Guiding Principles | Executive Officers | Systems and Organisation Team |
Programme Team | Publication Team | Fellows | Administration and General Coordination

ICTSD Guiding Principles

In implementing and advancing ICTSD's Mission, the work and approach of ICTSD’s staff is guided and motivated by the following principles:

• Reflecting transparency in our operations and accountability to our colleagues and stakeholders;
• Applying fairness in our interactions within and without the institution;
• Serving the public interest by putting the public good before private interests;
• Pursuing, to the extent possible, an holistic and balanced approach to all perspectives that feed into our work;
• Maintaining our independence from the wide diversity of views and agendas held by the communities we serve;
• Upholding integrity and intellectual honesty in our work ethic;
• Promoting a sense of stewardship that includes equity, solidarity, and responsibility;
• Celebrating diversity in our work environment built on interdisciplinarity and multiculturalism;
• Fostering dynamism by emphasising, inter alia, responsiveness, innovation, creativity and foresight; and
• Striving for excellence in the production and results of our work.

Ricardo MELÉNDEZ-ORTIZ is the co-founder and Chief Executive of ICTSD. Before joining ICTSD in 1996, Mr. Meléndez-Ortiz was general director and co-founder of Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano in Quito, Ecuador and served as counsellor and first secretary of the Colombian Mission to the International Organisations in Geneva. During his time as a government official, Mr. Meléndez-Ortiz was directly involved in a range of multilateral and bilateral negotiations and policymaking processes. He was a negotiator and delegate for Colombia in the Uruguay Round, the UNCED process, UNCTAD VIII, the Climate Change Convention, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Montreal Protocol and bilateral trade and investment-related negotiation processes.

Mr. Meléndez-Ortiz also acted as spokesperson for the G77 in several fora and served as chair of the UN Standing Committees on Commodities and on Trade Preferences. In addition, he has also served as Principal Advisor to the Colombian Minister of Economic Development and as Chief of Administration of the Office of the President of Colombia. Mr. Meléndez-Ortiz has edited and published a wide range of books, articles and opinion pieces in English, French and Spanish on trade and sustainable development and sits on advisory committees and boards of several international non-profit initiatives.

He is the Chair of the Global Action Network's Council, a Member of the Board of Intellectual Property Watch, and Chairman of the Group on Environment Trade and Investment of the World Conservation Union and Vice President of its Commission on Economic, Environment and Social Policy. He has also been a member of the U.N. Secretary General Millennium Project Task Force on Trade; the WTO's Director General NGO Advisory Group; and, the Steering Committee of DfID's Global Trade and Finance Architecture Initiative; as well as Advisor to the EU-China Sustainable Trade Project; the Global Governance Network of Globus et Locus (Milano); and the MOFCOM/IISD China Sustainable Development and Global Markets Task Force. Mr. Meléndez-Ortiz holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from Harvard University and the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. He is of joint Colombian and Belgium nationality.

Deborah VORHIES is ICTSD's Managing Director. She holds an MBA and prior degrees in law and finance. Prior to joining ICTSD, Mrs. Vorhies spent six years with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) (World Bank Group), developing and managing its Biodiversity portfolio. She also worked as Coordinator of the Trade and Environment Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme and was the Development Director of MANGO - Management Accountancy for Non Governmental Organization. Mrs. Vorhies is a citizen of South Africa.

Christophe BELLMANN is the Programmes Director at ICTSD. Mr. Bellmann joined ICTSD in 1998, first as Programme Officer for Outreach and Partnership, then as Director of Policy Dialogues and finally, since 2002, as Programmes Director. In his current position, he is responsible for fundraising, management and overall supervision of ICTSD's research, dialogue and capacity building programmes in Geneva and in the regions. Before joining ICTSD, Mr. Bellmann worked for the Swiss Coalition of Development Organisations (SCDO) where he was responsible for activities on multilateral trade and sustainable development issues.

During that time he produced several papers and articles related among others to public participation in the WTO, possible multilateral disciplines on foreign direct investment (FDI), trade preferences for developing countries, agriculture trade reform and trade-related technical assistance. Mr. Bellmann has also worked as a Research Associate at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile, on the relationship between trade and the environment. Mr. Bellmann has edited and published a wide range of books, articles and opinion pieces in English, French and Spanish on trade and sustainable development. He holds an MA in International Relations from the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva. Mr. Bellmann is a citizen of Switzerland.

