Agenda

A distinguished legal professional with an LLM and over 35 years of international experience across Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. As the SI Director of Advocacy (2026-2027), she leads global efforts to ensure all women and girls’ voices are represented in high-level policy arenas, including the United Nations. She also serves as the SI centre contact to the UN in Geneva, and is the Vice-President of NGO CSW Geneva. Her expertise lies in navigating complex international frameworks to advocate for equal access to justice and a sustainable future.

Ambassador Gustavo Gallon, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the UN in Geneva since 2022. Human rights defender and former Director of the Colombian Commission of Jurists from its creation in 1988 to 2022. Attorney specialized in Public Law, with a master’s degree in political science and postgraduate studies in Political Sociology. He was professor of Public Law and human rights in Colombia and visiting researcher at Notre Dame University (Indiana, USA), ad-hoc judge of the Constitutional Court, columnist at newspaper El Espectador, independent expert of the UN Human Rights Council on Haiti, special representative of the UN Human Rights Commission for Equatorial Guinea.

Author and editor of several publications on human rights and the State in Colombia. The last of them is titled “A Rajatabla. Commented synthesis of the findings and recommendations of the Truth Commission in Colombia,” available since 2025 in Spanish, English, and French.

Carina Zehetmaier is an award-winning AI entrepreneur, keynote speaker, lawyer, and expert in human rights and democratization. She is Founder & CEO of PaiperOne (AI Compliance & Education), member of the Austrian Federal Government's Advisory Board on AI, and Chair of the Working Group "Artificial Intelligence" at Austrian Standards and Co-lead of the SheGoesAI initiative of the Austrian Government.

She founded Women in AI Austria in 2019 and served as its President from 2020 to 2025. She was awarded the Austrian Women's Award (Grete-Rehor Prize) in 2024 and recognized as Personality of Digital Humanism in 2025.

Her Royal Majesty Queen Angelique-Monét Gureje-Thompson is the Queen Consort of Eti-Oni, Nigeria, and a pioneering multi-media artist specializing in cultural diplomacy and inclusive development. As President of the Eti-Oni Development Group, Her Majesty drives rural digital transformation, food security, and socio-economic empowerment across one of Africa’s oldest agricultural regions, directly advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

An acclaimed filmmaker and master ventriloquist, she has made history using storytelling and creative media to combat digital exclusion, bridge cultural divides, and promote youth education. As Founder of the AFI World Peace Initiative—which holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC, she utilizes modern media channels and technology to foster global tolerance and equitable information ecosystems.

Recognized globally for her impactful work, Her Majesty became the first woman in history awarded the Gran Collare by the Associazione Cavalieri di San Silvestro Papa for her tireless advocacy in global humanitarian service and cultural diplomacy. At the WSIS Forum 2026 in Geneva, she champions the integration of cultural diversity and local content with emerging technologies, shaping a people-centered, inclusive digital future.

Tristan Van Thielen is CTO of Devoteam’s Google Cloud Business Unit in the Benelux and leads its EMEA AI Practice. A Google Cloud-certified Professional ML Engineer and AI Champion, he holds an M.S. in Computer Science (AI) from KU Leuven. Tristan advises organizations on AI strategy, leads high-performing ML teams, establishes best practices, and brings extensive expertise in MLOps, model development, data strategy, and responsible AI. As a prominent voice in AI innovation and governance, he recently moderated a United Nations workshop on AI’s influence on gender equality and sustainable development.

Karolien Vanhuffel is a global cybersecurity leader and digital risk expert with over 15 years of experience securing complex enterprise landscapes. Currently she serves as a Global Director Digital Risk Management at Becton Dickinson.

As a Board Director for ISACA Belgium, she spearheads the SheLeadsTech initiative to bridge the gender gap and empower women in technology leadership. A prominent industry advocate, she volunteers on international forums to drive inclusive innovation.