Connecting the world and beyond

Biographies

Lamia Benabbas Project Manager, UNIDO Lamia Benabbas has been with UNIDO in Vienna for over thirteen years, managing projects related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements, such as the Montreal Protocol under the Vienna Convention and the Stockholm and Minamata Conventions. Before joining UNIDO, she had worked in academia and industry in several European countries and in Algeria. She graduated as an engineer in Algeria and holds a master's degree and PhD from the University of Paris, France.
Paolo Gemma WP2/5 Chair, ITU-T Study Group 5 Paolo Gemma is a senior specialist and representative of Huawei on issues related to energy saving and environmental sustainability. Prior to joining Huawei, Dr. Gemma was working with Nokia Siemens Networks, where he was responsible for EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) and electrical safety areas. He also worked in the Siemens Communications Division. Dr. Paolo Gemma also plays an active role in international standardization activities. Since 1993, he has been engaged in ETSI (European Telecommunication Standard Institute) activities and he also participates in the development of EMC standards. In 1997, Dr. Gemma joined ITU-T Study Group 5 on Environment, Climate Change, and Circular Economy as a Rapporteur and he is now the Chairman of Working Party 2 “Environment, Energy Efficiency and the Circular Economy”. He also acts as Vice-chairmen of the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) initiative. In 2002, Paolo Gemma was appointed as the Secretary of the Committee ETSI TC EE and as of 2009, he holds the position of Chairman of the EEPS EE (eco Environmental product standard) working group. Paolo Gemma is a graduate of electrical engineering from the University of Genoa.
Lucía Herreras Martínez Technical Director, WEEE Forum Lucía Herreras Martínez started working for the WEEE sector as a consultant and auditor in 2003. In 2013 she joined the WEEE Forum as Technical Director and is currently the deputy director of the association. The WEEE Forum is an international association of 50 extended producer responsibility organisations. This non-profit association, based in Brussels, has been promoting the circular economy since 2002 and helping its members to share ideas and knowledge to achieve excellence in their activities. The WEEE Forum has participated and continues to participate in key projects and actively contributes to the international debate on the management of e-waste.
Noémie Pralat E-waste Expert, ITU Noémie Pralat works on the Circular Economy Programme of the International Telecommunication Union. With in-depth experience of global environmental governance and sustainability, she specializes in guiding policymakers towards a circular economy for electronics and a green digital transformation. Noémie is an alumni of the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.
Reyna Úbeda Engineer, ITU-T Study Group 5 “Environment, EMF, Climate Action and Circular Economy, ITU Reyna Úbeda studied Industrial Engineering and she completed a Master on International Management from the University for Economics and Environment Nürtingen- Geislingen in 2014. She joined the ITU’s Standardization Bureau in 2015. She is the Engineer of ITU-T Study Group 5 on Environment, EMF, climate action and circular economy. Reyna speaks English, Spanish and German.
Sonia Valdivia Scientific Director, World Resources Forum Sonia Valdivia (Scientific Director – World Resources Forum): Since 2014, Sonia’s work focused on sustainable recycling industries and life cycle sustainability at the WRF. Since 2016, Sonia is Professor at the Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, associated with the Faculty of Sustainability. She is convener of the ISO standard 59014 under the Circular Economy and Environmental Management Technical Committees. Previous to WRF Sonia was UNEP Programme Officer and coordinated the Secretariat of the UNEP Life Cycle Initiative. Sonia has worked for organizations such as UNITARand NACEC (North American Center for Environmental Cooperation), and as a GIZ coordinator of the Pan-American Network for Environmental Waste Management. She has an academic background in Industrial Engineering, with a Ph.D. in Environmental Management and Policies from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).