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Senior Fellows and Resident Scholar

Werner CORRALES-LEAL is currently a Senior Fellow with the ICTSD. Ambassador Corrales has extensive experience in the multilateral policymaking arena, in national government, the non-profit sector and academia. He was previously an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for New Technologies of the University of the United Nations INTECH in Maastricht and a Senior Advisor to the UNCTAD-UNDP Global Programme in Geneva.

Before taking up these positions, Ambassador Corrales had a long and distinguished career in the Venezuelan government, where he served as Minister for Development, Minister of State for Economic Planning and Coordination and also as Minister for Trade. He also served as Ambassador to the UN and the WTO in Geneva for over five years, and was his country's plenipotentiary to the FTAA and the Council of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN). Mr. Corrales is the conceiver of the notion of 'policy space' in international trade agreements, which he introduced in WTO on behalf of Venezuela during the preparation of the Seattle Conference in 1999. He has been a lecturer at the Centre for Development Studies (CENDES) of the Central University in Caracas, and a guest lecturer and invited speaker in various other graduate programmes related to trade and development, such as the PhD programme of the UN University in Maastricht and Masters programmes of the University of the West Indies in the Caribbean. He is a citizen of Venezuela.

Dr. Carolyn DEERE is the Resident Scholar at ICTSD and a Senior Researcher at the Global Economic Governance (GEG) Programme at the University of Oxford where she directs its project on Global Trade Governance. She is also a Senior Research Associate at Oxford's Centre for International Studies. Dr. Deere is the founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of Intellectual Property Watch - the leading news service on international intellectual property policymaking - and a member of the Advisory Board of 3D - Trade - Human Rights - Equitable Economy.

Dr. Deere was previously the Assistant Director of the Global Inclusion theme at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York where she was responsible for grantmaking on intellectual property, trade and sustainable development. In partnership with colleagues across the Foundation, she designed and coordinated the Foundation's initiative to Promote a Fairer Course for Intellectual Property Policy and launched the Bellagio Series on Development and Intellectual Property Policy. During this time, Dr. Deere also co-founded the Funders Network on Trade and Globalization (FNTG) and served on its Steering Committee. Prior to moving to the Rockefeller Foundation, she worked in Washington, D.C. for the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and was the Manager of the Congressional Staff Forum on International Development at the Overseas Development Council (ODC).

She has been a consultant to a range of non-governmental and international organisations, including UNDP's Office of the Human Development Report, the National Wildlife Federation, the Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy, the Open Society Institute and the South Centre. Dr. Deere is the co-editor (with Dan Esty) of Greening the Americas: NAFTA's Lessons for Hemispheric Trade (MIT Press, 2001), author of The Implementation Game: Developing Countries and the Politics of TRIPS (1995-2006) (forthcoming, 2007) and has published a wide range of articles and reports on issues related to sustainable development and trade, particularly in the area of fisheries, intellectual property and eco-labelling. She holds a DPhil in International Relations (University College, Oxford), an MA in International Relations (Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies) and a bachelors degree in political economy from the University of Sydney. She is of joint Australian and British nationality.

Robin L. ROSENBERG, a Senior Associate, Advisor for Americas programs at ICTSD. Ph.D. in International Affairs, University of Miami; M.A Inter-American Studies; University of Miami; B.A. Comparative Literature, SUNY at Binghamton. Deputy Director, North-South Center, University of Miami (1991-2003); Co-Director, Leadership Council for Inter-American Summitry; Former Member, Advisory Board of FTAA, Inc; Former member of U.S. National Advisory Committee (NAC) for CEC (NAFTA); Has been NGO member of U.S. Delegation for two Summits of the Americas; Assistant Professor, Political Science, University of Maryland; Assistant Professor, International Relations, Troy University.

Has authored and edited numerous articles and books on Inter-American relations, and on trade and sustainable development, including Difficult Liaison: Trade and Environment in the Americas (TransactionBooks/OA). Mr Rosenberg is of American citizenship.

Gregory SHAFFER, Senior Fellow for Dispute Settlement & Legal Issues, teaches international trade law, international law, European Union law, international business transactions, and public corporations at the Law School, University of Wisconsin. He is Director of the University's European Union Center and Co-Director of the University's Center on World Affairs and the Global Economy, where he is also a Senior Fellow.

He received his BA from Dartmouth College and his JD from Stanford Law School. Prior to joining the University of Wisconsin’s faculty in 1996, Professor Shaffer practiced law in Paris for over seven years for Coudert Freres and Bredin Prat. Professor Shaffer has written many publications, articles and book chapters on international trade law, global governance, and globalization's impact on domestic regulation. He is an American citizen.

