Agenda

Ambassador Suela Janina is appointed as Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the United Nations by Decree of the President of the Republic, no.  55, on 8.2.2024. Prior to this assignment Ambassador Janina has represented the Republic of Albania to European Union as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of Mission, from October 2014 to February 2024. 

Mrs. Janina was born on June 28, 1976. She graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Tirana and received the Master degree in Democracy and Human rights, a diploma accorded jointly by University of Sarajevo and University of Bologna.  Ambassador Janina holds a PhD in international law by the University of Tirana.

Ambassador Janina is a career diplomat. She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1999 where she started as a legal expert in the Department for Treaties and International Law. From January 2004 to January 2007 she was counsel at the General Consulate of Albania in Milan, at the end of this duty returned to the same position at the MFA.   From January 2012 to January 2014 she was appointed as Director at the Department for Treaties and International Law. From January to October 2014 she was holding the position of General Director for Multilateral Relations.

Ambassador Janina has a wide experience with international organizations. From May 2011, she has been elected as a member of United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearance where she held for two terms the position of the Vice Chair and for one term the position of  Chair of CED. She is appointed  by the Republic of Albania as an Alternate Arbitror at the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration and as a  Member of the  Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Ms Cynthia Lesufi is the SADC-endorsed African Telecommunications Union (ATU) SG Candidate for 2027-2030. Minister Counsellor at the South African Permanent Mission to the UN Office and other International Organisations in Geneva. She is a law graduate with a Master’s in ICT Policy and Regulation.

Cynthia is the chairperson of the ITU Council Working Group on WSIS & SDGs, CWG-COP-SG 17 liaison, and the TSAG Associate Rapporteur of RG-DT. She is a seasoned policy and regulatory expert with over 15 years of experience in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

Ms Lesufi has had the privilege of being a key member of national delegations to supra-national conferences of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), African Telecommunications Union (ATU), United Nations (UN), and International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Her active participation and leadership in preparing contribution documents, such as South African position papers for developing a global policy framework on emerging technologies, highlight her proactive involvement in shaping global ICT policies. She has also been a panellist for the WSIS Forum 22 session on ICT access and affordability in developing countries for digital inclusion, further demonstrating her commitment to digital inclusion.

Robert Opp is the inaugural Chief Digital Officer and Director of the Digital, AI and Innovation Hub at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), working across 170 countries and territories. He leads UNDP's global agenda on technology and systems transformation, helping governments build inclusive digital economies and translate emerging technologies into development impact. His portfolio includes the G7-endorsed AI Hub for Sustainable Development, established with the Government of Italy and initially focused on Africa. He has also led UNDP's own digital and AI transformation.

Previously, Robert was Director of Innovation and Change Management at the World Food Programme (WFP), establishing WFP's Innovation Accelerator and scaling technology-enabled approaches to humanitarian action, including ShareTheMeal. Earlier at WFP, he held operational, policy, and leadership roles, including managing emergency food assistance programmes in Angola. He was also a Senior Consultant with Boston Consulting Group in Singapore.

Mr. Juan José Martinez Badillo serves as Chief of the UNCTAD New York Office and UNCTAD representative in New York since May 2023. Previously, he served as Chief of Regional Group Liaison at the UNCTAD Headquarters in Geneva, with responsibility for all matters related to the engagement of regional groups and individual members States with the intergovernmental machinery of UNCTAD and the work of UNCTAD at large.

He previously served as Programme Management Officer at UNCTAD, tasked with the coordination of issues related to the programme plan and budget and oversight matters, and as part of the core teams responsible for the 14th and 15th UNCTAD ministerial conferences held in Nairobi and (virtual) Barbados respectively.

Prior to working at the United Nations, Mr. Martinez Badillo held several positions in the private sector in Venezuela, including participating in various initiatives of the Venezuelan Airlines Association and the Latin American International Air Transportation Association.

Recognized by TIME 100 Next and Forbes 30 Under 30 as a global leader in international development, Jayathma Wickramanayake works on advancing women’s and youth empowerment and enhancing their participation in policy and decision-making processes. Originally from Sri Lanka, she has played a pioneering role in shaping global youth development, with a particular focus on empowering girls and young women. As the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth from 2017 to 2023, Ms. Wickramanayake led the creation and implementation of Youth2030, the UN's first-ever youth strategy, which transformed the organization’s approach to engaging with and for young people. During her tenure, she conceptualized and executed numerous multistakeholder special initiatives in areas such as climate action, gender equality, innovation, and peace and security, galvanizing public support for the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals. She was also instrumental in establishing the UN’s first dedicated Youth Office.

Gitanjali Sah is the Head of the WSIS and Stakeholder Engagement Division at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). With more than 20 years of experience in digital policy and development, driving innovative, evidence‑based approaches to harness technology for inclusive, resilient, and sustainable progress across the UN system—including roles at ITU, UNESCO, and UNDP—she has played a central role in advancing digital cooperation, WSIS implementation, and inter‑agency coordination. She is an experienced leader in multistakeholder engagement, strengthening inclusive collaboration among governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, and international organizations to build people‑centered, development‑oriented information and knowledge societies. She holds an M.Phil. in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and a Master’s in Political Science from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), India. She is widely recognized as a leader in shaping global digital development agendas.