As a worldwide pandemic calls on many of us to maintain physical distance, it further exposes chasms of inequity for the most vulnerable across the globe. The moral imperative to shift power, privilege, and resources has never been more urgent. Watch our opening plenary to examine global divides and join forces on bridging them. Together with an incredible group of global leaders, we explored ways to close the distance between the world’s toughest challenges and the innovative solutions that aim to build a better future for all. We topped it all off with a stunning performance by Venezuelan artist, Liana Malva.
Liana Malva is a Venezuelan artist, multi-instrumentalist - singer songwriter and a nature activist. She was raised in one of the most ancient natural places on the world called La Gran Sabana, in a small community with no more than 300 people among them the indigenous people from the Pemón ethnic group and foreigners. This experience motivated her to create "GOTAS, a musical journey inspired in Venezuela", a project that wants to show the world through a series of musical videos, the natural beauties of her country and remind the Venezuelan people, the sense of belonging since some of this places are endangered being destroyed by human impact, like the place where Liana was raised where currently, many of the rivers are being contaminated and the jungles cut down as a consequence of illegal mining. For that reason, GOTAS promotes through art and environmental education the importance of protecting these rivers, cultural heritage and natural reserves for future generations.
From a very young age, liana showed her interest in music and singing, at the age of 9 her family decided to return to Caracas. this was a very difficult change but it was in the city where she found her passion and studied singing, music composition and discovered the power in music to transform, delivering a message and have a positive influence on society.
Liana has been influenced by many genres through her life and this has given her the power of versatility, finding in each genre different sounds and skills to develop and create her own expression.
She has collaborated with some of the most important artists and bands of Venezuela like CANSERBERO, Mcklopedia, Gerry Weil, Anakena, El Otro Polo and has been invited to sing with Los Amigos Invisibles and Desorden Público two of the most important bands of Venezuelan history.
On this 2021, Liana will be releasing new music including her first official album, singles and continue working in the evolution of GOTAS.
Twice named to Time’s “100 Most Influential People” list and recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal, José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, New York Times best-selling author, educator, humanitarian, and chef and owner of ThinkFoodGroup, a collective of nearly thirty restaurants throughout the country and beyond. In 2010, Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a non-profit specializing in delivering food relief in the wake of natural and humanitarian disasters. Notably, his team served 3.7 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria . In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WCK has partnered with restaurants, farmers, and federal and state governments around the country and beyond to combat food insecurity and enact smart food policy. A naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has been a tireless advocate for immigration reform.
Rachel Martin is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.
Before taking on this role in December 2016, Martin was the host of Weekend Edition Sunday for four years. Martin also served as National Security Correspondent for NPR, where she covered both defense and intelligence issues. She traveled regularly to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Secretary of Defense, reporting on the U.S. wars and the effectiveness of the Pentagon's counterinsurgency strategy. Martin also reported extensively on the changing demographic of the U.S. military – from the debate over whether to allow women to fight in combat units – to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Her reporting on how the military is changing also took her to a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico for a rare look at how the military trains drone pilots.
Martin was part of the team that launched NPR's experimental morning news show, The Bryant Park Project, based in New York — a two-hour daily multimedia program that she co-hosted with Alison Stewart and Mike Pesca.
In 2006-2007, Martin served as NPR's religion correspondent. Her piece on Islam in America was awarded "Best Radio Feature" by the Religion News Writers Association in 2007. As one of NPR's reporters assigned to cover the Virginia Tech massacre that same year, she was on the school's campus within hours of the shooting and on the ground in Blacksburg, Va., covering the investigation and emotional aftermath in the following days.
Based in Berlin, Germany, Martin worked as a NPR foreign correspondent from 2005-2006. During her time in Europe, she covered the London terrorist attacks, the federal elections in Germany, the 2006 World Cup and issues surrounding immigration and shifting cultural identities in Europe.
Her foreign reporting experience extends beyond Europe. Martin has also worked extensively in Afghanistan. She began reporting from there as a freelancer during the summer of 2003, covering the reconstruction effort in the wake of the U.S. invasion. In fall 2004, Martin returned for several months to cover Afghanistan's first democratic presidential election. She has reported widely on women's issues in Afghanistan, the fledgling political and governance system and the U.S.-NATO fight against the insurgency. She has also reported from Iraq, where she covered U.S. military operations and the strategic alliance between Sunni sheiks and the U.S. military in Anbar province.
Martin started her career at public radio station KQED in San Francisco, as a producer and reporter. ..
She holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University.
Photo: Stephen Voss/NPR
Former President of Liberia and Africa’s first elected female head of state; Nobel Peace Laureate; a leading promoter of peace, justice and democratic rule; a voice for freedom; and advocate for health for all.
