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Mohamed Kamel Amr
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ambassador Mohamed Kamel Amr was first appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Dr. Essam Sharaf in July 2011, then the cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri in December 2011. Following the first post-revolution presidential elections in June 2012, he was reappointed in the Cabinet of Dr. Hesham Qandil in August 2012. Having extensive experience in the economic and diplomatic fields, Ambassador Mohamed Kamel Amr was a delegate in the Egyptian Mission to the United Nations, the Chargé d’Affaires in the Egypt’s Embassy in Washington, Ambassador of Egypt to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for African Organizations in 1993. In 1997, he worked for the World Bank as Deputy Executive Director, where he represented Egypt and 13 different Arab countries until 2008.

Moustafa Mousaad
Minister of Higher Education

Dr. Moustafa El-Sayed Mousaad was appointed the Minister of Higher Education in the cabinet of Dr. Hesham Qandil in August 2012, following the first post-revolution presidential elections in June. He was a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University.

Mohamed Saber Arab
Minister of Culture

Dr. Mohamed Saber Arab was first appointed Minister of Culture in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri in December 2011. He was then reappointed in the cabinet of Dr. Hesham Qandil in August 2012, following the first post-revolution presidential elections in June. He is former Chairman of the National Archives (1999-2004) and Chairman of the Board of the National Library and Archives of Egypt (2005-2011). He is Professor of Modern Arab History, Al-Azhar University since 1994 and has several publications.

Mohamed Atta Abbas
Governor of Alexandria

Chancellor Mohamed Atta Abbas was appointed Governor of Alexandria in September 2012, within the first governors movement following the first post-revolution presidential elections in June. He is former Vice President of the State Council.

Ossama Ibrahim
President of Alexandria University

Dr. Ossama Ibrahim was elected President of Alexandria University in November 2011. He is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University. He obtained his BSc and MA from Alexandria University, and his PhD from the United States in retina surgery and LASIK. He co-established several specialized eye centers in Egypt and other Arab countries, and he is a board member of several associations.

Bruce Alberts

Bruce Alberts is a prominent biochemist. He is Editor-in-Chief of Science Magazine, and a United States Science Envoy. He is also Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco. He is one of the original authors of The Molecular Biology of the Cell, now in its fifth edition. During 2005–2009, Bruce Alberts was the Co-Chair of the InterAcademy Council. During 1992–2005, he was President of the United States National Academy of Sciences. He currently serves on the boards of more than 25 non-profit institutions. He is a member/foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences; the Royal Society, London; Academia Europaea; the European Academy of Arts and Sciences; and the National Academy of Education. He has earned 17 honorary degrees and more than 11 awards. Alberts obtained an AB in Biochemical Sciences, summa cum laude, in 1960 from Harvard College; and a PhD in 1965 from Harvard University.

Fayza Aboul Naga

Fayza Aboul Naga was the first female Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Egypt and the Arab World in 2001. In 2004, she was appointed Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation. Before joining the Egyptian Cabinet of Ministers, she was Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations in Geneva, 1999–2001; Deputy Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs for African Affairs, 1997–1999; and Political Adviser and Special Assistant to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, 1992–1996. She is a member of a number of policy-making ministerial committees. She is also Member of the Policy Advisory Committee of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Fayza Aboul Naga obtained a Diploma in Public Administration from the Institut International de l’Administration Publique of Paris in 1977, and a Master’s degree in Political Sciences from the University of Geneva, in 1989.

Mehriban Aliyeva

Mehriban Aliyeva is Azerbaijan’s First Lady, and a qualified doctor. She heads the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, established in May 2004. She is Member of the Political Board of New Azerbaijan Party since 2004. In 2006, she became Goodwill Ambassador of ISESCO, and Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO for Oral and Musical Traditions in 2004. She founded Azerbaijan-Irs Magazine in 1996, published in three languages (Azerbaijani, English and Russian), to promote the Azerbaijani culture. She received numerous awards, including the Officer Class of the National Order of Legion of Honor, France (2010); the Grand Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Polish Republic (2009); the Heydar Aliyev Prize (2009); and the World Health Organization Prize (2007). Mehriban Aliyeva received a Candidate of Philosophy academic degree in 2005.

Rahma Bourqia

Rahma Bourqia is currently the President of the University of Hassan II-Mohammedia. She is the first female to be appointed to this position in any Moroccan university, and the first female member of l’Académie du Royaume du Maroc. Bourqia is an expert on women's rights in Morocco and the Arab World, and a Visiting Professor in numerous American, European, and Arab universities. She was Head of the Training and Research Unit for Water and Civilization, 2001/2002. She is a member of numerous boards, committees and commissions. She has received several awards, including the Decoration of the Royal Throne, 2006; the Middle East Award, Population Council, North Africa and East Asia Regional Office, 1990; and the Malcolm Kerr Award for Best Dissertation, the American Association of Middle East Studies, 1988. Bourqia published many works and articles on Morocco as a State, Moroccan culture and history, and women and youth. She has obtained a Doctorate in Sociology from Manchester University.

