The panel proposes to tackle one of the questions that lies at the heart of the challenge BICFIT seeks to address, namely, how to accelerate financing for green energy projects in a way that supports a just and equitable energy transition, and how to address critical global funding needs for both adaption and mitigation.
It will seek to identify both existing blockers (issues that limit financing and hold back green projects, especially in the developing world) as well as to identify realistic and practical interventions that can be implemented, scaled and fast-tracked.
Rebeca Grynspan, of Costa Rica, became UNCTAD's eighth Secretary-General on 13 September 2021 and is the first woman to lead the organization.
Prior to her UNCTAD appointment, she was the Ibero-American secretary-general from 2014 to 2021, also the first woman to head the organization. During her mandate, she has coordinated the 22-member Iberoamerican Conference and led four key summits of Heads of State and Government.
In 2010 she was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and prior to that was UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Grynspan served as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. She was also Minister of Housing, Minister Coordinator of Economic and Social Affairs, and Deputy Minister of Finance. In 2021 she was named Special International Advisor to the newly created Economic and Social Council of Argentina and invited to join as member of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
In addition to her experience as a lecturer and advisor to several international organizations, she has been actively involved in key United Nations initiatives, such as the Millennium Project's Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and the High-level Panel on Financing for Development.
In 2014 and 2015, she was recognized as one of the 50 leading intellectuals of Latin America. And she was recognized as one of the 100 most powerful women in Central America by Forbes magazine.
Ms Grynspan holds a degree in Economics by the University of Costa Rica and a MSc in Economics by the University of Sussex. She has been awarded a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of Salamanca, the University of Extremadura and the European University of Madrid in recognition of her outstanding professional achievements.
Nan has over 25 years’ experience in strategic management roles both with the United Nations and the private sector across Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. She currently leads a global team in investment and sustainable finance research, policy, investment promotion and facilitation, enterprise development, and technical assistance to governments in over 160 countries. She chairs the Governing Board of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, leads the World Investment Forum and the inter-governmental Working Group on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting.
Before joining UNCTAD, she served as the Global Director of Sustainable Investments and Innovation at UNOPS, where she led a team to promote infrastructure investments in many developing countries and co-invest with DFIs and private investors. She served as UNOPS focal point in the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development.
Previously, she served as the Head of UNDP SDG Innovative Finance and as Head of South-South Cooperation and Investment at UNDP's Asia Pacific Center in Bangkok. She led a team to engage public and private investors and developed national policy dialogues and networks on SDG investment, piloted SDG-aligned funds, bonds and projects in multiple countries. She helped to position UNDP as a pioneer in the UN on sustainable investment and innovative finance. She also held positions as Policy Specialist in Capacity Development and Public-Private Partnerships in New York and Johannesburg since 2009, overseeing a regional portfolio in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Before joining UNDP, she spent about 10 years in the private sector in China and the USA, covering market entry and investment strategy, merger and acquisition, business development and sustainability. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and participated in the Executive Leadership program at IESE, and Finance Executive program at Tsinghua University.
A highly regarded leader in both business and civil society, Dr Baderschneider brings 35 years of extensive international experience in supply chain operations and procurement, strategic sourcing and logistics management, along with a deep understanding of high-risk operations and locations and complex partnerships. She also has global experience in safety, security and environmental operations and sustainability stewardship.
Dr Baderschneider retired from ExxonMobil in 2013 where she was Vice-President of Global Procurement. During her 30-year career, she was responsible for operations all over the world, including Africa, South America, the Middle East and Asia.
A past member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Supply Management and the Executive Board of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, Dr Baderschneider also served on the boards of The Center of Advanced Purchasing Studies and the Procurement Council of both The Conference Board and the Corporate Executive Board.
Dr Baderschneider is a member of the International Advisory Committee to the 2024 Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She is also the President of the Board of Trustees of The President Lincoln’s Cottage and a member of the Abraham Lincoln National Council of Ford Theatre. In addition, she is on the Board of Directors of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the Board of Directors of the McCain Institute and is a Commissioner on the United Nations and Liechtenstein Financial Sector Commission on Modern Slavery. With over 17 years of experience working on anti human trafficking efforts globally, she served on the Board of Directors of Polaris, Made in a Free World and Verité and is a Founding Board member and Chair of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery.