Dr. Graham DUTFIELD, Senior Research Fellow on IPRs, is Professor of International Governance and Co-Director, Centre for International Governance at the School of Law, University of Leeds. He was formerly Herchel Smith Senior Research Fellow in Intellectual Property Law at Queen Mary, University of London, and Academic Director of the UNCTAD-ICTSD Capacity-building Project on Intellectual Property Rights and Development, based in Geneva. He is a Senior Member of the Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre at St Peter's College, University of Oxford.Mr Dutfield is a British national.

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Programmes Team

David VIVAS-EUGUI is the Deputy Programmes Manager at ICTSD and also Programme Manager of Intellectual Property at ICTSD. He has also led the strategic design and implementation of UNCTAD/ICTSD Project on IPRs and Development. Before joining ICTSD, Mr. Vivas was Senior Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL); Attaché for Legal Affairs at the Mission of Venezuela to the WTO; Staff Attorney at the Venezuelan Institute of Foreign Trade and consultant for the WTO, WHO, UNCTAD, European Patent Office, South Centre, AITIC, QUNO, Rockefeller Foundation, Saana Consulting, Ministry of Science and Technology of Venezuela and Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. His work has focused on intellectual property, transfer of technology-related issues, trade in services and international economic and environmental negotiations.

Mr. Vivas has edited and written a number of books and articles including: "Negotiating Health: Intellectual Property and Access to medicines", 2006; "Regional and bilateral Agreements and a TRIPS-plus world: the case of the FTAA, 2004"; and the "Explanatory handbook on the protection of traditional knowledge of indigenous and local communities in the Andean Region", UNCTAD, 2002. Mr Vivas has also participated as an Arbitrator in the WTO EU-US dispute on copyright section 110(5) of the US copyright act. He has an academic background in both law and management; he holds a J.D. from the Universidad de Catolica "Andres Bello", Venezuela, an L.L.M. Georgetown University in the United States and an M.B.A. from the Universidad Externado, Colombia. Mr. Vivas is a Venezuelan citizen.

Dr. Constantine BARTEL is the Assistant Programmes Director at ICTSD. Before joining ICTSD, he has worked on development, trade and environmental issues including biodiversity, environmental accounting, environmental indicators, technology, investment and SMEs at several international organisations.

Mr. Bartel has previously worked on trade negotiations and WTO issues at UNCTAD, in the Economics Unit at UNEP, and at the World Bank where was responsible for projects on environmental accounting and eco-efficiency indicators and reporting. He has also served as a consultant for the Government of Costa Rica, USAID, IFC and IUCN. In addition, Mr. Bartel has been a teaching assistant at the Agriculture College in Deventer the Netherlands and a Research Assistant at the University of Nijmegen. Dr. Bartel is also Co-founder of the African Technology Development Forum. He holds a degree in Agricultural Economics and a Doctorate in Applied and Development Economics from the University of Nijmegen. He is of Dutch nationality.

David Zafar AHMED, is the Programmes Coordination Officer at ICTSD. He earned a BSc Economics from the University College London. Previously worked as Events Organiser & Project Administrator for the Geneva Forum, as Programme Assistant on Global Economic Issues for Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), Geneva, and as Senior Administrator for Public Health at the North Central London Strategic Health Authority.He is a British citizen.

Development Issues

Gloria CARRION, Programme Officer - Trade-supported Strategies for Development. Earned a MSc in Environment and Development at the London School of Economics, a BA in International Development Studies and Biology (Double-major) at the Trent University in Canada. Previously, Worked as Analyst and negotiator for the Permanent Mission of Nicaragua to the WTO, as researcher for the United nations Research Institute for Social Development - the University of Geneva, and, as Analyst and Technical Assistant at the International Trade Office of Commerce and Industry. She is a citizen of Nicaragua.

African Trade Programme

El Hadji DIOUF is Programme Coordinator for ICTSD's African Trade Programme. Prior to joining ICTSD, he worked for the law firm Suter et Associés in Geneva and was an intern at the WTO's Legal Division. Mr. Diouf is a PhD candidate in law, and his thesis will focus on special and differential treatment applied to agriculture.

He obtained a Graduate degree in International Economic Law from the University of Geneva and a Maîtrise de Droit Public from the University of St Louis, Senegal. He also holds a Masters in Communication and Media Sciences from the University of Geneva. Mr. Diouf is a citizen of Senegal.