Nina V. Fedoroff

Nina V. Fedoroff, a geneticist and molecular biologist, is the Willaman Professor of Life Sciences and Evan Pugh Professor, Biology Department, and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University. She has served as the Science and Technology Advisor to the US Secretary of State since 2007. In 2003, she became a member of the External Faculty and Science Steering Committee of the Santa Fe Institute. She is a member of numerous scientific academies and a number of editorial boards, as well as international scientific boards and councils, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science Magazine, Gene Journal, and The Plant Journal. She was honored as an Outstanding Contemporary Woman Scientist by the New York Academy of Sciences in 1992. She has published two books and numerous papers in scientific journals. Fedoroff received her PhD in Molecular Biology from the Rockefeller University in 1972.

Walter Fust

Walter Fust is President of Globethics.net since 2008; and lectures at the University of Lugano, Switzerland, on International Communication. He is a Member of the International Forum of Federations (Ottawa); IRGC, Geneva; UN CEPA; and a board member on different philanthropic foundations. Fust joined the Swiss Diplomatic Service in 1975. He also served in a number of positions, including CEO/Director-General of the Global Humanitarian Forum, Geneva, 2008–2010; Chairman of the International Programme for the Development of Communication Council, UNESCO, 2008–2010; Member of the Advisory Board of the UN ECOSOC, 2005–2007; Head of SDC, 1993–2008; and Secretary-General of the Ministry of Interior, 1990–1993. Fust received numerous international honors and awards. He studied at St. Gallen University and graduated with a Master’s degree in Political Science.

Hans van Ginkel

Hans van Ginkel is a Professor in Human Geography and Planning and Rector Magnificus at Utrecht University. He is Honorary Member of the Commission on the History of Geographical Thought of the IGU. He is Member and Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of the AIT, Bangkok; Member of the Governing Board of UNESCO-IHE in Delft; and the International Advisory Board of the ISS, The Hague. He was the Treasurer of the NUFFIC, 1986–1997. He was appointed Rector of the United Nations University in Tokyo, 1997. He has contributed to numerous international organizations. He has also received numerous international awards and honorary doctorates. Hans van Ginkel completed his MSc studies at Utrecht University, in 1966, in human and physical geography, anthropology and history, cum laude. In 1979, he obtained a PhD in Social Sciences.

Mohamed H.A. Hassan

Mohamed Hag Ali Hassan is President of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). He is the Executive Director of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), and Co-Chair of the IAP- the Global Network of Science Academies. He was Professor of Mathematics and Dean of the School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Khartoum, until 1986. He is Founding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Lebanon (2006); Honorary Member of the Palestine Academy of Science and Technology (2005); and Corresponding Member of the Académie Royale des Sciences d'Outre-Mer, Belgium (2001). Hassan received numerous international awards. He has published a large number of articles in internationally peer-reviewed scientific journals. He has also published several papers related to science and technology in the developing world, especially in Africa. Hassan holds a PhD in Plasma Physics from the University of Oxford, UK, 1974.

Abd-El-Aziz Hegazy

Abd-El-Aziz Hegazy, former Egyptian Prime Minister, is a certified public accountant, auditor and management consultant in Egypt and the Arab World. He is currently a Visiting Professor at Ain Shams University, and Member of the Advisory Council of a number of private universities. He is Member of the Governing Board of the Center for Global Energy Studies in London, and Chairman of a number of cultural forums in Egypt and Jordan. He serves as Chairman of the NGOs Union in Egypt. He was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economy and Foreign Trade, 1974; Minister of Treasury, Finance and Management Development, 1968–1973; and Dean of the Faculty of Commerce, Ein Shams University, 1966–1968. He has received a number of national and international awards. He is author and co-author of a number of publications in the fields of economics and finance. Hegazy received his PhD in Commerce from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 1951.

Michael Keller

Michael Keller is the Ida M. Green University Librarian. In 1994, he became University Librarian and Director of Academic Information Resources. In 1995, he established and became publisher of HighWire Press; and in April 2000, he was assigned similar strategic duty for the Stanford University Press. He is a Guest Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Senior Presidential Fellow of the Council on Library and Information Resources. He is Member of the Board on Research Data Integrity, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences; and Co-Chair of the Preservation and Archiving Special Interest Group co-sponsored and operated by Sun Microsystems and Stanford University. He is also Consultant to the Advisory Board of the Research Library, Los Alamos National Laboratory since 2005; and Chair of the Executive Committee of the National Digital Library Federation since 2002. Keller obtained his BA from Hamilton College in 1967; his MA and MLS from the State University of New York in 1970 and 1972, respectively.

Bruno Racine

Bruno Racine is a French senior official and writer. He became President of the French National Library in April 2007, and was reappointed in 2010. He has held a number of significant posts; such as Director of the Policy Planning Staff at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Advisor to Alain Juppé; Minister for Foreign Affairs, 1993–1995; and Prime Minister, 1995–1997. Since 2001, he has been Chairman of the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique, France’s leading think-tank in strategic research. He was appointed in 2003 President of the High Council for Education. Racine has published six novels, some of which have won literary prizes, as well as a number of articles relating to foreign affairs and cultural policy. In 2008, he was promoted to Officer of the Legion of Honor. Racine attended the Ecole Normale Supérieure, the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration.