Dr Baderschneider was a Presidential appointee to the US Department of Commerce National Advisory Council on Minority Business Enterprises and is a past recipient of Cornell’s Jerome Alpern Award and Nomi Network Corporate Social Responsibility Award. She holds a Masters Degree from the University of Michigan and a PhD from Cornell University.
Committee memberships:
Audit, Finance and Risk Management Committee (Member),
People, Remuneration and Nomination Committee (Member)
Safety and Sustainability Committee (Chair)
Rosen Plevneliev is the fourth democratically elected Bulgarian President.
He was born on 14 May 1964 in the city of Gotse Delchev in the family of teachers. He graduated with honors the Natural Science and Mathematics High School in Blagoevgrad and subsequently the Technical University in Sofia, specializing computer science. Plevneliev is the winner of the National Computer Programming competition in 1982.
Until 2009 Plevneliev is an entrepreneur, real estate and construction project manager, CEO and co-founder of various real estate and construction companies. As a CEO and co-founder of Iris International LTD he implemented more than 80 construction projects in Germany in the period of 1991-1998 including Commerzbank Frankfurt, Airport Munchen, the Reichstag and the Chancellery in Berlin. In the period 1999-2009 he served as a co-founder and CEO of large-scale international real estate projects in Bulgaria such as Business Park Sofia, the first and largest business park in Southeast Europe, which generated more than 11, 000 working places and attracted 250 hi-tech companies from all over the world. It has been awarded “Building of the Year” and “Investor of the Year” awards. Plevneliev has served as a co-founder and CEO of Residential Park Sofia - a large compound of 1000 residential, commercial and office units. As one of the leading managers in the country, Plevneliev was actively involved with public service. He was member of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce, member of the Managing Board of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, and member of the Board of Trustees of “For Our Children” Foundation.
Plevneliev entered politics in 2009 serving as a minister of regional development and public works. He introduced a new approach in the management of European Union funds; started thousands of projects for the modernization of the Bulgarian regions; and elaborated a new long-term strategy and action plan for highway and road construction in Bulgaria. He accelerated the construction and completed three strategically important national highways. Plevneliev initiated energy efficiency projects, which grew into a large-scale National Programme for Energy Efficiency involving millions of Bulgarians and SME's.
Plevneliev was elected President of the Republic of Bulgaria at the presidential elections held in November 2011 in competition with 17 candidates. He served as the fourth democratic elected Bulgarian president in the period 2012 - 2017. His mandate was very difficult and demanding, during а time of an extraordinary instability in the region, Europe and around the world. In international aspect, there was a record number of conflicts, migrants and terrorist attacks, multiple and parallel ongoing crises in the region, the European Union and the world, including strong confrontation between EU/NATO and Russia.
In terms of domestic politics, there was harsh political confrontation that led to three parliamentary crises, two large waves of protest in the country, two caretaker governments.
During his term of office President Plevneliev has worked with five governments and three parliaments. The years 2013 and 2014 were particularly critical – five governments and three parliaments changed over the course of just two years.
Plevneliev is the first Bulgarian President to appoint two caretaker governments. In his very difficult term the Presidential institution was a center of institutional stability.
President Plevneliev stood behind the active civil society, organized civil debates and started the initiative “Dialogue with the Citizens".
President Plevneliev supported the direct democracy and is the first Bulgarian President who initiated national referendum.
Plevneliev initiated the National Development Programme Bulgaria 2020 and the Bulgaria 2030 debate. He set long-term national priorities such as innovations, e-government, e-voting, ambitious modernization programme, connectivity, vocational education system, long-term public planning, energy efficiency, liberalization and diversification. He established and is the patron of the first innovation ecosystem and the first hi-tech park in Bulgaria and on the Balkans – Sofia Tech Park.
Plevneliev is patron of hi-tech industries such as Information and Communication Technologies, outsourcing and automotive. During his term of office more than 90,000 new jobs were created in hi-tech industries.
President Plevneliev set up connectivity as a strategic national and regional priority. A large-scale modernization programme was initiated - highways, waste water treatment plants, landfills, the Sofia subway and thousands of other modernization projects are being built.
In his term of office the energy market has been completely liberalized. He introduced e-government, e-voting and rules of transparency in public funds’ management.
