Ms. Reem Alsalem was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, in July 2021 for a three-year tenure, beginning on 1 August 2021. She holds a Master’s in International Relations from the American University in Cairo and a Master’s in Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford. 

As an independent consultant, she specializes in gender issues, refugee and migrant rights, transitional justice, and humanitarian response. She has worked extensively with UN agencies, including UN-Women, OHCHR, UNICEF, and IOM, as well as non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions. 

Previously, Ms. Alsalem served as an international civil servant with UNHCR in 13 countries, leading programs to protect survivors of gender-based violence, particularly women and girls. She has also been a visiting professional with the International Criminal Court and a visiting researcher at Tufts University’s Feinstein International Center. 

Mr. Kevin Hyland OBE is a leading figure in the global fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. He served as the United Kingdom’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner from 2014 to 2018, following a distinguished 30-year career with the London Metropolitan Police, where he led the Human Trafficking Unit. Specializing in organized crime, corruption, and trafficking, he secured numerous international convictions. 

Hyland played a key role in shaping the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 and was instrumental in ensuring human trafficking’s inclusion in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 8.7). He currently chairs the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, collaborating with global businesses and organizations to improve labor practices and protect migrant workers from exploitation. 

His career reflects a lifelong commitment to justice, policy reform, and international cooperation to strengthen anti-trafficking frameworks and protect the rights and dignity of vulnerable people worldwide. 

H.E. Muhammadou M.O. Kah is the Gambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. With over three decades of experience spanning higher education, technology, and business, he has held leadership roles across the United States, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. 

He was the founding Chairman of Zenith Bank Gambia and led prominent organizations, including Africa Consulting and Trading Group and Khamsys Technologies. In academia, he served as Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia, Vice President and Provost at the American University of Nigeria, and Vice Rector at ADA University in Azerbaijan. 

Ambassador Kah holds a Ph.D. from Stevens Institute of Technology, an MSc in Finance from George Washington University, and executive certifications from Oxford and other leading institutions. He has been recognized with a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) and national leadership awards for his contributions to education, technology, and development across diverse global regions. 

Mrs Ena Lucia Mariaca Pacheco is a human security expert specialized in child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. She has two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and a master's degree in human security from Royal Roads University, Canada. For over a decade, she has worked with the Government of Canada, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, INTERPOL, law enforcement, and survivors on research, policy writing, human rights advocacy work, and global projects focused on supporting victims and survivors. Ena Lucia has also assisted vulnerable communities and victims of human trafficking as a volunteer with NGOs in trafficking hotspots. During her time working at Canadian Parliament, Ena Lucia built a database to track human trafficking cases and to provide supporting data for Bill C-310, a piece of legislation that enhanced the definition of exploitation in the criminal offense of human trafficking. Using information from this database, Bill C-310 also enabled the prosecution of Canadians who committed crimes against children and human trafficking offenses outside of Canada’s borders. Ena Lucia's research was also used to support Canadian Legislation, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Trafficking in Persons) before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Ena Lucia is a trainer and international speaker and has presented her research at international conferences, the United Nations and INTERPOL. She is also a published researcher, and her work can be found in the Child Abuse and Neglect Journal special edition on boys. Ena Lucia co-led the first international conference on violence against men and boys. She currently works at INTERPOL in the Organized and Emerging Crime Directorate

H.E. Prof. Dr. Michel Veuthey is a Swiss diplomat, legal scholar, and humanitarian expert. He holds a Doctor of Laws from Geneva University and a Diploma from The Hague Academy of International Law. His career with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spanned key leadership roles, including Delegate General for Europe and North America. 

Since 2005, he has served as President of the Henry Dunant University College (CUHD) in Geneva and as an Associate Professor at Webster University. He is the Deputy Permanent Observer and Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations, leading efforts to combat human trafficking. 

Dr. Veuthey has held board positions with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-Switzerland), Geneva Call, and other humanitarian organizations. He is Editor-in-Chief of Christus Liberat and founder of adlaudatosi, a global anti-trafficking network. He holds the Croix de Grand Officier Pro Merito Melitensi and the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana for his distinguished service. 

Mr Rabih El-Haddad leads the Division for Multilateral Diplomacy of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). His work focuses on supporting governments, decision-makers, multilateral negotiators and the numerous negotiating groups that use diplomacy and negotiation as tools for defending and promoting their national interest in a complex context. As the key interlocutor with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Ministries leading international negotiations of the 193 Member States, Mr. El-Haddad adheres, in his daily job, to the purposes and values of the United Nations that aim at developing friendly relations amongst nations by disseminating a culture that celebrates negotiation and enlightened decision-making for the peaceful settlement of disputes. Throughout his career Mr. El-Haddad has closely worked with the governing bodies and intergovernmental machinery of the United Nations and the presidencies and heads of negotiating groups of key global negotiations related to climate change, trade, human rights, sustainable development and peace and security. Mr. El-Haddad was also involved in numerous capacity strengthening projects that shaped the Organisation’s transformative global agenda and enabled member states to foster an environment of collaboration for overcoming challenges on a global scale. Mr. El-Haddad holds Lebanese and Swiss citizenship. He is fluent in French, Arabic, English and Spanish and holds a “Diplôme D’études Approfondies” (DEA) and a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Economic and European Law from the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne.

Mr. David Fernández Puyana serves as the Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the University for Peace to the United Nations Offices in Geneva and Vienna, and to UNESCO in Paris. A Spanish national, he previously held roles as Project Coordinator at UNESCO’s Liaison Office in Geneva and Senior Legal Advisor to Costa Rica’s UN Mission. He also supported the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Peace. 

Dr. Fernández Puyana has lectured on diplomacy and international relations at Shanghai University and collaborated with Religions for Peace, Finn Church Aid, and UNESCO Etxea. He co-founded the UNESCO Chair on Peace, Solidarity, and Intercultural Dialogue at Abat Oliba CEU University. He holds a Ph.D. in Law from Pompeu Fabra University, an LLM in Human Rights Law from Essex University, and master's degrees in Human Rights Protection and International Relations. He is an Associate Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. 

Dr. Anna Sabrina Wollmann  joined the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in October 2017 and has been leading the International Law Programme for UNITAR’s Division for Multilateral Diplomacy since 2018. She is based in Geneva and her main areas of expertise include tailor-made international law trainings for UN Member States, as well as capacity development trainings created in cooperation with other UN entities and NGOs. She holds a doctorate in International Law from Maastricht University in which she specialised in migration law and citizenship. Sabrina has more than 15 years of research experience, working previously for the Top Institute for Evidence-Based Education Research (TIER), Maastricht University Law Faculty and the European Commission DG - Internal Market.