Agriculture & Natural Resources

Marie CHAMAY is Programme Officer on Trade and Natural Resources at ICTSD. Her responsibilities include developing a project on tropical and diversification products in the ICTSD's programme on Agriculture, which aims to redress current inequities in the treatment of products of export interest to developing countries. She is also responsible for ICTSD's project on trade and sustainable land management in the programme on Trade, Environment and Natural Resources. Ms. Chamay first joined ICTSD as Intellectual Property Programme Associate in 2002.

She holds a BSc in Geography (Minor in Environmental Sciences) from the University of Geneva and an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics (LSE). Ms. Chamay is lead author of ICTSD's report Promoting Sustainable Land Management through Trade: Examining the Linkages between Trade, Livelihoods and Sustainable Land Management in Degraded Areas, for the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD. She is of joint Swiss and French nationality.

Jonathan HEPBURN is Programme Officer for Agriculture at ICTSD. Before joining ICTSD in 2006, he was Oxfam International's representative to the World Bank and IMF in Washington D.C., and from 2004 also led Oxfam's global campaign on aid, debt and the Millennium Development Goals.

Previously, he worked for three years on trade, development and human rights issues with the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva, supporting developing country delegates in negotiations at the WTO on access to medicines, seeds and technology, and promoting dialogue on intellectual property and development.

He has also worked for the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, conducting research and policy analysis on international peace and security issues; for Migrants Rights International, on the human rights of migrants and their families; and for the International Labour Organisation (ILO), on voluntary initiatives, government regulation and international labour standards. He has written on a range of trade and sustainable development issues, including development financing, intellectual property rules, and food, agriculture and biodiversity. Mr. Hepburn holds an M.A. in Geography and Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh in the UK. He is of British nationality.

Ammad BAHALIM, Junior Programme Officer - Agriculture. Earned a Master on Public Administration at Cornell University and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics of International Development from Brandeis University. Interned at the Mission of Pakistan to the World Trade Organizaiton and that I worked for the Free Software Foundation. He is an American citizen.

Aid for Trade & Regionalism

Miguel RODRÍGUEZ MENDOZA is a Senior Fellow at ICTSD, where he focuses on aid for trade issues, regionalism and trade policy. From 1999 to 2002, he served as Deputy Director-General of the WTO. Between late 2002 and the end of 2004, Mr. Rodríguez Mendoza led the Geneva office of Van Bael & Bellis, a Brussels-based international law firm that specializes in EU and international trade law. Between 1991 and 1994, he was Venezuela's Minister of State and President of the Institute of Foreign Trade, Venezuela's governmental body responsible for the country's trade policies. Mr. Rodríguez Mendoza is a citizen of Venezuela.

Patricia KABULEETA, Programme Officer on EPA and Regionalism. Earned a LL.B at Makerere University in Kampala and a LL.M in International Legal Studies at Georgetown University Law Centre in Washington D.C.Previously, worked as Programme Officer for International Trade Section at the Economic Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat - London, as Policy Analyst for the Department of Trade at the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry - Kampala, as a consultant for Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment in Uganda.

Also, interned at the WTO's Legal Affairs Division, at the Office of William J Clinton in N.Y.C., at FINCA INTERNATIONAL in Washington D.C. and at the International Law Institute in Kampala. She is of Ugandan nationality.

China & Sustainable Development

Dr. Shuaihua CHENG is Programme Officer for Strategic Analysis and China at ICTSD where he is responsible for strategic advice to the Chief Executive and for the organisation's newly established China Programme. Before joining ICTSD in 2006, Dr. Cheng was a Counsellor for trade and development at the Shanghai Development Research Centre and Board Secretary of Shanghai WTO Affairs Consultation Center. He was also an attorney at the Shanghai-based Jingda Law Office on international trade and investment.

Mr. Cheng is a member of the OECD Advisory Committee of China Investment, Associate Research Fellow of IMD-based Evian Group, Salzburg Seminar Fellow, Senior Fellow of Pudong Academy of Development, Faculty of London-based Sustainability, Guest Lecturer of the China European International Business School, and 21st Century Young Leader of Asian Society.

Dr. Cheng has written widely on issues related to trade, sustainable development and China's role in the global trading system for both policy and academic audiences. Most recently, he was the co-author (with Johannes Bernabe) of "The Doha Round Negotiations on Rules: An Overview" (Salzburg Seminar 2007), "Trade and Biofuels" (with Dr. Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Evian Group, 2007), and author of "China's Challenges in Energy, Trade and Environment" (ICTSD 2006). His commentary has been published in leading international newspapers, including "Scapegoat for failed policy" (Financial Times 2005) and "Impacts of U.S. Congress on China's Accession to the WTO" (The Fudan Press, 2003). Mr. Cheng was educated at the Fudan University and the University of Oxford. He is a citizen of China.