President Plevneliev heavily contributed for Bulgaria’s active and worthy membership in the EU and NATO. Plevneliev is a convinced European. He declared: “The European Union is not a foreign policy for me, it is my family”.
Plevneliev is a great supporter of the international rule of law, human rights and freedoms. He condemned the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation as well as the number of frozen conflicts in the region initiated by it. The first Bulgarian President who openly and consistently opposed the policy led by the Russian president. „It is high time for Russia to learn to have partners rather than subordinates and servants.“ Plevneliev is the first Bulgarian President who was awarded "Person of the year" in a foreign country – in Ukraine.
He took an active position in overcoming the record number of crises in the EU. The first Bulgarian President who was invited to become a member of the Arraiolos Group of nonexecutive presidents of EU Member States. Plevneliev was the host of the 12th meeting of the heads of state of the Arraiolos Group in 2016 when 10 presidents looked for solutions how to strenghten the EU under his leadership. At every European forum Plevneliev reiterated, “The European Union is our family. In hard times a family gets united and every member of the family must contribute. “
Plevneliev was chairman of the South East European Cooperation Process - the leading political format on the Balkans in the period 2015-2016. As a president he successfully positioned Bulgaria as a trusted friend of everyone in the region, as a leader and unavoidable factor on the Balkans. In 2015 President Plevneliev was elected Personality of the year on the Balkans.
In 2015-2016 Plevneliev leaded successfully the Bulgarian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. He held a keynote speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the issues on the European and regional agenda setting the priorities of the Bulgarian chairmanship: connectivity, rights of the child and finding a common European solution for the migration crises.
The first Bulgarian head of state who represented Bulgaria five years in a row in the UN General Assembly. On behalf of Bulgaria he signed two global treaties of historic significance – the Global Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
He represented Bulgaria at three NATO summits when the Readiness Action Plan was adopted and protection mechanisms against threats of all kinds were endorsed.
He held a keynote speech at the European Parliament which was met with high approval in Bulgaria and around the world. The first Bulgarian President who was invited to the presidential debate at the Munich Security Conference.
Plevneliev is the most internationally active Bulgarian President who made 123 international visits and took part in a record high number of global and international fora and conferences.
President Plevneliev set up the Presidents’ Council and Presidential Library in Bulgaria.
The first Bulgarian President who refused – publicly and with clear arguments – to run for a second term of office.
He has called for an honest and objective assessment of Communism and has been the first Bulgarian head of state who paid tribute to the victims of Communism visiting the memorial on the observance date. During his term of office the records of the communist secret services were finally transferred to the Dossier Commission and became publicly accessible.
Plevneliev is the first Bulgarian President to host an iftar dinner and to unite the representatives of all religious communities in the country.
The first Bulgarian President who had to deal with a terrorist act on native ground, an unprecedented migration flow, cyber-attacks against Bulgarian institutions and a record number of crises in the region and Europe, including strong confrontation between the EU and Russia.
Bulgarians, all around the world, have always been the center of his policy. It was for them that he initiated a national referendum for introducing electronic voting. President Plevneliev opened the doors of the Presidency for young people. Some 300 interns were part of his team in different stages.
President Plevneliev is not a member of any political party and he has remained independent throughout his term of office acting in accordance with his conscience.
He played a decisive role in helping Bulgaria go through hardships in a respectable way. In the framework of his term of office, during the three parliamentary crises he held for months the whole power in his hands. He accelerated the democratic transformation and upgraded the democratic institutions.
He received large international recognition and has been awarded the highest state orders and awards of twenty states. A record number of foreign heads of state – 25 – visited Bulgaria during the last year of his term of office.
Plevneliev was elected Bulgarian politician of the year in 2011 and 2012.
He is bearer of the European personality of the year in Southeastern and Central Europe award in 2015, which was given to him for his enormous contribution to stabilizing and improving the relations between the European states and particularly those among the Balkan neighbors.
He was presented the Person of the Year 2015 award of Ukraine for his public and political activity in a European and international context.
He was awarded the international Nizami Ganjavi Award on account of his contribution to intercultural understanding, tolerance and respect for the world's cultural diversity.
