Agenda

David Jensen is the Regional Coordinator for the Digital Transformations programme of UNEP, covering North America and Europe. In this role, he is responsible for advancing UNEP’s work on climate stability, nature protection, and pollution prevention through the strategic use of data and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence.

David played a key role in establishing the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) as part of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. Since 2018, he has also served as an advisor on digital sustainability to the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment and is the co-author of the influential discussion paper “The Case for a Digital Ecosystem for the Environment”.

He has co-founded several pioneering digital platforms, including STRATA, MapX, Earth School, AI for the Planet, the UN Biodiversity Lab, and the Environmental Peacebuilding Platform. His most recent initiative is an e-learning programme for the UN System Staff College entitled “Digital4Sustainability”.

Before shifting his focus to digital transformation, David worked extensively at the intersection of natural resources, environmental degradation, and climate change—addressing these issues both as drivers of conflict and as opportunities for collaboration and peacebuilding among divided communities and countries.

Dr Archana G. Gulati is Deputy to the Director of the ITU’s Development Bureau.   With over 34 years of experience in policy making and regulation, she specialises in universal service, digital transformation, regulation of frontier technologies and competition regulation. Her journey began as an Indian Civil Services officer (1989 batch), and she continued to excel in her field after taking voluntary retirement in 2021. Her career milestones include serving as the Director, Public Affairs and Policy at Google, India, until October 2022. 

Dr Gulati's academic journey is marked by her pursuit of excellence. She holds a BA Honours in Economics from Lady Sri Ram College, University of Delhi, an LLM (Telecom & IT law) from the University of Strathclyde, UK, and a PhD. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Her various posts in the Indian government include Advisor (Digital Communications) at the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Senior Deputy Director General / Officer on Special Duty to the Chairperson of the Telecom Commission of India, and Advisor and Head of the Combinations (M&A) Division at the Competition Commission of India. She has also held the position of Financial Advisor to the National Disaster Management Authority of India. Prior to joining the ITU, she was a professor of digital regulation at leading public policy and business schools in India. She has also previously served as an expert with the International Telecommunications Union.

Thomas Ebert has been working for the German Environment Agency since 2018 as Research and Policy Officer in product policy and circular economy. In September 2023 he joined DG CONNECT at the European Commission as a Seconded National Expert focusing on the sustainable and digital twin transition. 

Mr Peiliang Shi is the Director for Data and Prediction Systems Division in the Infrastructure Department of the World Meteorological Organization. He supervises WMO's technical programs on global data exchange, and data processing and prediction systems. Those programs coordinate the technical cooperations among Members of WMO to set standards on data interoperability and build rapid data exchange systems and make prediction products accessible to all Members. 

Before joining the WMO Secretariat, he worked in the China Meteorological Administration, managing the operational information systems of CMA.

Garam Bel is the Circular Economy Coordinator for the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union based in Geneva. He coordinates the electronic waste  projects in BDT covering regulatory development and data collection. Prior to joining ITU, he worked for the Environment Management Group which is a United Nations system-wide coordination body on environment and human settlements. In this position, he ran activities towards streamlining the various electronic waste related initiatives of UN agencies and programmes. Before moving to Geneva, Garam worked for local government in Scotland in the area of municipal solid waste. He holds a master’s degree in Standardization, Social Regulation and Sustainable Development from the University of Geneva