Agenda

Gillian Makamara is a Programme Coordinator at the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where she leads the organization’s work on quantum technologies and serves as ITU’s focal point for international engagements in this domain. In this capacity, she coordinates the Quantum for Good initiative and represents the ITU across major global quantum efforts, including the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, where she served on the steering committee and coordinated ITU’s contributions throughout the year.

In parallel, she contributes to international standardization across cybersecurity (ITU-T Study Group 17) and performance and quality of service (ITU-T Study Group 12), while supporting efforts to strengthen and broaden the participation of developing countries in the global standards ecosystem.

Beyond her work at ITU, Gillian serves as a mentor in the inaugural Quantum Pioneer Legacy Initiative, a 10-month leadership programme aimed at cultivating the next generation of women leaders across quantum science and technology.

Maikki has worked with emerging technologies since 2018, developing AI policy and strategy for the Finnish Government, the European Commission, and the United Nations. 

She currently drives Government Relations at Verda, a Finnish AI infrastructure scaleup. Maikki holds Master's degrees in Business (Aalto University), Education (University of Helsinki), and IP & ICT Law (KU Leuven), where her thesis focused on quantum computing.

Prof. Tommaso Calarco is a physicist who specializes in optimizing quantum processes. He initiated and pioneered joint efforts in quantum technology research at national and European level.

Prof. Tommaso Calarco is considered one of the leading quantum physicists today. At least as important is his role as an instigator and as someone who brings others together. 

He is one of the founding fathers of the European Quantum Manifesto, which led to the billion-euro EU Quantum Flagship programme. Within the programme, he leads the Quantum Community Network, which brings together theorists and experimental groups as well as science and industry. He was also instrumental in founding “EIN Quantum NRW”, the quantum computing network for science and industry in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

Dr. Xianhong Hu is UNESCO’s Programme Specialist at the Sector of Communication and Information. She joined UNESCO through its competitive Young Professionals Program in 2006.

She serves on the Secretariat of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Program of Information for All (IFAP) since 2021 and supports UNESCO’s work on promoting multilingualism and Universal Acceptance as well as  International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032), in line with UNESCO 2003 Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace.  She had led UNESCO project of Internet Universality R.O.A.M principles (Rights, Openness, Accessibility, Multi-stakeholder) indicators during 2013-2021. 

She has followed the UN led processes of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) and Internet Governance Forum (IGF) since 2006. Her policy work relates to humanistic digital governance and transformation, the ethical implications of Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies and building humanistic and inclusive Knowledge Societies.

She observed the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) and Missions Publiques. She serves on the Steering Committee of member of  European Dialogue of Internet Governance (Eurodig) and the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV).She initiated the IGF Dynamic Coalition on measuring digital inclusion, with a focus on gender and youth inclusion. 

She received a Ph.D from Peking University in China in 2007 and was an affiliate of Harvard University Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society (2021-2022). She is an alumni in the professional area of Internet governance of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) as invited by the U.S Department of State in 2016. 

She authored +20 publications and articles and recently  lead-authored UNESCO policy study Steering AI and Advanced ICTs for Knowledge Societies: A ROAM Perspective’(2019), and edited IFAP Issue Brief “Human rights centered global governance of quantum technologies: advancing information for all”.

She gave guest lectures in a number of universities including Science Po, Bordeaux University Montagne, University of Malta, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Macao University, Peking University, China Communication University, etc. 

She initiated UNESCO Series Publication on Internet Freedom in 2011, which has captured the complex dynamics of global Internet governance by studying policy issues of online freedom of expression, privacy, Internet intermediaries, digital safety, Artificial Intelligence, etc. She has conducted UNESCO Series Publication on investigative journalism including “Story-Based Enquiry: A Training Manual for Investigative Journalism” and “Global Casebook of Investigative Journalism

Shamira Ahmed is a transdisciplinary social scientist whose focus on evidence-based research and policy work examine the transnational governance of emerging digital technologies and their implications for sustainable development.
She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Data Economy Policy Hub (DepHUB), the first independent think tank established by an Indigenous African woman in South Africa.

She was the inaugural Chair of the European Union’s Digital for Development Hub Civil Society and Academia Advisory Group, a 2024 Policy Leader Fellow at the European University Institute, and previously worked in economic diplomacy, industrial development, and international cooperation within South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. Shamira also worked as a researcher for KANTAR Global , one of the world’s leading market research, data, analytics, and consulting companies.

Shamira was a key co-author of the African Union Commission’s Data Policy Framework, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Planet Positive's "Strong Sustainability by Design: Prioritizing Ecosystem and Human Flourishing with Technology-based Solutions", and most recently the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)"Human Rights Centered Global Governance of Quantum Technologies", to name a few.

She has contributed to several international policy and knowledge initiatives on the responsible transnational governance of emerging digital technologies. Her work has included collaborations with the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF), Think Tank 20 (T20), and the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), among others.