He was awarded the prestigious "ERI prix" Award of the Province of Lower Austria and the Danube University Krems for his contribution to preserving the diversity and equality of the regions on the path to united Europe.
He was awarded the Annual Prize for Pro-European Policy in Bulgaria for 2015, founded by TV Evropa.
He was awarded Friend of Zion Award for as a great friend of Israel and for the courage of the Bulgarian people who bravely and courageously saved 48,000 Bulgarian Jews during World War II.
Ne was awarded IT Award for significant contribution to IT development by the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies (BAIT).
Awarded the highest state order Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for the development of bilateral relations.
Awarded the highest Italian state order Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for his contribution to the deepening and development of the bilateral relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Italian Republic.
Awarded the highest state order of the Republic of Austria – the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services, for his contribution to the development of the bilateral relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Austria.
Awarded the highest state order of Hungary - “Grand Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit with Chain and Gold Star”.
Awarded the highest state order of Brazil - the highest degree of the Order of the South Cruiser, for his contribution to the development of the friendly relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Federative Republic of Brazil.
Awarded the highest state order of the Republic of Poland – the Order of the White Eagle, for the Head of State’s contribution to the active bilateral dialogue and the development of the partnership between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Poland.
Bearer of the highest state order of Romania – Order of the Star of Romania, for his contribution for development of democracy, regional prosperity and security and for boosting the cooperation and friendship between Bulgaria and Romania.
Bearer of the highest state order of Ukraine – "1st class of the "Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise" Order.
Bearer of the highest state order of Slovakia - the 1st Class of the Order of the White Double Cross of the Republic of Slovakia for his contribution to the development of the relations with the Republic of Slovakia and for strengthening the country’s positions in international relations.
Bearer of the highest state order of the Republic of Greece – the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer.
Bearer of the highest state order of Cyprus - Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III, for his contribution to the establishment of excellent relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Cyprus and for strengthening and further developing them.
Awarded Slovenia's highest state honor, the Order for Exceptional Merits, for his contribution to the peaceful, democratic and European development of the countries in the region and as a recognition of his efforts for strengthening the cooperation between Bulgaria and Slovenia.
Awarded with the highest state order of the Republic of Croatia, the Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star for his efforts for establishing deep and comprehensive bilateral relations between the two countries and for the democratic development in the region.
Awarded the highest state order of Montenegro, Order of Montenegro with ribbon, for his continuous support for the integration of Montenegro in the EU and NATO.
Awarded the highest state order of the Republic of Moldova, the Order of the Republic.
Awarded the highest state order of Malta, the Companion of Honors of Malta's National Order of Merit.
Awarded the Medal of the National Flag of the Albanian Republic for his contribution to the development of friendly relations between the peoples of Bulgaria and Albania.
Awarded the highest state order of Lower Austria – the Golden Commander's Cross with the Star of Honors for Services to the Federal Province of Lower Austria.
Awarded the Star to the Cross of St. Leopold order of the Klosterneuburg monastery in Austria.
Bearer of the Sao Paolo Order for contributions to the development of industry on an international scale.
Doctor Honoris Causa of the Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, the Republic of Korea.
Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, the Republic of Greece.
Doctor Honoris Causa of the Baku State University, Azerbaijan.
Honorable Chairman of the FOZ Museum in Israel.
Member of Nizami Ganjavi International Center in Baku.
Member of the Trilateral Commission.
Member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Fluent in German, English and Russian. Married, with three children.
Hobbies: reading, skiing, swimming, tennis, cycling, diving and more.
Studies
Law and Political Sciences
Career
1985
Parliamentary assistant to CVP Member of Parliament Paul Breyne and in the office of the Flemish minister Paul Deprez
1987-1989
Employed at the Court of Auditors
1989
National Vice-Secretary of the CVP
1991
National Secretary of the CVP
1992
Administrator at the European Union
2001
Head of the CD&V fraction in the Chamber of Representatives
2003
President of the CD&V
2004
Minister-President of the Flemish government
2007
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Budget, Mobility, Institutional Reforms and the North Sea
2008
Prime Minister
2009
Minister of Foreign Affairs and subsequently Prime Minister
2011
Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD
Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to 1.5C – or well below 2˚C – by 2040 while stimulating economic development and social progress.