Zhenqian HUANG, Research Assistant - China. Candidate Msc in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), earned a BA. in Philosophy1st class with a Minor: Economics from Fudan University. Previously, was Research assistant in Centre for American Studies and Associate Professor Wang Yiwei, School of International Studies at Fudan University. She is a citizen of China.

Environment & Natural Resources

Dr. Moustapha KAMAL GUEYE is Senior Programme Manager in the Trade, Environment and Natural Resources Programme of ICTSD. Prior to joining ICTSD, he worked and researched for twelve years across Asia and managed policy research projects on energy, environment and sustainable development in China and India at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Japan.

Previously, he worked for the Division on Investment, Technology and Enterprise Development of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on fisheries policy and legislation in Africa. He was consultant to the Fair Trade Commission of Japan and advised the Toyota Motor Corporation World Convention on corporate environment and social initiatives in Africa. He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Tokyo.

Dr. Kamal holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in International Cooperation Studies from the Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan; a Diplôme D'Etudes Approfondies (DEA) in Public International Law and LL.M. in International Economic Law from the University of Dakar, Senegal. He is author of numerous reports and articles on trade and sustainable development. Most recently, he was the co-editor of Linking Trade, Climate Change and Energy: Selected Issue Briefs (ICTSD 2006). Dr. Kamal is a citizen of Senegal.

Maria Julia OLIVA, Senior Programme Officer Trade, Environment and Natural Resources. A candidate for a PhD in Law from the University of Geneva, earned a L.L.M. in Environmental Law, Cum Laude, at North-western School of Law of Lewis & Clark College Portland, Oregon, USA, and a Law Degree from the Law School at University of Mendoza. Worked as a researcher at Faculty of Law - University of Geneva, as legal consultant for the BioTrade Facilitation Programme at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as Staff Attorney and later as Director for the Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development Project at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).

A member of the Board of Directors of Intellectual Property Watch, the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law and the Mendoza Provincial Bar Association. She is of Argentinian nationality.

Mahesh SUGATHAN is presently working as 'Programme Coordinator' - Economics and Trade Policy Analysis. At ICTSD, he has worked on a broad range of issues, including trade and environment, agriculture and special and differential treatment and is presently engaged in projects on environmental goods and services and trade and energy.Mr. Sugathan joined ICTSD in 2002 after interning at the ICTSD, UNCTAD and WTO. Mr. Sugathan has a Masters degree in International Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute in Bern.

Mr. Sugathan completed undergraduate and graduate studies in Economics and International Relations at the University of Kerala and the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. He also holds an M.Phil in European Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University where he researched implications of EU environmental standards on Indian exports. Mr. Sugathan is a citizen of India.

Malena SELL is the editor of BRIDGES Trade BioRes and a member of the Trade, Environment and Natural Resources team. Since joining ICTSD in 2002, she has worked on projects in the areas of agriculture and environment, including developing ICTSD's programme on trade, energy and climate change. She also served as editor of BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest for two years.

Prior to joining ICTSD, Ms. Sell worked as team leader and writer at the International Institute for Sustainable Development's Earth Negotiations Bulletin, specialising in climate change and sustainable energy.She also worked as an environmental consultant at Jaakko Pöyry Group in Helsinki, as a lecturer in international environmental policy at the University of Helsinki, and at the Environment Department at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Ms. Sell has written articles for Bridges publications, discussion papers and book chapters on topics including energy, climate change, biofuels, agricultural policy and Russia's WTO accession. Ms. Sell holds an MA in Environmental Studies and a BA in International Relations (international commerce), both from Brown University. She is a Finnish citizen.

Alicia HANDY, Intern. A J.D candidate at the University of Michigan Law School, and earned M.P.P. in Environmental Policy at the American University, and a B.S. in Atmospheric Science from State University of New York at Stony Brook. Worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Environmental Careers Organization. She is of American nationality.

Intellectual Property & Technology

Pedro ROFFE is Senior Fellow at ICTSD where he oversees the work of the Programme on Intellectual Property and Development. Mr. Roffe joined ICTSD with 30 years of experience with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) where his work focused on international aspects of transfer of technology, intellectual property and foreign direct investment.

