UNCTAD 16 Digital for development forum

Mr. Pedro Manuel Moreno of Spain, is Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD.

He has over 20 years of experience of working for multilateral and intergovernmental organizations in programme, management and strategic positions both in the field and at headquarters.

He was Deputy Secretary-General of the Communication for Development Committee at the Spanish National Commission with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1999-2004), and for the United Nations Development Programme, at the Country Office in Ecuador and, in New York City, as part of the Human Development Report team, at the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean and at the Executive Office.

In 2014, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Ibero-American Conference in Madrid, where he coordinated key political processes and South-South cooperation projects.

In September 2021, he was named Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of the Secretary-General of UNCTAD.

HE James Baxter PSM is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO Australian Permanent Mission, Geneva.

James Baxter took up his role as Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Australian Permanent Mission to the WTO, Geneva, in April 2024. Prior to taking up his current role, he served as First Assistant Secretary in the Office of Global Trade Negotiations (OTN), in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In this role he was responsible for advising on policy on multilateral trade.

He has also served in a range of roles in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including in the Regional Trade Agreements Division as First Assistant Secretary (2019- 2020) and Special Negotiator (2017-2018); as Assistant Secretary in the World Trade Organization Trade Policy and Services Branch (2016-2017); Deputy Chief Negotiator in the China Free Trade Taskforce (2008- 2009); and Director, WTO Quarantine Disputes Section, OTN (2007-2008).

Overseas, he has served as Deputy Permanent Representative, Australian Permanent Mission to the WTO, Geneva (2012-2016); Counsellor, Australian Embassy, Brussels (2004-2007); First Secretary, Australian Embassy, Tokyo (1998-2002).

Mr Baxter holds a Bachelor of Laws (1990) and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) (1988) from the University of Sydney.

A lawyer by training, Dr. Helge Elisabeth Zeitler has been since April 2024 Director for UN and EU affairs, also covering G7/20 and trade, at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Prior to this post, she held different positions in the international directorate of the European Commission’s Environment Department, with topics ranging from deforestation-free supply chains and international water policy to environmental cooperation at the UN and under various multilateral agreements. Helge Zeitler also served in the past at the EU Delegation to the UN in New York, at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania and at the German Foreign Ministry.

Vèna Arielle Ahouansou is a Beninese medical doctor and the CEO of Kea Medicals. In January 2017, she created the Kea Medicals Pharmaceuticals & Technologies software to digitise patient information.

An innovative woman, she says she was inspired by a loss of data that cost a patient her life while she was interning at the hospital. Her software, also available as a mobile app, has been welcomed by consumers in Benin and several other African countries.

Dr Arielle Ahouansou has won several awards, including the ‘Projet Afrique Future In Afrique’ prize in 2018 and the ‘Grand Prix 2019 de l'innovation’ organised in Paris.

She attended medical school in Parakou. During her studies, she taught herself about female leadership, management and community transformation, leading her to create the NGO Refled to help girls and women. At the end of her training, she prepared her thesis on the Beninese healthcare system.

Angeline Tham is the Founder & CEO of Angkas, and UNCTAD eTrade for Women Advocate for South-East Asia and the Pacific 

Angeline Tham is a serial entrepreneur from Singapore who is passionate about solving real-world problems and improving people's lives. She founded Angkas – an online transportation company - in 2016 to address the numerous social impacts of traffic congestion in the Philippines. Tham aspires to be a catalyst for digital transformation in the local and international arenas through her passion for technology and startup development. She wishes to promote innovation by assisting Filipinos with an entrepreneurial mindset and to establish a business ecosystem that encourages collaboration and recognizes creativity and ingenuity in order to benefit the community. 

Alisa Sydow is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at ESCP Business School.  

Alisa Sydow primarily teaches entrepreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship with a focus on new technologies and impact.  

