademyA member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he previously served on the U.S. State Department’s policy planning staff.

Matthias Pesch is Policy Adviser for International Trade and Economic Policy at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Geneva. He holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn (Germany). He gained experiences working for several civil society actors in the field of Development Policy and the United Nations in Germany before joining FES Geneva in 2019.

Emily Roper is a senior career officer with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was most recently Assistant Secretary, Foreign Arrangements Branch. She has held various senior positions in the Australian Government, including on international criminal justice, sanctions, sea law and Antarctic issues and on furthering Australia’s international cooperation against transnational crime. She has previously served overseas at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi. Ms Roper holds a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Newcastle.

Nils Schmid has been a member of the German Bundestag for the SPD since 2017. He is a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Since 2018, he has served as the foreign policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag. He is also the German co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly. Previously, he served as Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs and Deputy Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg. Nils Schmid studied law at the University of Tübingen. In 2006, he earned his doctorate with a dissertation titled “Public Facility Management, Public Debt, and Public Property.”

Franziska Schmidtke is a program officer for “ Sovereign Europe in a Rules-Based World” at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and coordinates the foundation’s work on these issues. Previously, she worked at the FES regional offices in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia and was in charge of the regional Climate and Energy in Asia project, based in Hanoi. Before joining the FES, she headed the Center of Excellence on Right-Wing Extremism at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. Franziska Schmidtke holds a Ph.D. in political science.

Olaf Scholz is co-chair of the South-North Commission on Development at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Member of the German Bundestag for the SPD. He served as the Federal Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice Chancellor and as Federal Minister of Finance from 2018 to 2021. He was the Mayor of Hamburg from 2011 to 2018, deputy leader of the SPD from 2009 to 2019, and Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs from 2007 to 2009.

Amandeep Singh Gill is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies, having previously served as the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology (2022–2024). He leads the Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, supporting implementation of the Global Digital Compact and the work of the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. A veteran diplomat and scholar with a PhD from King’s College London, he was India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (2016–2018).

Waheguru Pal Singh (W.P.S.) Sidhu is Clinical Professor and directs the United Nations (UN) Specialization at the Center for Global Affairs, School of Professional Studies (SPS), New York University. He teaches graduate-level courses on International Relations, the UN & global governance, weapons of mass destruction, and emerging powers & world order, especially India. He was bestowed with the SPS Teaching Excellence Award in 2021. He has also served as a consultant to UN agencies, including three UN Panel of Governmental Experts on Missiles. Dr. Sidhu earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.

Sidonie Wetzig is a Policy Officer for European Foreign, Security and Defence Policy at the EU office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Her work focuses on security and defence integration, conflict prevention, crisis management and peace building as well as transatlantic partnership. Previously, she worked on globalisation and global governance and chaired the Working Group on Sustainable Development of the European Network of Political Foundations.

Almut Wieland-Karimi is Senior Policy Advisor and Advisory Board Member of the UN Secretary-General's Peacebuilding Fund and the Mercator Foundation. Recently, she has led the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's office in Egypt for a couple of months as well as in 2024 the FES' office in Pakistan. From 2009 to 2022, she was Managing Director of the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF), a daughter organization of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Prior to that, she was Country Director of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Afghanistan and in the USA/Canada. She holds a PhD in Islamic Studies.

Isabella Wilkinson is a Senior Research Fellow in the Digital Society Programme at Chatham House. Her work focuses on the geopolitics of global technology governance (specifically AI), new centres of decision-making power on technology, and disinformation. Isabella is also a DPhil Public Policy candidate at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, where her research explores the political economy of collective action among companies in global AI governance. Passionate about advancing equity in international affairs, she is Co-Chair of Women in International Security UK.

Moeed Yusuf is President/Vice Chancellor of Beaconhouse National University, Pakistan’s first not-for-profit liberal arts institution, and a senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center. He previously served as Pakistan’s youngest National Security Adviser, leading the country’s first National Security Policy and engaging in strategic dialogues worldwide. Before government service, he was Associate Vice President at the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Asia Center, and held fellowships at Boston University’s Pardee Center and Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center. An experienced educator, Yusuf has taught at universities in Pakistan and the U.S. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Boston University.

Armand Zorn has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 2021 and Deputy Chair of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag since May 2025. In his role as deputy parliamentary group leader, he is responsible for digital affairs and state modernisation, the economy and energy, transport, and tourism. His key political priorities lie in the areas of international economic policy, transformation financing, and future-oriented topics such as AI and new technologies. Armand Zorn was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and came to Germany at the age of 12. He studied politics and history at Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, Sciences Po Paris, the University of Konstanz and the Johns Hopkins University SAIS, specialising in international economics.