Dr Hyab Yohannes is a Lecturer in Forced Migration and Decolonial Education with the UNESCO Chair RIELA at the University of Glasgow. He conducts research and synthesises findings to address theoretical, methodological, and policy-related questions. Recently, Hyab co-edited a Special Issue on Intercultural Knowledge Production for the Journal of Language and Intercultural Communication and a book titled Cultures of Sustainable Peace for Multilingual Matters. His forthcoming book, The Refugee Abyss, will be published by Routledge. Hyab’s research interests include poetics, decoloniality, and political theories across physical, onto-epistemic, spatio-temporal, and juridico-political dimensions.

Hyab currently co-supervises four ERASMUS Mundus Master’s students specialising in Education in Museums and Heritage. He actively contributes to teaching courses such as Local and Global Theories and Perspectives (MSc Education for Sustainable Futures) and Decolonising Adult Education (International Issues in Adult and Continuing Education). He is also an educator on a recently launched MOOC.

Veronica Zeitlin is a lawyer and international policy and program expert. She has 25 years of experience combating human trafficking and assisting survivors through trauma-informed approaches. Currently a consultant, she served as Chief of Research and Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, Senior Advisor, Counter-Trafficking in Persons, Gender, and Migration, at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Reports and Political Affairs Analyst at the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, where she covered Africa.

Kaltuma Noorow brings over eight years of experience in program management and coordination, specializing in social healing programs across Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Since 2016, she has designed and developed impactful social programs and curricula tailored to
diverse contexts in these three countries.

Her leadership was pivotal in overseeing a peacebuilding program with 3,887 participants, a project recognized by the Paris Peace Forum for its success. Kaltuma has also spearheaded the creation of virtual social healing initiatives, curating and producing content and videos for various digital learning platforms.

Kaltuma has pursued studies in Peacebuilding and Development at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, deepening her expertise in the field. She is deeply passionate about the intersection of trauma healing, neuroscience, and spirituality. She is dedicated to mentoring and empowering the next generation of leaders, emphasizing community collaboration in co-creating curricula and peace processes across African contexts.

Currently, Kaltuma manages the Proposed Wajir Peace University in Northern Kenya, a continuation of the peace process that began in the 1990s. The University aspires to connect ongoing peace practices with research and academia. Once established, it will serve as a vital resource for peace education and a research hub for the Horn of Africa and beyond.

Additionally, Kaltuma is a key contributor to the Abyei Women’s Initiative, a groundbreaking project that centers women in peacebuilding efforts. This initiative leverages the challenges of war and conflict as opportunities to foster meaningful change and advance cooperation.

Heather’s career in public speaking, organizational development, human resources, education, cross-culture, and media has spanned five continents and multiple fields.

After completing an advanced degree in Clinical Psychology in her native USA, Heather carried out development work in the Philippines, then spent decades in Japan and Europe consulting academic institutions and international business groups.

A firm believer in Impact Tech and the democratization of knowledge, she is an expert in virtual learning. Heather also provides consultation on topics connected to organizational development (including digital transformation, leadership development, employee engagement, change management, strategy, and globalization).

Heather is also the Executive Director of MESPERO: Impact for Resilience and of SDG2030.me.

Les Simm founded the International Forum for Understanding and serves as its Executive Director. Les works in the business sector, with governments, the UN, INGO’s and other entities in areas ranging from security risk management and business resilience to humanitarian operations and disaster relief. He has expertise in nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons disarmament, non-proliferation, arms control and verification, security sector reform and countering transnational organised crime. Having trained as a psychiatric nurse in his early career, Les has long-term interest in mental health and wellbeing. Les is a passionate supporter of the SDGs with a particular focus on project implementation and making a demonstrable and direct impact on people’s lives.

Malaika Oringo is the founder and CEO of Footprint to Freedom (2019), a survivor-led organization. She is a talented advocate and speaks up against human trafficking and stands up for victims’ rights and works to strengthen the survivor’s inclusion and engagement. She has spoken on various stages throughout Europe, such as in Paris, Geneva, Athens, London, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Raised in Uganda in harsh conditions and exploited in the Netherlands, she has devoted her life to fighting against human trafficking. She believes that since survivors are the most significant stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking, they should sit at decision-making tables from community level to national level and international level.  She has lobbied at the European Commission and spoken at the European Parliament about the gaps in the current approach human trafficking. She also advised on the best practices that can provide victim centered trauma informed and survivor centered approaches to improve response to survivors and victims’ needs.
She is a Member of the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC) which assists the work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in combating trafficking in persons.

Originally from Somalia, Suad has also lived in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Pakistan, and Austria. She speaks six languages: Somali, Arabic, German, English, Hindi and Urdu.
Suad graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Karachi. She works as a Social Medical Consultant (including psychological counseling) at Diakonie Österreich and as an Assistant Consultant at the Austrian Red Cross. She is a certified counselor regarding female genital mutilation (FGM) issues and is active in related community outreach. SDG 3 is especially important to Suad.
Suad is a sought-after panelist and presenter, known for her storytelling skills in a variety of areas. She has spoken at the United Nations on interreligious topics, contributed to a migration and health panel at European Forum Alpbach, and contributed to high-level events including at the Diplomatic Academy Vienna, the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens and at an International Peace Day celebration hosted by the Second President of the Austrian Parliament.
Suad aims to spread awareness about refugee and migration issues, to improve the healthcare and pharmaceutical systems in developing countries, and to empower women. She often quotes Oprah Winfrey: ‘You become what you believe.’
Suad is the Founder of the Somalia Health Club which is a space to help the global Somali community meet with Somali health professionals and ask questions regarding medical topics, especially in relation to Covid-19 and vaccines (Instagram).