Cristina Gutiérrez Hernández has a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Valladolid (1984-1990). She also has postgraduate certificates in “Tropical Medicine” from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (1994), and in “Development cooperation management projects” from the Complutense University of Madrid (2001). She has over 25 years of professional experience in humanitarian aid and development assistance in NGOs, multilateral organizations and Spanish Cooperation in the Balkans, North Africa and Sub Saharan Africa. From 1996 to 1999 she worked for the NGO “Médicos del Mundo” and for the Andalusian School of Public Health on several health projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). In 2002, she started working for the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), first as a project manager at the Technical Cooperation Office for the Balkans (located in Sarajevo). In 2005 she became General Coordinator of this office, where she worked until 2010. She was designated General Coordinator in Morocco (2010-2014) and later in Mozambique (2014-2018). Since September 2018 she is the Director for Humanitarian Affairs at the AECID.

Dr. Fatoumata Haidara is Plan International’s Director of the Sahel Region. Dr. Haidara is a Malian visionary and champion for the rights of women and girls with a demonstrated passion for human rights and social justice. She has 20 years’ experience holding leadership roles with WaterAid, Oxfam, the Canadian International Development Agency, and most recently with Plan International. As Plan’s West and Central Africa Sahel Director, she provides strategic leadership for the design and implementation of Plan’s Sahel portfolio including child rights, education in emergencies, gender equality, and community-based development initiatives. She is a results-oriented leader with demonstrated competence in creating and delivering innovative program strategies that improve the quality of health and security of vulnerable communities. Dr. Haidara has a doctorate from the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy in Russia and holds certificates in human rights, organizational development, and gender-based planning.

György Hölvényi is a Member of the European Parliament, Standing Rapporteur for Education in the European Parliament and Spokesperson for the EPP Group in the Committee on Development. Mr Hölvényi is Co‐Chair of the Working Group for Interreligious Dialogue of the European People’s Party Group. Since 2014, he has been serving as Member of the Committees on Development and as Member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, among others. Since 2019, Mr Hölvényi has been Goodwill Ambassador of the Hungary Helps Programme. Between 2012 and 2014, Mr Hölvényi has been active as the Secretary of State for the Relations with Churches, Civil Society and National Minorities of the Ministry of Human Capacities of Hungary. From the late 1990s, Mr. Hölvényi acted as deputy state secretary at the Hungarian Ministry for Youth and Sports. Currently, he also serves as Vice‐President for International Affairs of the Christian Democrat People’s Party of Hungary.