Keynote Speakers

Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi

Supachai Panitchpakdi
Supachai Panitchpakdi’s career has spanned wide-ranging areas, starting off as an officer of the Bank of Thailand, he became Deputy Finance Minister, Commerce Minister, and twice Deputy Prime Minister. In between he assumed for some years the presidency role of a commercial bank, and chairman of several private corporations including an international insurance company. His international career is noteworthy for the fact that he is the first representative of the developing countries to be appointed Director General of the World Trade Organisation (2002-2005) and follows that up with two terms as Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2005-2013). At present he is a board member of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin and a founding member of the Asia-New Zealand Foundation.

Dr. Noeleen Heyzer

Noeleen Heyzer
Noeleen Heyzer is currently a member of the UN Secretary General ’s High Level Advisory Board on Mediation. She was an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (2007-2015) and the first woman to serve as the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific since its founding in 1947. Under her leadership, the commission focused on regional co-operation for a more resilient Asia-Pacific, founded on shared prosperity, social equity, and sustainable development. She was at the forefront of many innovations including for inclusive socio-economic policies, sustainable agriculture and urbanization, regional disaster preparedness, energy security and regional connectivity, including intergovernmental agreements on Asia’s intermodal transport and logistical system as well as the mapping of the ICT super highway in the region.

Dr. Hongjoo Hahm

Hongjoo Hahm
Hongjoo Hahm (Republic of Korea) is the Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). He currently serves as the Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP for Programme, Economics and Financing.

Professor Dr. Nay Htun

Nay Htun
Nay Htun is Founder and Honorary Patron of the Myanmar-based not-for-profit association, Green Economy Green Growth, GEGG, that “expeditiously promote green economy green growth in Myanmar and fostering national and international partnerships”. GEGG provides key support to the ASEAN Institute for Green Economy, AIGE, an ASEAN Charter Entity endorsed at the 2014 ASEAN Summit.