Connecting the world and beyond

Biographies

Rafael Ponte Specialist, Sustainable Consumption, Consumers International Rafael is a Specialist at Consumers International, where he focuses on advancing sustainable consumption. He is also a member of the Coordination Desk for the Consumer Information Programme for Sustainable Consumption and Production (CI-SCP) under the One Planet Network, supporting global efforts to empower consumers through credible sustainability information. His experience ranges from project management, research, and journalism, combined with a strong background in sustainability and social justice. Previously, Rafael served as a Junior Research Analyst at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), contributing to the Translating Research Into Practice – Bonn Programme and managing the Global Research and Action Network for a New Eco-Social Contract. In prior years, he worked for national, regional and global organizations dedicated to Indigenous Peoples’ rights and advocacy. He holds an MSc in Environmental Governance and a BA in Communication for Development.
Patrick Child Deputy director-general of DG Environment, European Commission Patrick Child is currently Deputy Director-General in DG Environment at the European Commission and contributes to the definition, coordination and implementation of strategy and policy orientation, as well as to the coherence between Environment and other Community policies, within the framework of the policy guidelines of the Commission, with particular emphasis on zero pollution, water resilience, chemicals policy, international relations, nature restoration and protection and biodiversity.
Marcel Dorsch Senior Expert Digital Change and Sustainability Transformation, German Environment Agency, CODES Focal Point Marcel works at the interface of science and politics, mainly on conceptual and practical problems of global sustainability policy. Since 2021, he has been a senior researcher at the President's office of the German Environmental Agency (UBA) focusing on strategic priorities for a sustainable digital age. In this capacity, he is UBA’s lead and co-coordinator for the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) as well as co-author of the CODES Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age. After contributing to the inclusion of environmental considerations in the UN Global Digital Compact, he currently serves as negotiator for Germany at UNEA-7, focusing on the proposed resolution on AI and the environment. Before joining UBA, he has been the global governance researcher at the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) and co-author of the WBGU expert reports (incl. WBGU, 2019: Towards Our Common Digital Future). He worked at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change(MCC) and holds a PhD for a thesis on polycentric sustainability governance at the Technical University Berlin.
Bilel Jamoussi Deputy Director, Telecommunication Standardization Sector, ITU Dr Bilel Jamoussi, a distinguished engineer and diplomat, is the Deputy Director of ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau and Chief, Study Groups & Policy Department (SPD) in Geneva, Switzerland. His primary mission is to establish the international standards essential for ensuring global telecommunications and ICT interoperability, promote universal, meaningful connectivity and champion sustainable digital transformation. At the same time, Dr Jamoussi is passionate about ensuring inclusivity in standards development and adoption. A key focus for him has been to intensify industry engagement, and bolster cooperation with other standardization bodies, as well as leading in emerging tech discussions, building strategic partnerships, and pursuing organizational excellence. In an era characterized by digital transformation, he has championed greatly increased collaboration with vertical sectors such as healthcare, transportation, utility, and banking. In addition, his innovative approach has served as a catalyst to launch new standards initiatives related to emerging technologies such as IoT, Blockchain, AI and Quantum, and attracting a new wave of memberships from non-traditional players. A standout accomplishment of Dr Jamoussi has been his work in bridging the telecommunications and financial sectors. Through this, he has paved the way for the creation of digital payments guidelines and standards that aim to foster financial inclusion on a global scale. Prior to 2010, he worked in the private sector for 15 years and held senior executive positions such as Director of Standards for Nortel. In this role, he participated in over 90 standards making bodies worldwide. In the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), he authored a number of Internet standards. As an IEEE Senior Member, he was elected to the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Board of Governors and the IEEE-SA Corporate Advisory Group. He holds a BSc, MSc and PhD degrees in Computer Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, USA. Born in Tunisia, Bilel has lived in Canada, USA, and Switzerland, giving him a unique global viewpoint. He is fluent in Arabic, French, and English.
Pär Larshans Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-sells (Sweden), co-chair at the International Chamber of Commerce’s working group on circular economy Pär Larshans serves as co-chair at the International Chamber of Commerce’s working group on circular economy, as well as in the steering committee for UNEP Global Partnership on Nutrient Management. He is also Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-Sells Group, where he has been instrumental in transitioning the company from a traditional linear actor to a circular leader.
Steven Stone CDeputy Director, UNEP Industry and Economy Division Steven Stone joined UNEP in 2010, in the lead up to the Rio+20 Conference. While at UNEP, Steven has served as Chief of the Economics and Trade Branch, where he directed a team dedicated to furthering the knowledge base, outreach and support to countries on environmental and resource economics as key components of economic, trade and investment policy; and from 2017-2021 as Chief of the Resources and Markets Branch, which brought additional elements of sustainable consumption and production, life cycle analysis, and global flows of material resources via the International Resources Panel. Some of the key flagships he has helped to shape and incubate over time include the Green Economy Initiative, the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership, and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), which will be key for the delivery of the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy. Steven earned an MSc and PhD in Resource Economics from Cornell University, following his BA with Honors from Swarthmore College (USA). He has authored and co-authored numerous journal articles and blogs in the field of environmental and resource economics.
Reyna Úbeda Engineer to ITU-T Study Group 5 "Environment, EMF, Climate Action and Circular Economy" 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.
Adriana Zacarias Farah Senior Programme Management Officer \| Global Coordinator, Finance and Economic Transformations Subprogramme, UNEP Adriana Zacarias Farah currently serves as Global Coordinator of UNEP’s Finance and Economic Transformations Subprogramme, leading work on circular economy, sustainable finance, and SCP. Previous roles include Head of the Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) initiative and Deputy Head of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on SCP (10YFP) and the One Planet Network. She is an international expert in environmental policy, sustainable consumption and production (SCP), circular economy, and programme management, with over 25 years of experience at global, regional, and national levels. She holds a master's degree in Environment and Development from the University of Cambridge (UK) and a BSc in Political Science from ITAM (Mexico).