Uju Agomoh is an Associate Professor of Criminology and Security Studies at Chrisland University Abeokuta Nigeria. She is the founder/President of PRAWA – a civil society organisation with a mission of promoting institutional reforms in formal and informal sector for access to justice, rehabilitation, and social development of prisoners, ex-prisoners, torture victims and youth at risks.

She is a Member of the United Nations Sub Committee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), Executive Committee Member, African Security Sector Network (ASSN). She has undertaken several assignments/projects working with national and international organisations on the field of human rights, justice and security sector reforms. Her work involves training, research advocacy, assessment, program design and implementation of over 80 projects on security, justice, corrections and development related issues in many African countries.

She has authored/co-authored to date thirty books, six training manuals and directed the production of eight audio-visual documentaries.

Fonteh Akum is executive director at the Institute for Security Studies. He previously served as Head of the Lake Chad Basin programme in the Regional Office for West Africa, the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, based in Dakar, Senegal. Fonteh previously worked for the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, the Africa Program of the United Nations University for Peace and at the International Monetary Fund. His research covers governance, social ordering, insecurity and human security in Africa. He has a PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

Yasser Fidaa Al-Jundi is the Director of the Syrian Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. He has a strong background in public policy, international relations, and strategic decision-making. Leveraging a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the American University of Sharjah, he integrates analytical thinking into policy development and training.

He has contributed to policy papers and translated key international studies on Syrian affairs. His work focuses on capacity-building in the diplomatic sector and advancing institutional approaches to modern diplomacy.

He is particularly engaged in designing training frameworks for diplomats and public officials, and in developing regional cooperation models to strengthen institutional resilience through targeted capacity development.

Aries A. Arugay is Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines Diliman. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Asian Politics & Policy, a Scopus-indexed academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell and the Policy Studies Organization and Coordinator of the Philippine Studies Programme of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies-Yusof-Ishak Institute (Singapore).

Aries’s research interests are civil-military relations, comparative democratization, security sector reform, and international relations of Southeast Asia. He has been involved in SSR research and advocacy in Southeast Asia for almost twenty years. Aries is the co-author of the DCAF SSR Paper Accountability, Discourse, and Service Provision: Civil Society’s Roles in SSSG/R and co-editor of the upcoming Routledge Handbook on Security Sector Reform.

Sofia Calltorp has over 25 years of experience working in diplomacy, humanitarian affairs,human rights and development across different regions and organizations. She is a recognized and experienced leader focusing on forging strong partnerships with a multitude of actors to collectively achieve results, and has a strong track record in resource mobilization, international negotiations, strategic communication, and leading and motivating empowered and diverse teams.

Prior to joining UN Women, Ms Calltorp served as Ambassador and Special Envoy of the Swedish Government for gender issues.

Didier Chassot began his professional career as a delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for missions in the former Yugoslavia and Angola. From 1996, he worked for the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in Bern, Strasbourg, Sarajevo and Ankara. From 2016 to 2024, he served as Switzerland’s ambassador to Venezuela and to Tanzania.

As head of the Europe and Middle East Division, he is responsible for implementing country and regional programmes and for the Swiss representations in the countries covered. As a member of the senior management, he shares responsibility for the management of the SDC and the strategic positioning of Switzerland’s international cooperation.

As a generalist, his professional career has allowed him to discover different horizons, contexts, people and challenges. In doing so, he has always reaffirmed his commitment and convictions, which consist of openness, solidarity, humanism and his attachment to Switzerland.

Nathalie Chuard did her studies in Arts and Political Sciences in Switzerland and Russia. In 2000, she started her career at the Swiss NGO Terre des hommes and took on a variety of postings abroad, including in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Madagascar, and the Middle East.

She joined the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 2005 and, as a Swiss Diplomat, served among other positions as Deputy Head of the Human Rights Section in Berne and Political Coordinator at the Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York.

From 2018, she headed the Middle East and Northern Africa Division (Humanitarian Aid) of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. From 2020 to 2023, she was the Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh.

Ambassadeur Tim Enderlin has been head of the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) since 19 August 2024.

Prior to joining the Peace and Human Right Division, Ambassador Enderlin served as Deputy Head of Human Resources of the FDFA, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Regional Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Laos.

He has also held a post as Ambassador of Switzerland to Myanmar. Ambassadeur Enderlin studied Law in Zurich.

Nathalie is a Swiss attorney-at-law and political scientist with over 15 years of experience in peacebuilding, women’s rights, and transitional justice. Prior to joining DCAF, she served as Senior DDRR Program Coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva, coordinating IOM’s country-level DDRR programming efforts and contributing to IOM’s Peacebuilding Unit’s advances in issues linked to PVE, Foreign Terrorist Fighters related to designated/sanctioned violent extremist groups and transitional justice.