In addition, he is Chairman of Chubb Europe and on the Advisory Board of Envision Energy. From 2008-2013, Lord Turner chaired the UK’s Financial Services Authority, and played a leading role in the post crisis redesign of global banking and shadow banking regulation.
Lord Turner has held high profile roles in public policy: he was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000); chairman of the Pensions Commission (2003-2006); he was the first chairman of the Climate Change Committee (2008-2012) an independent body to advise the UK Government on tackling climate change. The recommendations set out in their first report "Building a low-carbon economy” were adopted in 2009.He became a cross bench member of the House of Lords in 2006.
Amongst his business roles, Lord Turner was at McKinsey&Co (1982-1995); was Vice-Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe (2000-2006) and a Non-Executive Director of a number of companies, including Standard Chartered plc (2006-2008).
He is honorary fellow of the Royal Society and holds an Honorary Degree from Cambridge University. He is the author of “Between Debt and the Devil” (Princeton 2015), and “Economics after the Crisis” (MIT 2012).
Lord Turner has advised climate and government bodies including the COP Presidency and ministers in the EU, UK, and Australia and is often featured in top-tier global media as an expert on the energy transition, including in the Financial Times, Economist, BBC, CNN and Bloomberg.
Mrs. Brume holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Rutgers Business School, New Jersey, U.S.A and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. In 2019, she completed the Advanced Management and Leadership program (AMLP) at University of Oxford, Saiid Business School, and she is also a Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA). Mrs. Helen Brume has served as Group Head & Deputy General Manager, for the Energy & Specialized Markets Department at Union Bank of Nigeria, Plc., Divisional Head, Power, Infrastructure and Project Finance at the United Bank for Africa Plc for 5.3 years and Head, Power & Infrastructure, Relationship Manager Multinationals at Ecobank. Mrs. Brume also served for 3 years as the Vice President (Investment Banking) at Ecobank Capital (Formerly, Oceanic Capital Company Limited), Nigeria, as well as the Assistant Vice President (Corporate Finance & Investment Banking) of Citibank, Lagos, Nigeria. Mrs. Brume also held various senior roles in Investment Banking and Corporate Finance at Lehman Brothers, New York Equity Capital Markets Merrill Lynch, New York (Equity Derivatives Trading), and Prudential Financial, New Jersey
Ir Prof. Anderson Ho Cheung SHUM received his Ph.D. and S.M. degrees in Applied Physics from Harvard University and B.S.E. degree (summa cum laude) in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He is currently Vice-President (Research) of City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK). He also serves as the Chair Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Biomedical Engineering of CityUHK. Previously, he served as Associate Vice-President (Research and Innovation) (2021-2024), Full Professor (Tenured) (2019-2024), Associate Head (2020-2021) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Assistant Dean (2018-2020) in the Faculty of Engineering at University of Hong Kong (HKU). His research interests include aqueous two-phase systems, emulsions, biomicrofluidics, biomedical engineering, and soft matter.
Prof. Shum is highly recognized for his pioneering contributions, receiving international scientific honors including but not limited to: The 15th Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize by Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, 2024), Awardee of RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS, 2024), Gold Medal and International Special Award in 8th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN, 2023), Gold Medal in 48th International Exhibition of Inventions (Geneva, Switzerland, 2023), the inaugural Hong Kong Engineering Science and Technology (HKEST) Award by the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering (HKAE, 2023), NSFC Excellent Young Scientist Fund (2019), IEEE Nanomed New Innovator (2018), HKU Outstanding Young Researcher Award (2016-17), HKU Research Output Prize (2017), and Early Career Award by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (2012). First in Hong Kong, Prof. Shum has been selected as Global Young Academy Member (since 2021).
He was also selected as Young Fellow of Hong Kong Academy of Engineering (2024); Fellows of the International Association of Advanced Materials (FIAAM, 2023), Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (FHKIE, 2023), Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, 2017); Awardee of Croucher Senior Research Fellowship (2020); and as President (since 2021) and Founding Member (since 2018) of Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences. He currently serves as Editor-at-large for Droplet by Wiley; Editorial Board Members for Scientific Reports (Springer Nature), and Colloids and Interfaces by MDPI AG; as well as Editorial Advisory Board Member for Lab-on-a-Chip (RSC) and Associate Editor for Biomicrofluidics (American Institute of Physics).