Her research interests center on entrepreneurship in emerging markets, particularly Kenya and South Africa. She focuses on technology and women's entrepreneurship. She has authored articles published in leading management journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and the Journal of Business Venturing, as well as case studies and papers presented at international conferences including the Academy of Management (AOM), European Group for Organizational Studies (EGOS), and European Academy of Management (EURAM). 

She was selected as part of the 2025 cohort of Thinkers50 Radar, highlighting her as one of the leading emerging voices shaping the future of management and entrepreneurship. 

She recently collaborated with UNCTAD on the “Breaking Down Barriers for Women Digital Entrepreneurs: Insights from Africa”. 

Alisa holds a Ph.D. in Management and Innovation from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. 

Outside of academia, Alisa founded Nampelka, a start-up that provides continuous, tailored, and accessible support to African entrepreneurs. 

Carla Natalie Barnett PhD CBE is the 8th Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), she assumed office on 15 August 2021.

Dr. Barnett is an economist who has worked across the English-speaking Caribbean and had broken several barriers along the way. She was the first woman to be appointed as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Belize (1991-1996). She was the first woman, and youngest person to be appointed as Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM (1997-2002); and the first woman to be appointed as Financial Secretary in Belize (2004-2007). She has also worked at the Caribbean Development Bank, as a Country Economist (1989-1990), and as Vice President, Operations (2012-2014).

As a consultant, Dr. Barnett has provided advisory services to a range of multilateral and bilateral agencies working across the CARICOM Region, including the Inter-American Development Bank, Canadian International Development Agency (now Global Affairs Canada), United Kingdom Department for International Development and the United Nations Development Program.

Dr. Barnett was a candidate for the United Democratic Party in the Freetown Constituency in 2015 and lost to the then Leader of the Opposition. She was subsequently appointed to the Senate as Vice-President and a Minister of State in the 2015 – 2020 Belize Government.

She is a long-time advocate for gender equality, not only because it is the right thing to do to create a more stable and equitable society, but also because gender equality is good economic policy. She is an active member of the Caribbean Institute of Women in Leadership (CIWiL) Belize Chapter. She continues to serve on the Board of the Belize YWCA and is a past president. She has also served on the Board of Haven House, which is a shelter for battered women.

Dr. Barnett has received several notable awards, including the Insignia of the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for distinguished public service (2005), the Alumnae Achievement Awards by her schools in Belize, St Catherine Academy (2008) and St John's College (2007); and the UWI Belize Alumnae Association Award for excellence in Economics and Development (2011).

Mr. Lansana Gberie was appointed Sierra Leone's Ambassador to Switzerland and the Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organisations in Geneva in July 2018.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Gberie had been serving as a Political Economy and Security Sector Reform Expert at the United Nations Development Programme project on Liberia Public Expenditure Review of the Justice and Security Sector from November 2017 to March 2018, and as a Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Mission in Liberia from October 2016 to June 2017. He was also member of the Kimberley Process Review Mission Team for Venezuela in April 2016.

From January 2013 to October 2015, Mr. Gberie was appointed by the Secretary-General as Coordinator and Finance Expert of the United Nations Panel of Experts on Liberia. Between 2011 and 2013, he worked as a Senior Researcher/Political Analyst for the Security Council report in New York. In 2010 and 2011, he was a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Mr. Gberie also worked as Head of the Liberia Country Office and Senior Associate at the International Centre for Transitional Justice (2008-2009), as Senior Research Fellow at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana (2004-2006), and as Head of the West Africa Programme and Senior Researcher for the International Diamond Trade and Human Security Project of Partnership Africa Canada in Ottawa (1999-2004).

He holds a PhD from VU University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, in social sciences (Africa), a master’s degree in international relations and military history from Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, and a bachelor’s degree from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.

Merewalesi Falemaka has been Permanent Representative of the Pacific Islands Forum to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) since 2013 and accredited as Permanent Observer of the Pacific Islands Forum to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva since 2018.

Prior to her appointment, she served as Director of Trade and Investment at the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat in Port Vila, Vanuatu from 2009 to 2013. She was a Trade Consultant for Pacific States on the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations with the European Union at the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat in Fiji from 2007 to 2009, and Commonwealth Trade Consultant for Pacific States on the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Fiji from 2006 to 2007.

