Agenda

Hoda Baraka is the Advisor to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Technology Talent Development. She is also the National Al Strategy Lead, Acting Director of the Egyptian Center for Responsible AI (ECRAI), and a Professor of Computer Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.

With over 40 years of experience, Baraka is a seasoned consultant in digital transformation, advising both public and private sector organizations. She currently leads several national capacity-building programs under the Digital Egypt Generations umbrella, including Digital Egypt Builders Initiative (DEBI) and Digital Egypt Pioneers Initiative (DEPI).

As Acting Director of ECRAI, Baraka spearheads the National Al Strategy. In this role, she contributes to the development and oversight of the strategy and governance framework, ensuring the responsible, safe, and ethical deployment of Al technologies across Egypt.

Baraka previously served as First Deputy ICT Minister from 2006 to 2013. Between 2002 and 2013, she was also the National Director of Egypt’s ICT Trust Fund, established to advance the use of ICT for sustainable development.

In recognition of her contributions to advancing education through technology, she was awarded UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education. She also served as a member of the Technical Advisory Group on Capacity Development under the UNESCO-WEF Partnership for Education, and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Technology and Education.

Abeer Shakweer is currently the Assistant Resident Representative and the Inclusive Growth and Digital Transformation team leader at UNDP Egypt. She is responsible for digital transformation, SMEs and entrepreneurship, youth, innovation, and governance. She holds a Ph.D., in Environmental Engineering and a M.Sc. in Computer Science both from the University of Nottingham, in the UK, and a B.Sc in Chemical Engineering from Cairo University.

Dr. Shakweer has more than 20 years of experience in ICT, Technology Transfer, Innovation, and entrepreneurship, working with national and international organizations. She worked as the advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology; and the Founding Executive Director of the National ICT academy for Persons with Disabilities.

She previously worked as the founding Planning and Monitoring Manager and head of International Cooperation at the Science and Technology Development Fund, and the Executive Director for the center for future studies at the Egyptian Cabinet of Minister’s Information and Decision Support Center. Dr. Shakweer worked as a consultant with several reputable international organizations including the European Commission, and several UN agencies.

Dr. Shakweer received several international awards including the WSIS, Best UK universities alumni, the world innovation, technology, and services alliance award and the 100 communications and information technology officers award.

Dr Chafic Chaya is a public policy and Internet governance professional with over 25 years of 
experience working at the intersection of digital infrastructure, regulation, and multistakeholder 
cooperation, with a strong focus on achieving universal and meaningful connectivity. 
He currently serves as Regional Manager for Public Policy and Government Affairs for the Middle 
East at the RIPE Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC), where he supports governments, 
regulators, policy makers and national stakeholders in developing evidence-based digital policies 
related to Internet and telecommunications infrastructure.  
He works with the different stakeholder groups to support capacity-building initiatives aimed at 
reducing digital divides and improving access quality, affordability, and sustainability. His work 
places particular emphasis on translating technical data and operational realities into actionable 
public policy insights. 
Dr Chaya is actively engaged in regional and global policy processes, including ITU meetings and 
forums, the WSIS process, the Internet Governance Forum, and discussions related to the Global 
Digital Compact (GDC), where he contributes to advancing inclusive, data-informed approaches 
to connectivity and digital development.  
In 2025, Dr Chaya was nominated by the Council of Ministers of Lebanon to serve on Lebanon’s 
delegation to the United Nations WSIS+20 High-Level Meeting (UN General Assembly), 
contributing to negotiations of WSIS+20 on digital cooperation and advancing national and 
regional priorities related to digital inclusion, meaningful connectivity and an open, secure and 
stable Internet. He chaired the Lebanese MAG in 2023 and still serves as a member of the 
Lebanese and Arab IGF MAGs. 
His academic background includes a Doctorate in Business Administration focused on Internet 
governance, an MBA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering, enabling him 
to bridge policy analysis, economic considerations, and technical evidence. He has also lectured 
at the graduate level on information systems and telecommunications. 
Beyond his role at RIPE NCC, Dr Chaya is actively engaged with various organisations, including 
the Order of Engineers in Beirut, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board at 
American University in Dubai, the IGF Policy Network on AI (PNAI), GigaNet, the Global and 
Arab IGF, and the Lebanon IGF. 

Krisstina Rao is a digital policy specialist working across research, policy design and strategy for digital governance. She has led the DPI Map at UCL’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, steering a global research and policy team and co-developing measurement frameworks that translate principles of inclusion, privacy, competition and accountability into practical metrics for governments, funders and implementers. She furthered this work as a Working Group member of the Universal Safeguards for Inclusive DPI (2025-26). Her leadership builds on hands-on work with public agencies, development partners and civil society in India and Germany, where she worked across public health, inclusive education and technology adoption in developing contexts.

Nicholas Field serves as the Director of Operations & Development for Datasphere Initiative Foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland. He oversees the organization's development and growth in innovative policy tools & sandboxes. At Datasphere Initiative, he has worked on projects such as the Africa Sandboxes Forum, a global series of workshops on AI agents, the barriers and solutions to AI innovation, and the EU AI Act. He previously represented Datasphere Initiative at the NICE 25 conference in Kuala Lumpur and the IAPP UK Intensive 2026, and he recently completed the Data Science for Humanitarian Impact course offered by the EPFL AI Center in Geneva, Switzerland.

Nicholas has worked for over a decade in not-for-profit organizations, previously working in Washington D.C. and in Paris to promote issue-specific causes. Nicholas believes that practical solutions and experimentation with new policy tools and tech solutions are essential to tackling today's biggest problems. From climate change to health care to AI and everything in-between, responsible use of new tools can help deliver a more sustainable and equitable world. He will continue to support causes that responsibly unlock the value of data for all.

Alik Mikaelian is a Project Specialist at UNDP Egypt, where she works across digital transformation, responsible AI, and innovation, supporting the design and implementation of programs that bring together government, private sector, and development partners.

With a background in design, research, and systems thinking, she has spent the past decade working across public, nonprofit, and private sector settings at the intersection of innovation and sustainable development. Her previous roles have included work with communities, social enterprises, policymakers, and development partners to identify emerging solutions and test new approaches to complex development challenges.

She holds an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from The New School in New York and a BA in Product Design from the German University in Cairo. Her work focuses on translating insights into practical action through human-centered design, experimentation, and cross-sector collaboration.