Agenda

Anriette Esterhuysen was the executive director of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), an international network of organizations working with Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to support social justice and development from 2000 to 2017. Anriette has served on the African Technical Advisory Committee of the UN's Economic Commission for Africa's African Information Society Initiative and was a member of the United Nations ICT Task Force from 2002 to 2005, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Working Group on Financing Mechanisms, and the Commission for Science and Technology for Development Working Groups on Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Improvements (2011-12) and Enhanced Cooperation (2018). She was a member of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum from 2012-14 and was appointed by the UN Secretary General as the chair of this group for 2019-21. She was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame as a global connecter in 2013. Anriette has published extensively on ICTs for development and social justice and served as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace. She convenes the African School on Internet Governance  - with APC, Research ICT Africa and the African Union -- and serves as a member of the Aspen Institute Global Cybersecurity Group and is member of the board of directors of the South African Tertiary Education Network, TENET. She sits on the advisory boards of the Digital Empowerment Foundation and the Cyberpeace Institute.
 

Valeria Betancourt led APC's policy work from 2010 to 2022 as manager of the Communications and Information Policy Programme. She is currently leading APC’s global governance and serves as a member of the Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group. She is a longtime activist in the fields of human rights and the internet, digital technologies for development, digital inclusion and internet governance in the context of the global South. In 2013 and 2015, Valeria was awarded a LACNIC Outstanding Achievement Award and a FRIDA Programme Recognition for contributing to the development of internet policies. Her background is in sociology and political science. She holds a Master's degree in cultural studies and communication. She is Ecuadorian but currently lives in Spain.

Professor Abdulkarim Oloyede is a globally respected authority in wireless telecommunications, digital transformation, and ICT policy planning, with over two decades of multidisciplinary experience spanning academia, government advisory, and international development.

He is a Professor of Wireless Telecommunications at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, and currently serves as Acting Director of the Centre for Research Development and In-House Training (CREDIT). He holds a PhD in Electronic Engineering (Telecommunications) from the University of York, UK, and a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Bayero University Kano.

He has played significant roles in national and international ICT development initiatives. Prof. Oloyede is the Vice Chair of the ITU Telecommunication Development Advisory Group (TDAG) and serves as Chair of the TDAG Working Group on the WTDC-25 Declaration. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping global policy discussions around inclusive and affordable connectivity. He also represents Nigeria as Vice-Chair of the African Regional Preparatory Meeting for WTDC-25, a testament to his deep expertise and to Nigeria’s growing influence in global ICT discourse.

Since 2015, Prof. Oloyede has represented Nigeria at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where he currently serves as Rapporteur for Study Question 5/2 on Digital Transformation and ICT Adoption. He was the Consultant to the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) for WTDC-22, where he led groundbreaking discussions on broadband connectivity, IoT, and regulatory modernization.

Cheryl Miller is Vice President of Digital Policy. Miller is an accomplished technology executive and a strong advocate for a safe, secure, interoperable and open Internet. She joined USCIB in 2024 and brought with her a broad range of experience in the digital space across government agencies, the private sector and the nonprofit sector.
Miller’s experience in government includes serving as Assistant Chief Counsel for Telecommunications and Technology and the US Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, and Deputy Staff Director for Technology and Innovation for the US Senate’s Small Business Committee. In both roles she worked closely with key agencies such as the FCC, FTC, DOJ, and US State Department on key regulatory and legislative issues in the digital space.
Her previous private sector roles include serving as the Director of International Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Verizon, an International Organizations Policy Manager for Meta, and a Manager for Regulatory Affairs at France Telecom. She has also served as a private sector member of the United Nations’ Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) for the Internet Governance Forum, a Vice Chair for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN’s) NomCom Committee which reviews and selects ICANN board members and has been a part of numerus international delegations on digital issues.
Miller is also a former professor at The George Washington University, where she helped to launch their Intellectual Property Law Program as part of their Paralegal Studies Program. She is dedicated to helping disadvantaged students access advanced technology, and in her past role as Executive Director of the Kuma Foundation, helped to launch their first Kuma Lab in Pune, India.

Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the geography department at the National University of Ireland, focusing on the global governance of the energy transition, specifically examining how energy innovation disproportionately empowers local communities. With working experiences with the UNFCCC secretariat in the Intergovernmental Support and Collective Progress Division, I contributed to coordinating the workstreams on the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement. Now, I’m leading as the global youth policy board for the Asia-Pacific region at FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organization). I’m chairing the young working group for energy systems at the UNECE in the Sustainable Energy Division. Having contributed to the development and long-term cooperation of WMO (World Meteorological Organization) and youth strategy.
 
Before I entered the track of my PhD study, I dedicated the last 4 years to studying urban sustainability, climate resilience, urban resilience, and smart cities. My research has resulted in numerous publications and conference presentations here.
 
Aside from my academic role, I’m co-chairing external affairs at the IEEE Young Professionals Climate and Sustainability Task Force, monitoring academic and science-based projects, and contributing to long-term collaboration with leading energy institutes like IEA, IRENA, SeForAll, etc.
 
Last but not least, I’m currently serving as International Affairs Manager at WAGA (a renewable energy company dedicated to solving energy poverty starting in African villages), which is dedicated to providing sustainable and reliable lithium-ion battery solutions by recycling and reusing lithium-ion batteries and producing durable and affordable battery powered products.