Ms. Falemaka served as Trade Policy Adviser on World Trade Organization issues at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Fiji from 2000 to 2006. She worked at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade of Fiji in various capacities from 1986 to 1999, including as Chief Economist.

Ms. Falemaka holds a Master of Economic Studies from the University of Queensland, Australia (1996) and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Geography from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji (1982).

Rajiv Babooram serves as the Adviser and Head of the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda at the Commonwealth Secretariat, where he leads the strategic initiative to increase intra-Commonwealth trade to USD 2 trillion by 2030 — a target endorsed by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2018.

With over 14 years of distinguished experience in international trade and investment, economic development, financial services, trade and investment promotion, and economic diplomacy, Rajiv has consistently demonstrated a commitment to inclusive growth, with a particular emphasis on sustainable development.

Prior to his current role, Rajiv dedicated 12 years to the trade, investment, and financial services promotion agency of the Government of the Republic of Mauritius. He also undertook a three-year diplomatic assignment as Economic Counsellor at the Mauritius High Commission in Canberra, Australia, where he spearheaded efforts to strengthen economic relations between Mauritius and Australia/New Zealand.

Rajiv acquires deep expertise in navigating the complexities of doing business in emerging markets, with a particular focus on Africa. He is acutely aware of the geopolitical dynamics that influence global trade and investment flows. His professional interests include the digital transformation of economies and the strategic implications of evolving geopolitics on the international economic landscape. He holds an MBA from Roehampton University, London, a first class degree in Banking with Economics and Law from London Metropolitan University and has numerous qualifications related to Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence from RMIT University, Australia.

Dr. Giulia Ajmone Marsan is the Head of Startups and Digital Inclusion at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). In 2023, she was appointed Co-Chair of the G20/Startup20 Inclusion Task Force under India’s G20 Presidency. In 2024, she joined the G20/Startup20 ESG Task Force under Brazil’s G20 Presidency and currently serves as a Member of the G20/Startup20 International Secretariat under South Africa’s Presidency.

Prior to joining ERIA, Dr. Ajmone Marsan worked as an Innovation Economist at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

She holds both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics from the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, and a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Economics of Complex Systems, jointly awarded by the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris, France, and the IMT School for Advanced Studies in Lucca, Italy.

Sven Callebaut is a trade and digital policy adviser working across Asia and the Pacific, helping governments and development partners design strategies that make economies more competitive, inclusive, and future-ready.

Currently, he advises the Minister of Commerce in Cambodia and supports a range of digital trade, economic governance, and private sector development initiatives.

He also provides advisory services to organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNCTAD, and GIZ. His work spans from ASEAN-level negotiations and national digital economy reforms to hands-on technical assistance in the Pacific — from Niue to Laos, from AI frameworks to trade diversification.

Sven holds a Master's degree in International Economics from Sorbonne University in Paris and a Diploma in Mastering Trade Policy from Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. 

Isabelle is a former prime time news anchor and  journalist with more than 20 years experience, she now moderates and MCs at leading forums and summits around the globe.

Isabelle was the lead anchor for Euronews-NBC. She also criss-crossed the planet interviewing heads of state and government, CEOs and celebrities.

Isabelle has moderated at high level and large scale events throughout her career, including the first ever EU Presidential debate, deep dives at the Davos World Economic Forum and the European Commission. Now, this is her principal activity: she works with corporates, international organisations and NGOs on issues relating to all things tech-AI, health, sustainability and more. Today her clients include the European Commission, the UN, WHO, The Consumer Goods Forum, Proctor and Gamble, LEAP and Saatchi and Saatchi.

Isabelle is bilingual in French and English and holds British and German nationality. She is a disability activist, the President of a charity helping people with autism and does pro bono work with the charity Lake Aid helping unaccompanied minors, asylum seekers and homeless families in Annecy, France.