Agenda

Prof. GONG Ke is Executive Director of the Chinese Institute for the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies, Chinese Academy of Engineering; He was President of World Federation of Engineering Organizations from 2019-2021, and now chairing the Task Force for Strategic African Programs of WFEO.

He obtained his doctor degree for technical sciences from Technical University Graz, Austria in 1986, and joined Tsinghua University, China in 1987. Since then, he has more than 30 years’ experience in engineering education and research. He had served as vice president of Tsinghua University (1999-2006), and president of Tianjin University (2006-2011) and Nankai University (2011-2018). Prof Gong Ke was member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary General from 2014-2017. He is honorary fellow of International Science Council (ISC). 

Dr. Xiao ZHANG is VP of China Internet Network Information Center, and Managing VP of China IGF. She has a wealth of experience in digital transformation and global governance, and is an author of multiple published works.

Dr. Ricardo Israel Robles Pelayo is an accomplished Mexican corporate attorney, academic, and legal expert specializing in international contract design, tech governance, and digital regulation. He currently serves as a strategic advisor on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to a Federal Deputy at the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, actively shaping national digital policies. Throughout his career, he has advised both the public sector and high-profile corporations, such as the former Iusacell group and PROCDMX. His contributions earned him the 2012 Merit Recognition from the Mexico City Government and the 2013 National Award for Academic and Professional Merit.

As an esteemed educator, Dr. Robles Pelayo is a professor at Escuela Bancaria y Comercial and has taught at prestigious institutions worldwide, including the  Universidad Anáhuac, and UDLAP.

A prominent global voice in tech policy, he participated in the International Congress on Artificial Intelligence for Legislative Drafting. Furthermore, he is an active panelist at the UN Internet Governance Forums, presenting globally on Big Data, AI, and Intellectual Property in cities like Geneva, Paris, and Tokyo. He is also a member of the International Group of Experts (IGE) for the World Internet Conference.

Dr Daisy Selematsela is the University Librarian at the University of the Witwatersrand and a Professor of Practice in Knowledge Management at the University of Johannesburg. She holds a PhD in Information Science from the University of Johannesburg and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Resource Services South Africa in partnership with Bryn Mawr College, Philadelphia.

She held several senior executive leadership roles, including Executive Director: Library and Information Services and Acting Vice Principal: Research and Innovation at the University of South Africa, as well as Executive Director: Knowledge Management Corporate at the National Research Foundation.

A two-time recipient of the Knowledge Management Leadership Award from the World Education Congress serves on numerous national and international boards, policy forums, and editorial boards. She currently holds the position of Vice President of the Committee on Data (CODATA) of the International Science Council.  A member Taylor & Francis Open Research Africa Advisory Board.

Serves as project lead for two Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIRUOS) Accelerate project,

as part of the “Higher Education & Science For Sustainable Development” (HES4SD) of VLIR

on (Open) education in research data management to accelerate open and responsible science policy and implementation. 

Ph.D. in Communication from the School of Journalism, Fudan University; Chief Expert of the "Innovative Research Team on Cyberspace International Governance" at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Has conducted exchange visits to the Department of Mass Communication at Tamkang University, Taiwan, and the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, USA. Concurrently serves as a member of the Information and Communication Technology Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology's UN Consultative Mechanism, a council member of the Shanghai Association for Artificial Intelligence and Social Development, and a member of the Artificial Intelligence Committee of the Shanghai Association for Regional and Country Studies. Main research areas include cyberspace international governance, US and European digital policies, social media regulation, and the political economy of communication.