Cerys is a Tech Policy Analyst in the Global Government Advisory (GGA) Practice at Access Partnership, a global tech public policy firm. Cerys sits within the Multilateral Organizations & Global Governance sub-practice, with a focus on supporting public and private entities engage in international fora to contribute to global policymaking and debate surrounding the development and deployment of digital technologies.
In guiding client engagement to both shape and respond to developments in the global governance of the digital landscape, Cerys works on issues pertaining to terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other Emerging Technologies, and digital sustainability. These projects aim to advance the digital transformation and accelerate progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Cerys obtained a BA from the University of Cambridge in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic and French languages), before completing an MSc in Politics of the Middle East at SOAS, University of London. Before joining Access Partnership, Cerys worked at a media production company, specialised in current affairs documentaries on the Persian Gulf, and has
experience conducting interviews in English and in Arabic.

 Lucien Castex is Advisor to the CEO of Afnic in charge of Internet, Governance and society.

Its main missions are to address forward- looking issues relating to the evolution of the Internet and the interactions between the Internet and society, and to represent Afnic in France and abroad, particularly in the area of public policies related to development of the Internet and digital technologies.

As such, he is co-chair of the organizing committee of the French Internet governance Forum (FGI France) and participate in the organization of the global IGF. Since 2020, he has been co-chair of the Research Group on Internet Governance and Regulation, GDR, CIS, CNRS, and since 2022, the organization’s focal point on Internet and WSIS related issues (ITU Council and ITU Council Working Groups) and within dedicated French interministerial working groups.

Amrita Choudhury is an active participant in digital and internet governance policy discussions in India and overseas. She is involved in capacity building, outreach and research. She is currently serving as Director of CCAOI, an organization representing the interests of internet users and non-users in India.
She is serving as a UN IGF MAG member and is currently one of the coordinators of the MAG Working Group on IGF Strategy and the Policy Network on AI Besides she also serves as the Chair of Asia Pacific regional IGF (AprIGF), Chair ICANN Asia Pacific regional AtLarge Organisation (APRALO), Chair IGF Support Association (IGFSA) and the President of ISOC Delhi Chapter. I
She is one of the founding members of the India School of Internet Governance (inSIG); coordination committee member of India IGF, advises and guides Youth India IGF and is a board member of Fact -Checking Network

Lidia Stępińska-Ustasiak is a sociologist and analyst of public policies and digitalization processes, with over 15 years of experience in the telecommunications and ICT sectors. She is a co-founder of Polistratos Institute, an NGO focusing on social impact of technology. Currently works at Billennium, a leading technology company in Poland, and actively contributes to KIGEIT (the National Chamber of Commerce for Electronics and Telecommunications) on digital policy and international cooperation. She is also Co-founder of the Polistratos Institute, an initiative dedicated to strategic thinking and public dialogue in the digital era.
She is a representative of the European region in the Group on Capacity Building Initiatives (GCBI) at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), advising on human and institutional capacity development. She previously served as Chairwoman of the GCBI and, in 2019, chaired the Steering Committee of the ITU Centres of Excellence, a global network focused on ICT training and knowledge sharing.
Earlier in her career, as Deputy Director in the Department of Foreign Affairs at Poland’s Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), she led the International Organizations Unit and the Social and Economic Cooperation Unit. In that role, she managed UKE's relations with SMEs, startups, chambers of commerce, public administration, and academia, both in Poland and internationally.
Dr. Stępińska-Ustasiak has represented Poland at key global forums, including WTDC-17, PP-18, GSR-18, and the WSIS Forum (2017–2020). She has also led the organization of regional ITU events, supporting collaboration across stakeholder groups within the framework of Regional Initiatives

Caroline Vuillemin has been General Director of Fondation Hirondelle since January 1, 2017. Fondation Hirondelle is a Swiss non-profit organization founded in 1995, which provides information to populations facing crises, empowering them to take action in their daily lives and as citizens. Her career reflects a commitment to international development in the field of good governance, democratic participation and access to information, particularly in Africa. She joined Fondation Hirondelle in December 2003. She was in charge of the Radio Okapi project (the United Nations radio station in the DRC created in partnership with Fondation Hirondelle), before taking over as Director of Operations in 2008. Committed to helping public-interest media, including radio, meet the economic, governance and technological transformation challenges they face, she is a board member of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD). Prior to Fondation Hirondelle, she worked for the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), where she took part in numerous electoral observation missions in the DRC, South Africa, and Nigeria. Caroline Vuillemin holds a bachelor's degree from the Institut d'études politiques de Lyon, complemented by a degree in international relations from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Meni Anastasiadou is a Digital Policy Manager for the Global Policy Department (Digital Economy Commission) at the International Chamber of Commerce. In her role she manages the work of ICC’s Global Digital Economy Commission, and its policy contributions on areas including AI, Cybersecurity, Connectivity and Data Governance.
Previously, she has occupied positions in the private sector as a consultant for Meta, and has also worked as a policy coordinator in cloud policy and critical infrastructure for Microsoft CELA. She has also acquired experience in the public sector at the government and external affairs department of the European Banking Authority (EBA), were she focused on communications and public affairs engagement for cross-cutting issues on financial innovation, including digital
operational resilience. In the beginning of her career, she worked as a journalist, a social researcher and public affairs assistant for a public interest law organisation.
Meni Anastasiadou is a Greek National and holds a Bsc in Law, a Master’s in Business Law, a BA in
Political Science, and an Associate’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Media Communications.