Agenda

Professor Salma Abbasi is the Founder, Chairperson and CEO of the eWorldwide Group. An international social enterprise, actively engaged with governments, development agencies, private sector and academia driving meaningful, inclusive digital transformation leveraging innovative technologies and ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sustainable future for humanity. 

She is collaborating with global stakeholders to co-create ethical standards, regulations and guardrails for prevailing technologies, data privacy, trust, cybersecurity and resilience. She has published several papers highlighting the importance to understand the unknown risks and unethical challenges from Artificial Intelligence Systems (AIS) and is actively working with international think tanks to develop a series of global standards, regulations, ethical AI frameworks, and guidelines for governance, transparency, accountability, explainability, and algorithmic biased, and policy papers, particularly improving safeguarding practices for children. 

Leveraging her global experience as the former Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for Lucent Technologies, with over 40 years' experience in the fields of technology, innovation, supply chain management and people-centric design, she is an advisory board member for several international organizations advocating for operational excellence, sustainability and technology for humanity. 

Professor Abbasi was commissioned by UNECA in 2019 to develop the strategic roadmap and partnership framework to establish the 1st African AI Research Centre of Excellence. Subsequently developing a series of multi-level AI courses for stakeholders. In parallel, she is a visiting lecturer at 5 universities around the world and participates in high-level dialogues internationally to raise the importance for deeper and broader understanding of the evolving risks from AI, particularly the unknown consequences from rapid adoption without having the necessary policies, frameworks, safety guardrails and regulations, and skills in place. She advocates for greater international collaboration, cooperation, and partnerships with ‘equity and trust’.

Minister of Digital Transition, Posts and Electronic Communications of Burkina Faso since March 2022, Dr Aminata ZERBO/SABANE holds a PhD in Computer Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal ) and a Diploma in Computer Engineering with a specialization in Programming Analysis from the École Supérieure d’Informatique in Burkina Faso.

Lecturer and Researcher at Université Joseph Ki-ZERBO of Burkina Faso, she is particularly committed to youth development. She co-leads the university digital incubator Incub@UO, which supports student-driven innovation in the digital sector.

She is an active member of IEEE Burkina (the international scientific society for research in electronic and computer systems) and of RECIF (Network of Computer Science Teachers and Researchers in Burkina Faso).

She is a recognized expert in digital transformation with a strong background in public administration where she has led strategic studies in the digital sector as Technical Secretary, coordinating the work of experts responsible for strategic analyses and studies on digital issues within the Ministry of Digital Transition from 2018 to 2021 and Head of the Budgetary Program "Digital Ecosystem and Transformation", in charge of monitoring and coordinating large-scale national projects related to digital transition.

Gitanjali Sah is Strategy and Policy Coordinator at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and is responsible for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process. She has more than 15 years of work experience in ICT policy issues at the national, regional and international level. She is an experienced International Civil Servant having worked at several UN Agencies. She holds M.Phil. Development Studies, University of Cambridge, UK and a Masters in Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India.

Sami Galal is a student in 9th grade (3 eme) at the Lycee International Francis George Pompidou in Dubai, UAE. He is interested in science, technology and urban topics. He is a multicultural student and speaks French, English and Portuguese fluently and can understand Arabic and German

Sameer is a public policy professional and certified corporate secretary (equivalent to ICSA, UK NARIC and MACS) working at the intersection of policy, society, sustainability, and technology. Presently, he is working with the National Internet Exchange of India (Internet Governance Division | Ministry of Electronics and IT). During his professional journey, he has collaborated and worked with distinct stakeholders such as the Government of Cambodia, Germany, India, Singapore and Uzbekistan, the United Nations (UN), Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Internet Society, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE SA), G20/BRICS Secretariat, Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF), Asia Pacific Top-level Domain Association (APTLD), Asia-Europe Foundation, Artificial Intelligence International Institute (AIII), DotAsia, MakeMyTrip (a NASDAQ listed entity), Open Data Institute (ODI), Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, O.P. Jindal Global University and University of Delhi."