He is the author of articles and books and responsible for a number of United Nations related publications. Most recently, his published contributions include: International Technology Transfer: The Origins and Aftermath of the United Nations Negotiations on a Draft Code of Conduct; Bilateral Agreements and a TRIPS-Plus World: the Chile-USA Free Trade Agreement; Resource Book on TRIPS and Development; Negotiating Health: Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines; America Latina y la Nueva Arquitectura Internacional de la Propiedad Intelectual.

Mr. Roffe graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Universidad de Chile and made postgraduate studies at New York University, Europa Institute (University of Amsterdam) and the Graduate Institute of International Studies (Geneva). He is of Chilean nationality.

Ahmed ABDEL LATIF, Programme Manager - Intellectual Property. Earned a LLM. Public International Law (Merit), University of London, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) with a Specialization in United Nations Law and Treaty Law; a B.A. in Political Science - International Relations (Cum Laude), American University in Cairo; and, Diploma in International Relations, Institute of Political Studies - Paris. As career diplomat, has worked at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations - Geneva; Department of United Nations Affairs; Department of International Development Cooperation; Institute for Diplomatic Studies; and, as Lecturer at Faculty of Law, Cairo University. He is a citizen of Egypt.

Gina VEA is Programme Officer on Intellectual Property and Technology. At ICTSD, Gina works on issues related to intellectual property and innovation, technology, competition, and public health. Her experience includes serving as Assistant Editor at ICTSD, Communications Manager at the Earth Council Geneva, and Acting Coordinator of Duke University's Global Health Fellows Program and Program on Global Policy and Governance. Before that she was a Legislative Director and Consultant at the California State Senate and Policy Analyst at Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in California.

Ms. Vea has authored and contributed to several articles and publications including: "Maintaining Policy Space for Development: a Case Study on IP Technical Assistance in FTAs", "Facilitating Trade in Drugs," "Meeting the Challenges of Migration," and other articles published in journals and ICTSD's BRIDGES periodicals. She holds an MA in Public Policy with a Certificate in Global Public Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in History with Honors at the University of California at Davis. Ms. Vea is a dual citizen of the US and the Philippines.

Fleur CLAESSENS is Programme Officer on the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) Programme on Intellectual Property Rights and Sustainable Development in Geneva, Switzerland. She is currently working on projects involving the European Economic Partnership Agreements negotiations with the African Carribean and Pacific group of countries, and a technical assistance needs assessment for the least developed countries. Ms. Claessen's particular fields of interest include the political debate surrounding intellectual property policies, the socio-economic consequences of intellectual property policy, international technology transfer, and biodiversity issues.

She previously worked for the International Institute of Infonomics (interdisciplinary research institute focusing on the role of communication and information technologies on society) on their 'Internet and International Affairs' and 'Global Equality - Rethinking ICT's in Africa, Asia and Latin America' projects; the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), where she worked on an EU commissioned project relating to the strengths and weaknesses of informal networks and the role of specialised agencies in decentralising EU governance; and as a junior researcher at the University of Maastricht where she developed and taught courses in intellectual property rights and the information society.

Ms. Claessens is a Phd candidate in intellectual property policy and development issues at the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands and holds a BA and LL.M in European law and languages (University of Maastricht), an LL.M in intellectual property rights (Queen Mary, University of London) and received a scholarship from the Germany Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to study one year in Germany (Programm fuer Internationale Juristen). She is a Dutch citizen.

Naomi FORTIS, intern, will be working supporting our IPRs programme under the supervision of Ahmed Abdel Latif. She is senior at Kent State University studying International Relations with minors in International Business and Political Science. Previously, she intern at the US Department of Commerce. She is of American citizenship.

Trade in Services

Sheila SABUNE, Programme Officer - Services Trade and Dispute Settlement. Earned a Masters in International Law & Economics from World Trade Institute, Bern, Switzerland, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practise (Bar Course) from the Law development Center, Kampala, Uganda, and a Bachelor of Laws Degree (Hons) from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Worked as Legal/Economic Officer on WTO issues for the Permanent Mission of Uganda in Geneva, as Programme Co-ordinator and Legal Officer for Audit Control and Expertise SA, as Permanent Staff Mediator for the Center for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in Uganda, and Assistant Program Officer for the International Law Institute (ILI). She is of Ugandan nationality.

