Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte

Secretary for Africa and the Middle East of the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil

Carlos Sérgio Sobral Duarte is a Brazilian diplomat who is currently the Secretary for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil. He has a long career in the diplomatic service and has served as the Ambassador of Brazil in India, Chile, and headed the Permanent Mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. He also was Deputy Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations in New York. He has also been actively involved in various issues related to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

Celso Amorim

Chief Advisor of the Presidency of Brazil

Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim is a Brazilian diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 20 July 1993 to 31 December 1994 under President Itamar Franco and again from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2010 under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Before his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Lula, Amorim served as Brazil’s ambassador to the United Kingdom. On 5 January 2023, Amorim was appointed as Chief Advisor of the Presidency of Brazil by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Enio Verri

Brazilian General Director of Itaipu Binacional

Enio Verri is a Brazilian politician, economist, and professor. He is the current director-general of Itaipu, the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. He was also a federal deputy for three terms and a state deputy for one term. He was elected state deputy in 2010 and federal deputy in 2014, 2018, and 2022. He was the leader of the PT in the Chamber of Deputies from 2020 to 2021. He resigned from the Chamber of Deputies in March 2023 to become the Director-General of Itaipu, appointed by President Lula.

João Bosco Monte

President of the Brazil Africa Institute

João Bosco Monte is founder and president of the Brazil Africa Institute and Secretary for International and Institutional Relations of Fortaleza. PhD in Education (UFC) with postdoctoral studies at UnB, he researches African integration and South-South Cooperation. International consultant, author and professor, he created the Brazil Africa Forum. Twice awarded the Order of Rio Branco, he contributes to global debates on development and food security.

José Graziano da Silva

Former-Director General of FAO

José Graziano da Silva has over 30 years of academic, professional, and political experience in food security and rural development. He served as Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) from 2012 to 2019, after having conceived and led Brazil’s Zero Hunger program, initially as coordinator in 2001 and later as Extraordinary Minister of Food Security and Fight against Hunger in President Lula’s government starting in 2003. This effort culminated in 2014, when Brazil was removed from FAO’s Hunger Map, being recognized as the first developing country to achieve this milestone.

Leila Zorzetto

Executive-Director of DISAM Group

Leila Zorzetto is Managing Partner of Grupo Disam, with 28 years of dedication to the agribusiness sector. With a degree in Foreign Trade, she leads the management of CHD’S do Brasil, CHD’S do Brasil/China, Macrobio, and Disam, overseeing operations and developing growth strategies.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, widely known as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, former metalworker, and labor union leader affiliated with the Workers’ Party (PT). He is currently the 39th President of Brazil, serving since 2023, having previously held the office as the 35th President between 2003 and 2011.

Paulo Gomes

Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Africa-South East Asia Chamber of Commerce

Paulo Gomes is CEO and founder of Orango Group Investment Corporation, a strategic investment company that focuses on sustainable development projects in Africa. He is also a global business leader, an active environmentalist, and a key political actor in Guinea Bissau. He has over 30 years of experience in sovereign and corporate advisory, working on issues related to international trade, natural resources, and development.

Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy

UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation

Her Excellency Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy has served as the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation since 2016 and has overseen the Political Affairs Office of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum since 2008. She led the UAE’s successful bid to host Expo 2020 Dubai, later serving as its Director General, and is now CEO of the Expo City Dubai Authority. H.E. Al Hashimy chairs the UAE National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Dubai Cares, and the Board of Trustees of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. She previously chaired the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority and earlier served at the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C. as Commercial Attaché and Deputy Chief of Mission. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, a Master’s from Harvard University, and a Doctorate from Tsinghua University.