Over the last two decades, Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman has undertaken numerous national, regional, and international projects, interventions, and initiatives, focusing on media development, ICT for Development, and digital transformation. He has been recognized as a leading player in numerous international conferences and summits focused on fostering ICT innovation and the development of the ICT ecosystem and advancing digital transformation in the Asia-Pacific region since 2000.
He has led the engagement of the Bangladesh government with the International Telecommunication Union on the WSIS process since 2002 and Internet policy issues since 2006, participating in numerous international conferences and associated preparatory work. He has strong skills in policy development and people’s diplomacy.
Since its inception, he has been participating in a high-level track as a speaker at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum.
He has promoted the WSIS Action line C1– C11, the Report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation, the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation Roadmap on Digital Cooperation, and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda (2021) in Bangladesh as the facilitator.
He received the UN WSIS Prize as a Winner in 2016 and a Champion in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023 for the UN WSIS action line on localisation. After receiving prestigious United Nations recognition for the seventh time, he has driven multi-stakeholder engagement more effectively, resulting in a sharp rise in the research and development process to ensure a response through an equity lens and shape the Future of Media, entertainment, and society in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
He holds the esteemed position of Global Ambassador for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Bangladesh, advocating for ethical practices and fostering awareness in this vital field.
Currently, he leads several projects aligned with Digital Development, Media Development, Internet Governance, Combatting Technology-facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), Access to Justice, Road Safety Journalism, Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Information Integrity for Advancing Media Development and access to Digital Technology for Equitable Digital Inclusion and Human-Centric Digital Transformation.
He pursued his Master of Social Science (MSS) in Government and Politics at the Asian University of Bangladesh and his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) at the National University of Bangladesh. Additionally, he completed Management Development Studies at Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), New Delhi, India.
He has participated in the Legislative Development Fellowship, a component of the U.S. Department of State's Professional Development Fellowship Program, since 2012.

Elise is a Senior Manager at SKAD AG, specializing in the convergence of law, technology, and governance. She
guides leading German, international, and governmental organizations through complex regulatory landscapes
involving artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, and data protection—ensuring responsible innovation while
fostering trust and opportunity. As an advocate for data sovereignty and AI literacy, Elise empowers organizations
and individuals through targeted trainings on AI literacy and data protection, helping users engage with emerging
technologies responsibly and exercise greater agency in the digital world.
Elise also serves as an expert for AI governance and privacy at lawpilots, is an active member of the IEEE Working
Group developing standards for the protection of minors on social media and gaming platforms and regularly
contributes to academic literature in her field.
Prior to joining SKAD AG, Elise worked in Deloitte’s Risk Advisor, where she gained experience in complex
transnational big data analytics projects leveraging AI and global regulatory strategy. Her interdisciplinary
background further includes research on social inclusion through cooperatives for the German Confederation of
Cooperatives and the BMZ in Mexico.
Elise holds an LL.M. (cum laude) and an M.Sc. from the University of Amsterdam, a Bachelor of Laws in European
Law, and is a certified data protection expert (CIPP/E). Fluent in German, English, and Spanish, she brings an
international perspective to every project.

Yu Ping Chan heads Digital Partnerships and Engagement at UNDP, the United Nations’ development agency. As part of the leadership of UNDP’s Digital, AI and Innovation Hub, Yu Ping helps drive global thought leadership and builds partnerships to support the agency’s digital development work.

Yu Ping previously headed the Rising Nations Initiative Secretariat at the Global Center for Climate Mobility. She has extensive experience with multilateral diplomacy and the United Nations system, having also previously led the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, as well as the Policy and Regional Support teams in the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism. Prior to this, she worked in the UN’s Department of Political Affairs, and in the New York Office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 

Before joining the UN Secretariat, Yu Ping was a diplomat in the Singaporean Foreign Service. She served at the Singapore Mission to the United Nations in New York as well as at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, overseeing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

Yu Ping has a Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from Harvard University, and a Masters of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.