Outreach & Communications

Martin J. W. WATSON, Outreach and Communications Senior Manager. Earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology & Theology at Nottingham University, a Master's Degree in Humanitarian Aid from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany, and a Master's Degree in European Studies from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Worked in different capacities for the Quaker United Nations Office, Geneva, Switzerland, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Vienna, Austria, the Methodist Relief & Development Fund, London, United Kingdom, and at the Directorate-General for External Economic Relations, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium. He is a British national.

Doreen KALIBALA, Research Assitant for Outreach and Communications. Earned a Degree in Public Relations and Media Study from the Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Australia. Previously, worked for CTV, Community Television in Perth, as a Public Relations Consultant. She is a citizen of Uganda.

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Publications Team

Bridges Monthly

Anja HALLE is ICTSD's Senior Editor and Editor for BRIDGES between Trade and Sustainable Development publications. Ms. Halle holds a Master's degree in English, French and Comparative Literature from the Univerity of Helsinki. Prior to joining ICTSD she was Chief Editor of the Brundtland Bulletin, a 120-page quarterly review of progress focused on implementation of the recommendations of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Ms. Halle is a citizen of Finland.

Bridges Weekly

Trineesh BISWAS is the editor for the Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest electronic publications. Prior to joining ICTSD, Mr. Biswas worked on trade and investment issues for the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). Mr. Biswas holds a MA in Political Science from the University of Toronto and a BA in Government from Cornell University. He is a citizen of Canada.

Caitlin ZAINO is the Assistant Editor at ICTSD. Ms. Zaino joined ICTSD in 2007, where she provides editorial support for the institution's periodicals, including Bridges Weekly, Bridges Monthly, and Trade Negotiations Insights. Under the Publications Director, she is also responsible for helping to coordinate and manage ICTSD issue paper series, books, and other related publications.

Before joining ICTSD, Ms. Zaino worked for Green Cross International where she served as an Editorial Associate on the organization's flagship magazine which focused on sustainable development issues. Ms. Zaino also worked for the World Health Organization at their headquarters in Geneva, where she performed research on ethics, health, and trade. She holds an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. Ms. Zaino is a citizen of the US, originally from New York.

Pontes & Puentes

Dr.Maximiliano CHAB is the Editor of PUENTES and PONTES publications. Dr. Chab joined ICTSD in 2005 as a Young Professional Officer, Americas Trade Programme. In his current position, he is responsible for the newsgathering, management and overall supervision of four Spanish and Portuguese publications, coordinating the work of partners in Latin America and helping them build their capacities. His work gives voice to an increasing number of stakeholders who otherwise would not be heard in the arena of trade and sustainable development.

Before joining ICTSD, Dr. Chab obtained a law Degree from the University of Buenos Aires and then worked as Attorney in Commercial Law in Argentina for three years before doing a PhD in Economic Law and taking up a fellowship at the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Geneva Office. Dr. Chab is a citizen of Argentina.

Adriana VERDIER works as an editor for PONTES publications on trade and sustainable development issues. She is also ICTSD's Chief Executive Research Assistant. Prior to joining ICTSD, Ms. Verdier worked for the Centre for Applied Studies in International Negotiations (CASIN) in Geneva and was a consultant at the OECD's Agriculture Division where she provided research for the OECD study on Agricultural Policies in Brazil. She also worked at the Institute for International Trade Negotiations (ICONE) in São Paulo, Brazil. Ms. Verdier holds a Master degree from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) and a Bachelor degree in International Relations from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Brazil. She is of joint Brazilian and French nationality.

Trade Negotiations Insight (TNI)

Victoria Rose HANSON is the TNI Editor at ICTSD. As a bilingual journalist, she previously worked in Brussels as an EU agriculture correspondent, with a special responsibility for the fisheries portfolio. She has also worked as a Freelance journalist for GEM (Geneva's English Speaking Magazine), and as Literary Coordinator for the Arcadian and Paradise Group. She earned a MA degree in French with European History at the University of Edinburgh. Ms. Hanson is of British nationality.

Publication Dissemination Officer

Tamara ASAMOAH is ICTSD's Publication Dissemination Officer. She earned a Master in International Relations at Webster University with emphasis in Refugees studies and holds a BA in International Relations from Webster University. She is of joint French and Ghanian nationality.

Interns

Jean BOYLE, will be working supporting our publications under the supervision of Trineesh Biswas, Malena Sell and Victoria Hanson. She is junior at Ohio State University studying International Relations and Diplomacy with minors in French and African Studies. She is recipient of a Buckeye Scholarship. She is an American national.

