Aisa Kirabo Kacyira

Deputy Executive Director, UN-Habitat

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Ms. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira of the Republic of Rwanda as Deputy Executive Director and Assistant Secretary-General for UN-HABITAT.

Ms. Kirabo was the Governor of Eastern Province, the largest province in Rwanda with a population of 2.5 million. Previously, she was Mayor of Kigali City (2006 - 2011)

Currently, Ms. Kirabo is assisting the Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos, in the overall management of UN-HABITAT to achieve its mandate and supporting the new UN-HABITAT agenda to face the urban challenges by strengthening urban policies to generate more equitable, wealthy and sustainable cities. Among her many important responsibilities, Ms. Kirabo is supporting  Dr. Clos in advancing the key reviews currently underway at UN-HABITAT, including the review of UN-Habitat's strategic priorities for the coming years leading to Habitat III in 2016.

Ms. Kirabo was educated at James Cook University, Australia where she gained her Masters in Veterinary Science in Animal Production and Economics and at Makerere University, Uganda where she gained her Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine. She is currently pursuing an MBA in the School of Finance and Banking, Rwanda/Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands.

Annemarie Jorritsma-Lebbink

Mayor of Almere / Co-chair of the Committee on Development Cooperation and City Diplomacy of UCLG.

Since 2003, Annemarie Jorritsma-Lebbink (1 June 1950) is mayor of Almere, the youngest and fastest growing city of the Netherlands. Almere is on the list of the 10 largest municipalities in the Netherlands. As mayor, Ms. Jorritsma is amongst others responsible for the coordination of the safety policy, the maintenance of public order, the coordination of the police and fire brigade, the management of crises and international relations.

Ms. Jorritsma started her political career as municipal councilor in the municipality of Bolsward for the liberal party (VVD) from 1978 to 1988. In 1982 she became a member of the Parliament. From 1998 to 2002, Ms. Jorritsma was the first female Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands. She was Minister of Infrastructure and Water (1994-1998) and Minister of Economic Affairs (1998-2002).

Ms. Jorritsma is President of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) since 2008 and Co-President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. She also co-chairs the Committee on Development Cooperation and City Diplomacy of UCLG.

Belinda Calaguas

Head of advocacy and campaigns, ActionAid International

Belinda has been Head of Policy at WaterAid. She worked with migrant and refugee communities in one of the poorer London boroughs when she herself was a new immigrant in the UK. Belinda is from the Philippines and has worked with urban poor, farmers, students and women's groups as a researcher, campaigner, organiser and development journalist. 

Joana Ortega i Alemany

Vice-president of Catalonia

Es la vicepresidente del Gobierno de la Generalitat de Catalunya y consejera de Gobernación y Relaciones Institucionales. También es diputada del Parlament de Catalunya desde 2006.

Su carrera política se inició en el Ayuntamiento de Barcelona siendo consejera técnica del distrito de Las Cortes (1992-1995), regidora ejecutiva del distrito del Ensanche (1995-1999) y regidora del consistorio barcelonés (1996-2007). A nivel municipal ha sido miembro del Consejo de Administración de Barcelona Activa (1996-2003) y de la Instituto de Cultura de Barcelona (1999-2003).Durante los mandatos de Jordi Pujol como presidente de la Generalitat, fue presidenta del Instituto Catalán de la Mujer (2002) y del Consejo Nacional de Mujeres de Catalunya (2002).Es miembro del equipo directivo de Tribuna Barcelona. Ha sido tertuliana del programa "Bon dia, Catalunya", de TV3 (2000-2002), en COM Ràdio (desde el 1999) y de Radio Intereconomía. Es articulista mensual en El Mundo.

El 2006, entró en el Parlament de Catalunya siendo escogida diputada por la circunscripción de Barcelona. El 2010 se volvió a presentar como número dos de la lista de CiU encabezada por Artur Mas.

Michel Vauzelle

President of the Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur Region / Co-president of the Mediterranean Committee of UCLG

Michel Vauzelle is an active lobbyist for the opening of the Mediterranean so that Europe can share a common community with a common fate: a Europe more anchored in the South, a France more active in the Mediterranean. He has carried this ambition with the Regions of the Mediterranean of which he was President for five years.

Former MP, Deputy, Vice President of the French Foreign Affairs Committee at the Assemblée Nationale, Michel Vauzelle has been President of the Provence-Alps-Côte d'Azur region since 1998. In this framework, he conducts an active policy of decentralised cooperation with all Mediterranean countries. The French President confided him in January 2013 with a mission on the Mediterranean. He has recently been elected Vice President of the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and Co-president of the Mediterranean Committee of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the Sustainable Development Committee of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) under the Union for the Mediterranean. 

Platonov Vladimir Mikhailovich

Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, Chairman of the Moscow City Duma

December 24, 1954 in Moscow, Russian.
From 1972 to 1975 he worked at an engineering plant them. Khrunichev electrician.
In 1983 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of Peoples' Friendship University of. Patrice Lumumba, the specialty "Jurisprudence".
From 1983 to 1989 he worked in the district prosecutor's offices in Moscow, investigated the cases of very serious crimes. From 1989 to 1991 - Deputy Attorney Moskvoretsky district.
. In 1991 moved to private law practice, specializing in social issues - worked as executive director of the company "Aktum.
. 12 December 1993 was elected to the Moscow City Duma.
. In July 1994, was elected chairman of the Moscow City Duma.
. Since January 1996 member of the Federation Council's position.
. 14 December 1997 was elected to the Moscow City Duma of the second convocation.
. January 14, 1998 was re-elected chairman of the Moscow City Duma.
. 10 June 1998 was elected deputy chairman of the Federation Council of Russia.
. He was awarded the Medal of Honor (1998).
. Married
. Wife Helen. Daughter Xenia (1980), son Ilya (1983).

Scott Smith

President of US Conference of Mayors

Scott Smith was first elected Mayor of Mesa, Arizona, the 3rd largest city in Arizona and 38th largest in America, in 2008. He was re-elected to a second term unopposed in 2012.  Mayor Smith is also President of the United States Conference of Mayors, Arizona’s first Mayor to lead the organization.

Mayor Smith earned a degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University, and MBA and Juris Doctor degrees from Arizona State University.

Serving in his first elected office, Mayor Smith has used his private-sector experience as a CEO, accountant and attorney to usher in a new era of decisive leadership and civic engagement.  Smith led efforts for the largest reorganization of city government in Mesa’s history reducing the budget nearly 20 percent, while simultaneously making the city more effective, efficient and business-friendly.

Mayor Smith is a fourth-generation Arizonan who lived in Tucson before moving to Mesa in his youth.  He and his wife Kim have been married for more than 30 years and have three children and five grandchildren.

Zoubida Allaoua

Ms. Zoubida Allaoua, Director, Urban and Disaster Risk Management Department (World Bank – Washington, DC)

Ms. Zoubida Allaoua, has over 20 years experience with the World Bank, since she joined in 1988 through the Young Professionals Program. She has since then held various positions as Economist covering  West Africa, India and Pakistan. In 2002, she was appointed Sector Manager, Private and Financial Sector Development for the Middle East and North Africa Region. In May 2009, she was appointed Director for Urban and Disaster Risk Management Department (UDR), which is the global practice leading the Bank's agenda on Sustainable Urbanization, City services, Resilience and Disaster Risk Management.