Gunnar Stalsett

Gunnar Stålsett is Bishop Emeritus of Oslo. He is currently Member of the Executive Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, and Co-Moderator of its affiliated European Council of Religious Leaders. Since 2006, he has been Special Envoy of Norway to the peace and reconciliation process in East Timor. He chairs the Ad Hoc High Level Forum on Myanmar. He was the Bishop of Oslo in the Church of Norway, 1998–2005; and General Secretary of the LWF, 1985–1994. He served as Vice-Chairman/Member on the Norwegian Nobel Committee, 1985–1990 and 1994–2003. Stålsett has authored a number of books and received a number of international honors. He graduated from the MF Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo, and was awarded the qualification Candidatus theologiæ in 1961. He has studied Theology in Germany and USA. He holds several honorary doctorates in Theology and Law.

Hisham El-Sherif

Hisham El-Sherif is a leading authority on Telecommunications and IT in Egypt, the Middle East and the developing world. He is currently Chairman and CEO of IT Investments; Founder and Chairman of Nile Online; and a Commissioner of the Washington-based Global Information Infrastructure Commission. He has been a Professor at the American University in Cairo since 1991. He co-founded the Egyptian Cabinet IDSC in 1985, and chaired its Advisory Board until 1999. He has served as Chairman and Member on a number of boards, including the Advisory Board of the Egyptian Museum; Egypt Internet Society; the Children with Special Needs Initiative, and the US-Egypt President's Council. He has received several awards, including the First Order Medal of Science and Arts (1999); the World First Prize in Information Systems from SIM (1998), and the French Knighthood (1991). El-Sherif received his PhD from MIT in Business and Engineering.

Prince El-Hassan bin Talal

HRH Prince El-Hassan bin Talal is currently working with American NGOs on a program entitled “Partners in Humanity”, ultimately aiming to improve understanding and build positive relationships between the Muslim World and the United States. In March 2009, HRH chaired the Integrity Council for the Global Commons. In June 2003, HRH was elected as one of the Independent Eminent Experts group, appointed by the UN Secretary-General, to implement the Declaration and Program of Action of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance that took place in Durban, South Africa. HRH Prince El-Hassan chairs, and is a member of, a number of international committees and organizations. HRH served as Chairman of the Policy Advisory Commission for WIPO, 1999–2002; and was a Member of the South Centre Board, 2001–2006. HRH has received numerous national and international medals, awards and honorary degrees. HRH is also the author of seven books. HRH Prince El-Hassan bin Talal graduated from Oxford with a BA in Oriental Studies, followed by an MA.

Kazuo Ogoura

Kazuo Ogoura is President of the Japan Foundation, and a former Ambassador to Vietnam, Korea, and France. Graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law and the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Economics, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he served in various positions, including Director-General of the Cultural Affairs Department (1989- 92), Director-General of Economic Affairs Bureau (1992- 94), Deputy Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Japanese G7/G8 Sherpa (1995-97). He is also an Invited Professor of International Politics in the Economics and Business Department of Aoyama Gakuin University (2003-), and a Guest Professor at Ritsumeikan University (2009-). His publication includes Pari no Shu Onrai (Enlai Zhou in Paris) (1992), Chugoku no Ishin, Nihon no Kyoji (Dignity of China, Pride of Japan) (2001), Yoshida Shigeru no Jimon (Shigeru Yoshida Searches his Heart) (2003) and Grobarizumu e no Hangyaku (Rebellion against Globalism) (2004).

Vaira Vike-Freiberga

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga was the sixth President of Latvia, the first female President of Latvia and the first female leader in Eastern Europe. She is a professor and interdisciplinary scholar, actively engaged in community service. As President of the Republic of Latvia, 1999–2007, she was instrumental in achieving membership in the European Union and NATO for her country. In December 2007, she was named Vice-Chair of the Reflection Group on the long-term future of the European Union, and special envoy on the reform of the United Nations in 2005. She has held prominent positions in national and international organizations; as well as in a number of Canadian governmental, institutional, academic and interdisciplinary committees. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga published eleven books and numerous articles and essays, in addition to her extensive speaking engagements. She holds a BA and an MA in Psychology from the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Experimental Psychology from McGill University in Montreal.

Federico Mayor Zaragoza

Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Spanish scholar and politician, is currently President of the Fundación Cultura de Paz, which he created in 1999. He is Member of the Honorary Board of the International Coalition for the Decade for the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence, and the Honorary Chairman of the Académie de la Paix. In 2005, the UN Secretary-General named him Co-Chair of the High Level Group for the Alliance of Civilizations; a post he held until November 2006 when the Group presented its final report in Istanbul. He has held several notable positions, including Director-General of UNESCO, 1987–1999; Member of the European Parliament, 1987; Minister of Education and Science, 1981/1982; and Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, 1978. In addition to numerous scientific publications, he has published several collections of poems and books of essays. Federico Mayor Zaragoza obtained a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the Complutense University of Madrid, in 1958.