A former ICRC delegate, Nathalie has experience in humanitarian work and she has been active in conflict and post-conflict settings as a researcher and freelance consultant working with government authorities, international and regional organizations and international development agencies.

A seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in peace, security, humanitarian action and climate, Beatrice has worked in conflict-affected countries across Africa, Europe, Central America and Asia.

Prior to DCAF, she had several leadership roles in the United Nations and the NGO sector, including serving as Deputy Executive Director at Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland and Europe Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC). At CIVIC she engaged European governments, the EU, and NATO to advance civilian protection, and led its operational gallery in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.

Beatrice serves on the advisory board of the International Code of Conduct Association for Private Security Providers (ICOCA), is a commissioner at the Consultative Commissions for International Solidarity of the Canton of Geneva, and sits on the board of Groupe URD.

Dunja Mijatović (Bosnia and Herzegovina) was Commissioner for Human Rights from 1st April 2018 to 31 March 2024. As Commissioner, she has focused her thematic work on a range of human rights issues, including freedom of expression, safety of journalists, the protection of human rights defenders, the rights of migrants and refugees, and combating discrimination and hate speech. She has also worked to address the challenges faced by women, children, and vulnerable groups, particularly those affected by conflict and displacement, and on the human rights consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Prior to her appointment as Commissioner, she was the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (2010-2017), Director of Broadcasting at the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2001-2010), Chair of the European Platform of Regulatory Agencies (2007-2010) and of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Freedom of Expression and Information in Times of Crisis (2005-2007).

Dr Tarek Mitri is the Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon. President of Saint George University in Beirut. He served as the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Libya (2012-2014) and as minister of environment, culture, information and foreign affairs in four Lebanese governments.

He taught at the Université Saint Joseph, Balamand University, the University of Geneva, Amsterdam Free University, Harvard University and the American University of Beirut. He authored books and articles on contemporary arab issues, religion and politics, interreligious and intercultural dialogue.

He chairs the Board of the Institute of Palestine Studies and of the Nicolas Sursock Museum. He is a board member of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.

At Global Affairs Canada, Jacqueline O’Neill is the Director of Transnational Conflict Analysis and Support, focused on women, peace, security (including on the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations), and on conflict analysis. Previously, she spent nearly six years as Canada’s first Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, advising the Government of Canada on strength¬ening its global leadership on the issue and the effective implementation of its associated National Action Plan.

Jacqueline has supported the creation and implementation of national strategies and policy frameworks for more than 40 countries, NATO, the OSCE, and the UN. Previously, as President of the Institute for Inclusive Security, she directly supported coalitions of women leaders in Colombia, South Sudan, Sudan, Pakistan, and beyond. Through this work, she advocated for women’s meaningful inclusion in peace negotiations, security forces, national political dialogues, and policy making.

Lt Col (retired) Petlund has more than 37 years in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Petlund has more than four years deployment on international missions for UN, NATO and NGOs in the Middle East, Eastern & Southern Africa, and Afghanistan.Since 2008, he has focused his career on promoting the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, and specifically Gender in Military Operations (GMO), in a national and international capacity.

He served as Gender Advisor for ISAF HQ in 2013 and was the Norwegian Armed Forces’ first national Gender Advisor, serving at the Norwegian Defence Staff from 2020 to 2024.

Dr. Lara Scarpitta is the OSCE Senior Adviser on Gender Issues and head of the Gender issues Program. She has over a decade of experience in promoting women’s participation in peace processes across Southeast Europe and the MENA region, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Syria, Yemen and Libya. Before joining the OSCE, she spent more than 15 years with the European Commission and the European External Action Service, including assignments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Brussels, and the EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva.

Dr. Scarpitta was instrumental in launching the Syrian Women Platform and has advised grassroots activists and human rights defenders on mediation and conflict resolution. She holds a PhD in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Birmingham and is a member of WIIS Italy.

H.E. Major General Ruslan Al-Sheikh Ibrahim serves as the Security Advisor to the Vice President, bringing extensive expertise in security affairs and institutional leadership. Throughout his distinguished career in the Palestinian Preventive Security Organization (PSO), he advanced through multiple senior positions, ultimately attaining the rank of Major General. He is recognized for his strong strategic planning abilities, operational management skills, and his contribution to strengthening security governance.

Major General Al-Sheikh Ibrahim is proficient in Arabic, English, and Tagalog, which supports his capacity to maintain wide-ranging professional networks. He is widely respected for his discipline, professionalism, and commitment to national service, as well as his active role in promoting security sector reform and supporting stability in the State of Palestine.