Jean ZieglerFoto: © Grit Kümmele
Jean Ziegler
Jean Ziegler, citizen of the Republic of Geneva, sociologist, is professor emeritus at the universities of Geneva and Paris-І-Sorbonne. Until 1999 he was a member of the Swiss parliament (Nationalrat). From 2000 to 2008 he was UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. Since 2008 he is a Member of the UN Human Rights Council’s Advisory Committee. He holds several honorary doctorates andhas received various international prizes such as the CARE-Millenium Award (2009) and the International Literary Award for Human Rights (2008).
His books "Die Schweiz wäscht weißer", "Die Schweiz, das Gold und die Toten", "Wie kommt der Hunger in die Welt?", "Die neuen Herrscher der Welt und ihre globalen Widersacher" and "Das Imperium der Schande", all translated into several languages, have prompted bitter controversies and have established his international reputation. In his latest book "Der Hass auf den Westen" (2009 by C.Bertelsmann) Jean Ziegler explains the roots of this hate and attempts to outline ways of overcoming it.
Beate Wagner
Beate Wagner
Dr. Wagner studied Political Science and Sociology at the Philipps Universität Marburg. She received her PhD from the Free University of Berlin in 1994. From 1992 – 1995 she worked as policy advisor for the Berliner Senat für Bundes- und Europaangelegenheiten. From 1995 – 2002 she was programme coordinator for the intergovernmental Rias-Berlin-Commission. Since 2002 Dr. Wagner is General Secretary of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen. Since 2006 she also holds the post of vice president of the Weltverband der UN-Gesellschaften.
Her latest publication is on the state of the UN human rights protection system: Sven B. Gareis, Gunter Geiger (eds.): Internationaler Schutz der Menschenrechte. Stand und Perspektiven im 21. Jahrhundert, Leverkusen-Opladen 2008 ISBN 978-3-86649-186-1.
Yash Tandon © Amelia Collins / Friends of the Earth
Yash Tandon
Yash Tandon was the Executive Director of the South Centre, an Intergovernmental think tank of the developing countries. Dr Tandon’s long career in national and international development spans as a policymaker, a political activist, a professor and a public intellectual. He was deeply involved in the struggle against the dictatorship of Idi Amin and has spent time in exile.
Dr. Tandon is a national of Uganda and received his degrees in economics and international relations from the London School of Economics, UK. Dr. Tandon has taught at several universities worldwide including the Makerere University (Uganda), the Dar-es-Salaam University (Tanzania), the London School of Economics (UK) and Columbia University (US). Prior to coming to the South Centre, he served as the Founding Director of the Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI). He has written over one hundred scholarly articles and has authored and edited books on wide ranging subjects including on African politics, Peace and Security, Trade and WTO, International Economics, South – South Cooperation and Human Rights. He has also served on several advisory committees.
Ralf Südhoff
Ralf Südhoff
Since the beginning of 2008 Ralf Südhoff is director of the UN World Food Programme's Berlin office (WFP). Previously he was responsible for media and public relations of the world's largest humanitarian organization.
Prior to joining the WFP, Ralf Südhoff worked for several years as a journalist in Germany and Brasil. He was among the initial editors of the Financial Times Deutschland. He headed the opinion section of the newspaper and wrote extensively as a reporter. He later worked for the office of the "Parlamentarische Staatssekretärin" in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Uschi Eid, bevor joining the weekly "Die ZEIT" as their correspondent for South America stationed in Rio de Janeiro.
Ralf Südhoff studied Political Science and Economics and holds a Masters in International Studies from the University of Warwick, UK.
Grit Kümmele
Presentation: Grit Kümmele
Grit Kümmele has been working as a teacher, trainer, lecturer, project-, conference and event manger, as conceptual designer and as an artist in national and international projects. She had been Study Site Director for Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. in Berlin for 15 years and works for open door international as area representative Berlin of the PPP exchange program of the German Bundestag and the U.S.Congress. Grit Kümmele is very experienced in designing and conducting international trainings and workshops. She is spokeswoman of the Berlin-Brandenburg International Studies Network (BISS), an active member of the New Traditions Network (NTN) and chairperson of the association circle of friends of the Amerika Haus Berlin. She has organized and curated numerous art exhibitions and projects and participated with her own artistic work. She works for the NYU Spring Program in Berlin as an instructor for art in public space projects.