• President of Liberia, 2006-2018
• Nobel Peace Laureate, 2011
• Joined the Elders, 2019
• Member of the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee, 2020 –
• Co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, 2020 –
“The world can only defeat a global pandemic with a global solution.”
– President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Stacey Abrams is the New York Times bestselling author of Our Time Is Now and Lead from the Outside, a voting rights activist and a political leader. She served as Democratic Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives for 7 years prior to running for Governor of Georgia, winning at the time more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. She launched Fair Fight Action after the 2018 gubernatorial election to ensure every American has a voice in our election system, Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South. Abrams received degrees from Spelman College, the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and Yale Law School. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she and her five siblings grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi and were raised in Georgia. Her novel While Justice Sleeps will be released in May 2021.
Don Gips is the Chief Executive Officer of the Skoll Foundation, a global philanthropy with a mission to build a sustainable world of peace and prosperity for all. With a career spanning public service, politics, business, nonprofits and technology, Gips leads the Foundation’s work investing in, connecting, and championing social innovators around the world.
In 2008, Gips helped lead President Barack Obama’s transition team and then served in the White House as his Director of Presidential Personnel at the beginning of the Administration. From there he went on to serve as U.S. Ambassador to South Africa from 2009 to 2013. There he was recognized for his efforts to promote improved relations with South Africa when the U.S. State Department chose him as the recipient of the 2010 Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service.
During the Clinton Administration, he served as Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to Vice President Al Gore and Chief of the International Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission. At the FCC, he helped design the first spectrum auctions for licenses to utilize the continuum of frequencies used to provide wireless services ranging from radio broadcasting to mobile communications and satellite services.
In 1993, he helped create the framework for what would become the U.S. national service program, AmeriCorps, that continues to enroll more than 200,000 Americans each year in public service.
Gips has also held various roles in the private sector. He was head of Corporate Development at Level 3 Communications; led the Africa practice at Albright Stonebridge Group; and served as a venture partner at Columbia Capital and a Senior Advisor at Blackstone. He began his private sector career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company.
He currently sits on the board of CassTech, Africa’s leading provider of information and telecommunications services, and is on the Board of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund US. He has also served on the boards of Zayo, Mindspeed, Liquid, Omnispace, and Nextnav.
Don received an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He is married to Elizabeth (Liz) Berry Gips. Don and Liz have three grown sons: Sam, Peter, and Ben.
Former President of Mexico who led profound democratic and social reforms; a renowned economist; and an advocate of multilateralism, inclusive globalisation, nuclear nonproliferation, drug policy reform and universal healthcare.
• President of Mexico, 1994-2000
• Recipient of the Franklin D Roosevelt Freedom from Fear Award, 2002
• Member of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, 2005-2008
• Chairman of the Global Development Network, 2005-2011
• Commissioner on the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, 2009
• Director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, 2009 –
• Joined The Elders, 2013
• Member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, 2020 –
"Inclusive globalisation is needed not only by the weak but also by the strong; not only to defeat economic polarisation but also to alleviate old and new resentments that threaten the security of our world." – President Ernesto Zedillo
President, Samueli Family Philanthropies and COO, H&S Ventures, Samueli Foundation
Lindsey Spindle serves as President of the Samueli Family Philanthropies and Chief Operating Officer of H&S Ventures which oversees all the Samueli Family’s for-profit and not-for-profit activities. The philanthropic entities operating under the oversight of H&S Ventures include the Samueli Foundation, the Anaheim Ducks Foundation, the San Diego Gulls Foundation, the Irvine Ice Foundation, and The Rinks Foundation.
Spindle was President of The Jeff Skoll Group, where she connected and advised Mr. Skoll’s entrepreneurial portfolio of philanthropic and commercial organizations that include the impact entertainment company Participant, Capricorn Investment Group, and the Skoll Foundation. The Skoll Foundation’s mission is centered on social entrepreneurship and innovation, with a focus on five main, interrelated areas: climate change, inclusive economies, protection of democracy, pandemics prevention and health systems strengthening, and racial justice. Participant has produced more than
Femi Oke is an award winning international journalist, broadcaster, professional moderator and co-founder of the diverse moderators bureau "Moderate The Panel." Based in Washington, D.C., she hosts the interactive current affairs show “The Stream” for Al Jazeera English; is a correspondent for the Al Jazeera documentary series "Fault Lines"; and the social media contributor for NPR's midday news program "Here and Now."
Femi’s reporting has been recognised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Communications Agency and InterAction. Since the 1980s, she has worked for BBC television and radio, Sky TV, all the U.K. terrestrial television networks, CNN and U.S. public radio. As a professional moderator Femi has presided over world class events including European Development Days, NBA Africa Celebratory Luncheon for the U.S. National Basketball Association, and the historic Barbershop Conference at the United Nations Headquarters.
