Mr. Brahima Sanou
Director
Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Brahima Sanou has been Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) since 2011. In October 2014 he was elected to a second four-year term. As BDT Director, he has led key initiatives, like for instance the m-Powering Development Initiative, to deliver improved services such as healthcare, education and business over mobile platforms; and the Smart Sustainable Development Model initiative, focused on optimizing resources for sustainable development and disaster management. Mr Sanou draws on over thirty years of experience in the ICT sector at national and international level. As Head of ITU Regional Office for Africa and Liaison Officer to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) from 2000 - 2010, he worked to foster the growth of mobile telecommunications across the continent. From 1997 to 2000, he worked as coordinator of the African regional project on telecommunications reform and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). He began his professional career in his native Burkina Faso, where he held several high-level positions in the Posts and Telecommunications services. Mr Sanou holds a degree in Engineering from the
Ecole
Nationale
Supérieure des
Télécommunications (ENST) in Paris, and a post-graduate diploma from the Centre for Financial, Economic and Banking Studies in Paris. |
Ms. Shamika N. Sirimanne
Director
Division on Technology and Logistics
United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Ms. Shamika N. Sirimanne is the Director of the Division on Technology and Logistics of UNCTAD and the acting Director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities. Ms. Sirimanne has extensive experience in development policy, research and technical cooperation gained from international organizations, national governments, think tanks and universities. Prior to joining UNCTAD, she served as the Director of the Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), where she spearheaded major regional cooperation programmes. Among them are the Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway initiative for seamless broadband connectivity, Regional Drought Mechanism for monitoring and early warning of drought through space applications, and the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade (UNNExT). During her tenure with ESCAP, Ms. Sirimanne also served as the Secretary of the ESCAP's annual Ministerial meeting, headed the trade facilitation programme, and led the macroeconomic policy work and ESCAP's flagship publication, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific. Prior to that, Ms. Sirimanne was with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), where she led the economic policy team and the Economic Report on Africa, the flagship publication of ECA. Ms. Sirimanne has also worked for the Canadian Department of Finance and the World Bank. Ms. Sirimanne holds a PhD in Economics. |
Mr. Cosmas Zavazava
Chief
Projects and Knowledge Management Department (PKM)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Cosmas Zavazava is Chief of Department for Projects and Knowledge Management (PKM) in the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union. The Department is responsible for providing administrative and technical support in the formulation and implementation of projects, project monitoring and evaluation. It produces and disseminates timely statistical and analytical data on the ICT sector and the information society and strengthens human and institutional capacities in ICTs. The Department is also responsible for emergency telecommunications, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and e-waste management. Through the Department ITU also provides concentrated assistance to least developed countries, small island developing states, and landlocked developed countries. Dr Zavazava is a former senior diplomat and negotiator. He also served as Head of Zimbabwe's Government Telecommunication Agency. He has been with ITU since 2001. |
H.E. Mr. Jean de Dieu Rurangirwa
Minister
Ministry of Information Technology and Communications
Rwanda Jean de Dieu Rurangirwa, is currently Rwandan Minister for Information Technology and Communications (MiTEC) overseeing development and coordination of national policies related to information technology and communications. Prior to joining MITEC, he served as Head of Government Integrated Financial Management Information System for 10 years. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Project Management from Maastricht School of Management (MsM) – Netherlands and Bachelor's Degree in Information System Management from Adventist University of Central Africa – Rwanda. Rurangirwa has vast experience in systems planning, design, development, implementation and integration, he led and coordinated the development and implementation of Government Integrated Financial Management System, Long Term Saving Scheme and technical lead for planning and implementation of Government e-procurement system. He served as short term consultant for the International Monetary Fund reviewing and advising more than 5 countries on Financial Management Systems processes and strategies. |
Ms. Jane Coffin
Director of Development Strategy, Internet Society (ISOC)
Jane Coffin is responsible for development strategy at the Internet Society, where her work focuses on coordination of collaborative strategies for expanding Internet infrastructure, access, and related capacities in emerging economies. Prior to joining ISOC, Jane worked on Internet and telecommunications policy issues for the Office of International Affairs at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration – U.S. Department of Commerce. She was an active participant in Internet discussions in the ITU, OAS-CITEL, and OECD, working closely with the five regional Internet registries (RIRs) and other Internet technical community stakeholders. She was very involved in policy discussions on open Internet standards and issues related to BGP, IPv4, IPv6, and MPLS. While at NTIA, Jane was an advocate for the deployment of Internet exchange points (IXPs) to increase international Internet connectivity (IIC), and was an ITU-T SG-3 IIC co-Rapporteur and an IIC coordinator in CITEL's PCC.I. She was Vice-Chair of the Federal IPv6 Task Force, and a Vice-Chair of the ITU Council Child Online Protection Working Group. From 2002-2006, she served as Chief of Party, and Deputy Chief of Party on two separate USAID projects in Moldova and Armenia. Jane worked closely with regulators, policy-makers, senior officials and parliamentarians, Internet service providers, and stakeholders on regulatory strengthening, market access and competition, and liberalization and privatization activities in Moldova and Armenia. Jane worked for AT&T as a Director of International Affairs/Government Affairs, where she worked on international telecommunications issues, including VOIP, ENUM, and ICAIS, and was a Rapporteur in ITU-D Study Group 1 for universal access/universal service in rural and remote areas. She holds a BA in Classics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, attended the College Year in Athens program in Athens, Greece, and was an AFS exchange student in Falun, Sweden (1985-86). Jane is based in Reston, United States. |
Mr. Andrea Giacomelli
Trade Policy and Aid-for-Trade Advisor
Permanent Delegation of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Since April 2017 Andrea works as Trade Policy and Aid-for-Trade Advisor at the Permanent Delegation of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Geneva. Before joining the PIF Delegation Andrea spent 6 years in the Pacific, first working as an Advisor to the Vanuatu's Ministry of Tourism, Trade, Commerce and Ni-Vanuatu Business, then as Trade Policy Consultant at the Pacific Islands Secretariat (PIFS) in Fiji. Andrea's support to Pacific Island Countries has covered areas such as trade policy and negotiations, as well as identification formulation, and management of Aid-for-Trade initiatives. |
Ms. Julia Burchell
Senior Manager
Mobile for Development Insights GSMA As Senior Manager, Mobile for Development Insights at the GSMA, Julia leads the GSMA National Dialogue initiative, which convenes mobile industry leadership and senior policymakers to identify how closer public-private collaboration at a national level can help progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She has been with the GSMA for eight years, driving innovation projects that aim to achieve both commercial and social impact at scale. She specialized in gender and mobile before leading research into mobile value added services and industry partnerships. Julia has a strong background in corporate communications, having previously represented organizations across the telecommunications, utilities, accountancy and law industries. |
