Day One - High-Level Opening

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group. Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services. Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, Ms. Mohammed has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels.

Mr. Shahid is President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He was appointed Maldives' Minister for Foreign Affairs for the second time in 2018. Mr. Shahid began his professional career as a foreign service officer in 1983. He was a negotiator at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and he actively participated in the World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in 1993. Mr. Shahid advocated for a rights-based approach to climate change.

Mr. Voronkov was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on 21 June 2017. UNOCT was established by General Assembly resolution 71/291 of 15 June 2017. The Under-Secretary-General provides strategic leadership to United Nations counter-terrorism efforts, participates in the decision-making process of the United Nations and ensures that the cross-cutting origins and impact of terrorism are reflected in the work of the United Nations.

Ms. Niyazberdiyeva is the Chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism. Ms. Niyazberdiyeva is responsible for resource mobilization, strategic communications, programme evaluation, and providing front office support to the USG for Counter-Terrorism, contributing to UNOCT's vision to bring together diverse partners to foster connections, build consensus and galvanize the power of multilateralism against terrorism.

Ms. Ana Evans is the widow of Hernán Mendoza. On 31 October 2017, Mr. Mendoza was killed in a terrorist attack, while travelling with friends on a bike path in New York City. Since the cruel attack, Ms. Evans’ life, and the lives of her three children, have changed forever. Ms. Evans is the Coordinator of the newly created Victims of Terrorism Programme of the FININT Foundation. She works to build a support network for victims of terrorism and their families, to channel their needs and rights, and ensuring they receive psychological assistance. She advocates for an international cooperation mechanism that represents cross-border victims in judicial processes.

Mr. Parfait Kari Wadjoré was born in Garoua-Boulaï, eastern Cameroon. After obtaining his scientific baccalaureate, he studied economics and management at the University of Ngaoundéré. Since 2013, Mr. Kari Wadjoré has worked in the operations department of one of the largest banks in Cameroon, and has been trained in the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In 2014, he survived a terrorist attack perpetrated by Boko Haram. Mr. Kari Wadjoré is the founder of the Cameroon Association of Victims (ACVT), and is very interested in issues related to victims of terrorism.

Karambir Singh Kang is the Area Director – USA for Indian Hotels Company Ltd since July 2016. Previously, he was the General Manager of Taj Boston, and was also the Area Director, Taj Hotels – The Americas since 2011. Kang was Vice President – Mumbai and General Manager of the iconic Taj Mahal Palace in 2008 when the hotel suffered a terror attack on November 26, 2008. He and his team received global accolades for saving many guests and reopening the hotel in 21 days. His accolades include being awarded The President of India’s national award for bravery – Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and The Mother Teresa International Award in 2016.

Ms. Iman Abdullah is a Yazidi survivor. She was 13 years old, living in the village of Tal al-Qasab in the Sinjar district of Iraq when she was abducted by Da’esh fighters. Ms. Abdullah is an activist and has participated in a number of conferences. In 2019, she travelled to Mumbai, where she received the Mother Teresa Memorial Award on behalf of the Yazidi Rescue Office, with whom she worked. She is currently a student, as due to the circumstances, she did not have the opportunity to complete school. Ms. Abdullah wants to utilise her voice for all those who are victims of Da’esh. Her aim is to achieve justice, stop violence against women, and sow peace everywhere.

Known as the "Groom of Jordan," Ashraf lost his father, father and mother-in-law during a deadly suicide bombing attack at his wedding reception in November 2005. Twenty-seven people died in the blast, which ripped through the Radisson SAS Hotel in Amman. Since the attack, al-Khaled has spoken out as a victim of terrorism in his home country and in the United States. Speaker at Overcoming Extremism: Voices of the Victims 2007, Speaker at the UN symposium of Victims of Terrorism 2008, Cofounder of Global survivors Network Speaking truth to terror 2010, Oscar Nominated Movie Killing in the Name 2011, Speaker at GCTF High-Level Conference on Victims of Terrorism, 9-10 July 2012, Madrid.

Max Boon obtained his Master’s Degree in Southeast Asian Affairs & Management at Leiden University (2002), after which he served in many different roles advising organisations on political, economical and public affairs in Indonesia. Since surviving the 2009 JW Marriott terrorist bomb attack in Jakarta in which he lost both his legs, Max has been working on countering violence extremism in the country. He co-founded the Victims’ Voices initiative in 2013, and to document the lessons learned from the years in the field, he co-authored ‘From Victims of Terrorism to Messengers for Peace: A Strategic Approach’, published in 2020 by UNODC.

A general physician and EMDR therapist by training, Dr Haider holds an MSc. Degree in Peace and Conflict. After losing her husband and son in a terrorist incident, she co-founded The Grief Directory in 2015. Her work focuses on countering terrorism and violent extremism by providing support to sufferers of terrorism and promoting tolerance and harmony by engaging the wider society especially young Pakistanis. Dr Haider was a member of the expert group for the drafting of the Model Legislative Provisions. Her areas of special interest are women and youth empowerment in conflict settings. Her PhD research aims to document the experiences of women victims of terrorism in Pakistan.

Vera de Benito Ortega is a a journalist and political scientist and has specialized in national security, defence and terrorism. She has nine years of experience training in this field. Her experience as a victim of terrorism has given her a clear perspective on the importance of prevention and memory as reparative elements for society. Vera lost her father in the attack of March 11, 2004, in Madrid. Since that tragedy, she has worked to help reduce violent radical behaviour, as well as honouring the memory of her father.

Grace Acan is a social worker by profession and an advocate for the rights of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). Not Yet Sunset, Grace’s 2018 book, tells the story of her abduction by the LRA. Ms. Acan is the co-founder of the Women's Advocacy Network Uganda (WAN), which brings together more than 900 war-affected women and men to advocate for justice, recognition, and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence. Ms. Acan is a board member of the Global Survivors Fund, whose mission is to enhance access to reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and she is a member of SEMA – the Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence.

Joseph Pfeifer was the first Fire Chief to respond to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He survived the collapse of the World Trade Center, which claimed the lives of 343 of his firefighters, including his brother. At the FDNY, he served as the Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness, shaping interagency response and innovative concepts for managing extreme events. After retiring from the FDNY in 2018, he now teaches at Harvard and Columbia Universities. He has taught senior and emerging leaders worldwide about crisis leadership, disaster management, and adaptive resilience. Pfeifer is the author of The New York Times bestselling book, Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11.

Mr. Fernando Grande-Malarska Gomez entered his judicial career in 1989, and in 1990 he joined the Investigating Court n'2 of Bilbao where he worked as a magistrate and president of the Sixth Criminal Section of the Provincial Court of Vizcaya. In 2003 he moved to Madrid as head of the Court of Instruction n'36, and then, he began to form part of the National Court, where he provided services in different Central Courts of Instruction, being holder of n * 3 between 2007 and 2012. In 2013 he was elected president of the Criminal Chamber of the National High Court. In November 2013 he was elected member of the General Council of the Judiciary, belonging to its Permanent Commission.