Keynote speakers

Keynote speakers

H.E. Dr Mai Al Kaila

Her Excellency Dr Mai Al-Kaila

Minister of Health of Palestine and Chair of RC69

Her Excellency Dr Mai Al-Kaila is a doctor, diplomat and politician, and the first woman to hold the position of Minister of Health of Palestine. She chaired the Palestine Medical Council in her capacity as Minister of Health. She also chaired the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.

H.E. Dr Al-Kaila obtained her PhD in public health and epidemiology from the University of Chile. She previously worked as a lecturer in the Public Health Department, Al-Quds University, and at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as head of the motherhood and childhood programme.

In October 2005, H.E. Dr Al-Kaila was appointed as Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Chile. She continued to serve in that role until her appointment as Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Italy in October 2013.

In December 2016, she won the Palestinian Revolutionary Council elections, held during the seventh conference of Fatah, and became a member in the Council. In April 2019, in the presence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, H.E. Dr Al-Kaila took the constitutional oath as Minister of Health.

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed

Ms Amina J. Mohammed

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations

Ms Mohammed served as Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, a position in which she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and to protect the natural environment. Ms Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012, as Special Adviser to the then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ms Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector. Here she rose to the position of adviser to four successive presidents, advising on poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development.

Ms Mohammed is the recipient of several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. She has received various global awards and has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels.

Dr. Moustafa ElFiki

Professor Dr Mostafa El Feki

Egyptian politician, journalist and political thinker

Professor Dr Mostafa El Feki is a skilled diplomat with extensive experience in the political and cultural fields, garnered from a prolific career in the international arena.

Dr El Feki has held numerous positions with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most notably that of Ambassador of Egypt to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria; Non-resident Ambassador to the Republics of Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia; Counsellor of Egypt in New Delhi, India; and Vice-Consul and Diplomatic Secretary at the Consulate General and Embassy of Egypt in London, United Kingdom. He has also served as First Assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister for Arab and Middle East Affairs, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the League of Arab States, and Governor of Egypt at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

At the national level, Dr El Feki has served as Secretary of Information and Follow-up to the President of Egypt and Head of the Bureau of Information and Follow-up for the Egyptian Presidency. In addition, Dr El Feki has served as a Member of Parliament of Egypt, holding positions as Chairman of the Arab Affairs, Foreign Relations and National Security Committee at the Consultative Council; Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Egyptian People’s Assembly; Vice-President of the Freedom and Human Rights Committee; and Director of the Library of Alexandria.

Ms. Omnia El Omrani

Dr Omnia El Omrani

COP27 President Youth Envoy

Dr Omnia El Omrani was the first Youth Envoy to the President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, a position she held at COP27, and is a medical doctor at Ain Shams University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt. She is a member of the Youth Sounding Board of the European Commission and a Commissioner at the Lancet-Chatham House Commission on Improving Population Health post COVID-19.

Dr El Omrani served the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IMFSA) for 6 years as National Public Officer, Middle East and North Africa Focal Point, and Liaison Officer for Public Health Issues, representing more than 1.3 million medical students. She led the global advocacy and policy work on climate change with United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC secretariat), the United Nations Environment Programme and WHO.

Dr El Omrani has attended 18 high-level intergovernmental conferences, including the 14th Conference of Youth and COP24 in Katowice, Poland, and Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB 50), Bonn, Germany, as a delegate. She took part in COP25, Madrid, Spain, as head of the IFMSA delegation, and COP26 Glasgow, United Kingdom, as a Climate Champions team panelist.