Thematic Session: Inclusive Communities - Leaving No One Behind Primary tabs

Passionate about social, political, economic and environmental justice for human development, Maruxa specialises in integrated urban and territorial development. Over her 17-year career, Maruxa has worked with multilateral institutions, national, regional and local governments, NGOs and philanthropy in 33 countries across continents to develop public policies, capacity and implementation projects, and multi-stakeholder partnerships. Maruxa currently serves as Secretary General of the Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport SLoCaT. Previously she founded Communitas, the multi-stakeholder coalition which pioneered knowledge-based advocacy for the Sustainable Development Goal on Cities & Human Settlements. Maruxa also served as the Secretary General of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (nrg4SD), and during her tenure co-facilitated the engagement of local and regional governments in the UN Rio +20 Conference. She has also held posts as Senior Policy Specialist in Cities Alliance-UNOPS, as well as in local and regional government in the UK and Spain. In 2004-2010, she was Deputy Director of the Representation of the South West of England to the EU, where she led on the sustainability portfolio for a partnership of regional authorities, academia and the private sector. Prolific public speaker and analyst, Maruxa is member of the Future Earth community. In recent years, she has served in the UCL- Nature Sustainability Expert Panel on the Urban Science-Policy Interface and as Adviser on Global Agendas to the Conference of European Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe CPMR. Her formal training was as a lawyer, as well as in EU law and in development economics.

Soraya Sayed Hassen is a passionate educator with over 20 years of experience. An alumna of Buckingham University (UK) and Monash University (Australia), Soraya has held various teaching positions at schools in Mauritius and Australia across a variety of curricula including the Cambridge IGCSE & A Level syllabi, and the International Baccalaureate. In her current role as the Head of College at UWC Mahindra (MUWCI), a unique residential College in rural Maharshtra, India, she leads an idealistic and highly diverse community of 240 students and 35 teachers (from close to 80 different countries). MUWCI's rigorous academic and experiential learning program aims to equip students with the ability to grapple with challenges of peace and sustainability. @MUWCI

Millicent Auma Otieno is a Kenyan citizen currently pursuing Bachelor of Science community health at Kenya Methodist University, holds diploma in community health and development from Premese African development institute and two certificates in Human Rights and Governance and Trauma healing and reconciliation, both from Hekima Institute of Peace and International Relations. She is a Certified Trainer of Trainees by the Kenya National cohesion and integration commission. Based on that background, she is passionate in community development, human rights with special interest in peace and gender equality; she is a founder of a community based organization working with widowed women living in rural areas and always neglected by their young kins seeking shots collar jobs in urban centers. Following the success of the community organization in Western Kenya, it was decided to launch a national movement to promote ‘Food Through The Stomach’ as our slogan as part of the promotion of SDGs 2,5,16 while also playing critical role in localizing UNSCR. @millicento05

LGBTQ Victory Fund and Victory Institute President & CEO Annise Parker is the first former elected official to lead the organizations, having served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as City Controller, and six years as Mayor of the city. She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor and is the only person in Houston history to have held the offices of council member, controller and mayor. She was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city. In addition to her duties as mayor, Mayor Parker was a member of President Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, chaired the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee, and served on the boards of the Texas Environmental Research Consortium and Houston Galveston Area Council. She is a past Fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Mayor Parker graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. In the private sector, she spent 20 years working in the oil and gas industry, including 18 years with Mosbacher Energy Company. She also co-owned Inklings, a lesbian/feminist bookstore for 10 years. @AnniseParker

Ivan Shumkov is a New York based architect, entrepreneur, professor, scholar and curator. He is a pioneer in online education and founder of the BUILD ACADEMY, providing professional education for the building industry. He graduated with masters degrees from ETSA Barcelona, University of Florence, and Harvard University GSD, as a Fulbright scholar. He earned his PhD in Architecture in 2009 at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Columbia University GSAPP, as fellow of the Fondation Le Corbusier. Dr. Shumkov has taught at NYU, Harvard University GSD, Pratt Institute School of Architecture, Parsons the New School for Design, International University of Catalonia, and ETSA Barcelona. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Harvard Alumni Association 2011-14 and as founding president of Harvard Architectural and Urban Society Alumni 2008-14. Dr. Shumkov is a licensed architect in Spain and Italy and principal of ISA – Ivan Shumkov Architects, a company working in the fields of architecture, urbanism, landscape and design with offices in New York. He has worked, lectured and exhibited his projects and research in Europe, Brazil, Colombia, China, and the USA. @ivanshumkov

Mariarosa Cutillo, a national of Italy, is the Chief of the Strategic Partnerships Branch, within the Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Mariarosa has more than 20 years of professional experience, working for the private sector. Before joining UNFPA, she was the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Benetton Group, as well as President and CEO of Benetton’s UNHATE Foundation. She has served as director of Valore Sociale per l’Impresa Responsabile (a multi stakeholder corporate social responsibility organization). On issues relating to corporate sustainability, she has served as a legal expert for various Institutions. She has also worked extensively for the international non-governmental organization Mani Tese. Mariarosa was also a professor in International Law Cases in the Faculty of Law of the University of Milan-Bicocca and senior lecturer at the Catholic University of Milan, Faculties of Law and Political and Social Sciences. Mariarosa obtained a degree in Advanced International Law from the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University of Milan in 1995. She has post-graduate specializations in Human Rights and in business administration, with a specific focus on social and environmental sustainability.