At the IACC plenary sessions will involve the audience in a critical and proactive discussion about today’s Global Challenges. World leaders and experts will join the plenary panel to discuss and propose solutions to ensure a sustainable future for all.

Some inspirational speakers include:

Patrick Alley

Patrick Alley is a Co-founder and Director of Global Witness, which focuses on preventing conflict and corruption arising from the use of natural resources. Mr. Alley focuses on tackling the trade in Conflict Resources (natural resource trade that can cause, perpetuate and fund conflict).

In particular Mr. Alley works on the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire, and also leads Global Witness’ campaign against industrial logging. He has taken part in over fifty field investigations in South East Asia, Africa and Europe.

Paul Collier

Paul Collier is a world famous expert on economics and development whose 2007 best selling book The Bottom Billion is regarded as one of the most engaging, provocative and persuasive books on political and economical issues in developing countries. Professor Collier asks in this book why poor countries are still failing to develop despite the international support and financial aid that they receive.

He is a professor of Economics and the Director for the Centre for the Study of African Economics at the University of Oxford and is a Fellow at St. Antony’s College. As mentioned on Professor Collier’s website, his work focuses on “causes and consequences of civil war; the effects of aid; and the problems of democracy in low-income and natural-resource-rich societies.” His most recent book, Wars, Guns & Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places, highlights poverty and violence in the world’s poorest and smallest economies. His work has been lauded by the New York Times, the Guardian, the Economist, and countless other individuals and publications. His new book, The Plundered Planet: Why We Must and How We Can Manage Nature for Global Prosperity is due to be released in April or May of this year.

John Githongo

John Githongo is a key figure in the global fight against corruption, known best for his leadership and courage in uncovering corruption in Kenya and more specifically his role in exposing the corruption and collusion of three high level ministers and the Kenyan Vice President in the Anglo Leasing Scandal.

After years of leadership and distinction in the fields of journalism and civil society, Githongo took on the role of Permanent Secretary for Ethics and Governance, in the Office of the President, leading the fight against corruption in Kenya for roughly 18 months. His success was much to the dismay of many in the national government, from bottom to top. As it was hinted that he should not do his job too well, his success in exposing corruption in Kenya led to his need to flee the country in 2005 to the UK. It was from there that he completed his revealing and compelling dossier on the Anglo Leasing scandal.

Mr. Githongo has since taken on a number of roles – he is a Senior Common Room Member at St Antony’s College Oxford, a Senior Advisor Global Advocacy for World Vision International, and a Board Member of the Kenya Human Rights Commission, among countless other distinctions. Those interested in reading more on the extraordinary and inspiring career and life of John Githongo are encouraged to read Michela Wrong’s renowned book, Its Our Time to Eat: The Story of Kenyan Whistleblower.

Karin Lissakers

Karin Lissakers is Director of the Revenue Watch Institute. She has held senior posts in the U.S. government, academia and several think tanks. Lissakers was United States Executive Director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund from 1993 to 2001, representing the Fund’s largest shareholder during a period of turmoil in international markets and a U.S.-led campaign to redesign the international financial architecture and reform the IMF, including opening its policies and practices to public scrutiny.

Lissakers served as deputy director of the Policy Planning Staff of the U.S. Department of State and was staff director of the foreign economic policy subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the first woman to hold such a post.

She taught at Columbia University for many years, lecturing on international financial markets, regulation and public policy and heading the international business and banking studies program at the graduate School of International and Public Affairs. Her research and writing have focused on the interplay of international business and U.S. foreign policy. She has been a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a researcher for Nobel economist Gunnar Myrdal.

Lissakers is a frequent public speaker and participant in public policy, business and academic conferences. She is the author of Banks, Borrowers and the Establishment (Basic Books 1991) about the 1980’s international debt crisis. Her articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, the Journal of International Affairs, The New York Times, the Washington Post and other publications. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is married with two children.

Kunio MIKURIYA

Before taking up his position as Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) on 1 January 2009, Kunio Mikuriya spent seven years as the Organization’s Deputy Secretary General. In this position he led efforts to coordinate the work of the WCO Secretariat with other international organizations such as the WTO to support the Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations, and the World Bank and other development banks to coordinate Customs reform projects, and with the private sector to develop Customs-Business Partnerships in support of transparency in trade. His current priority is securing and facilitating global trade through setting standards, sharing best practices, and providing assistance for capacity building in Customs. He has actively been championing the fight against corruption in Customs to showcase good governance in the public sector.

Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan’s Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the Ministry, Kunio Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience and knowledge in customs, trade, development, budget, and financial policies. He served as Director of Enforcement where he led efforts to fight illicit trade, then as Director of Research and International Affairs, paving the way for the conclusion of the first regional trade agreement for Japan, and then as a Counsellor in the Tariff and Customs Bureau. He also served as Director of Salaries and Allowances to coordinate remuneration levels for the entire government workforce, and as the Budget Controller for Foreign Affairs, Official Aid, International Trade and Industry, in the Budget Bureau. In addition, he spent time as a Counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the WTO in Geneva and participated in the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations.

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