Rob COTTRELL, will be working supporting our publications under the supervision of Trineesh Biswas, Malena Sell and Victoria Hanson. He is junior at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a double major in Economics and Finance-International Emphasis. He studied development economics and sociology during the Summer 2006 in Goa and Bangalore, India, with a focus on the impact of globalization on development in India. He is a citizen of the US.

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Finance and Management Systems

Robert OMAN is the Finance and Management Systems Manager for ICTSD. Prior to joining ICTSD he consulted for six years for the International Finance Corporation/World Bank on environmental finance projects. In California he managed both private and cooperative agricultural enterprises for 15 years. Mr. Oman holds a BSc in Business Administration from California State University, Humboldt and was subsequently licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in California with PriceWaterhouse. He is of American nationality.

Jas BAGRI, Financial Analyst / Deputy Finance Manager. Chartered Accountant(ACA), earned an MBA 1994-95, Durham University Business School, United Kingdom, and BA (Hons) Human Geography 1982-85, Reading University, United Kingdom. Worked previously as Senior Financial Accountant for Merrill Lynch, as Head of Accounting and Administration for the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, as Senior Manager for Amas Trust Services Ltd, as Financial Analyst for Banque Amas SA, as Senior Accountant for Quantum, as Project Manager for the United Nations Office in Geneva, and as Management and Financial Auditor for the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC). He is English (mother tongue) and fluent in Hindi. He is a British national.

Kurt MAKELY is ICTSD's staff accountant. Before joining ICTSD, he worked for a major Swiss multinational corporation (Kermet electronics) in the finance/accounting/credit department and has a broad professional experience in accounting. He holds an MA in International Relations from Rutgers University and a BA in Business Administration and Political Science. He also holds an Associate degree in Accounting (GAAP) and earned an Accounting Certificate for Swiss accounting procedures. He holds Swiss and American nationality.

Valentina HARTI is the Project Accountant at ICTSD where she is responsible for promoting the long term financial viability of ICTSD by strengthening project management culture and facilitating positive relationships with ICTSD's donors. Before joining ICTSD, Ms. Harti worked for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) where she provided fund management assistance, negotiated and conducted capacity-building projects in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Previously she was a Co-ordination Officer and also an Advisor in the Ministry of Environment of Moldova with responsibility for promoting co-operation in environmental protection, strategic planning and reporting. Ms. Harti holds an M.N.S. from the State University of Moldova, a diploma in International Environmental Law from UNITAR and a Project Management Certificate from the University of Geneva. Valentina also has a D Certificate from the International Project Management Association. She is citizen of Moldova.

Alexandre GAGNAIRE, IT Assistant. Before joining ICTSD, he worked for the International Herald Tribune, EDS and Robotics UK. He is a citizen of France.

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Administration and General Coordination

Oscar FORNOZA is the General Coordinator and Human Resources Manager at ICTSD. Before joining ICTSD in 2003, Mr. Fornoza was a career diplomat, for more than 23 years, where he advanced into key leadership roles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of Foreign Trade of Venezuela.

He represented his country, inter alia, as Chargé d'affaires to the Kingdom of Denmark, Deputy Chief of Mission in Argentina, Deputy Permanent Representative to the Latin-American Integration Association (ALADI) and Deputy Chief of Mission in Uruguay, Chief of Division for Technical Cooperation with Central American and the Caribbean, Chief of Division for Economic Integration and as delegate to numerous meetings and conferences at UNO, ECOSOC, UNWRA, UNIDO, UNCTAD, FAO, IAEA, OPEC, ITC, ILO, WIPO, UTI, The Economic and Social Council of the Organization of American States, the Group of the 77, the United Nations Conference on Women, the United Nations Conference for the Adoption of a Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, the Latin-American Economic System (SELA), the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), the Iberoamerican Summits, and as team member for Venezuela's adhesion to the GATT and the Uruguay Round.

Mr. Fornoza completed graduate studies in Political Science - International Economic Affairs at Simon Bolivar University in Sartenejas, Venezuela, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, USA. At the Venezuelan Diplomatic Academy, he participated in specialization courses in Oil Diplomacy and Harvard's Negotiation Project. Mr. Fornoza is of joint Venezuelan and Irish nationality.

Cécile de GARDELLE is the Dialogue Coordinator of ICTSD, in charge of facilitating achievement of project and program goals through providing a conference management service. She joined ICTSD as Special Assistant to the Chief Executive. Prior to joining ICTSD she was the Executive Assistant to the Mexican Ambassador (Eduardo Perez-Motta) to the WTO, in Geneva from 2002 to 2004. She holds a Master in Languages and Business from the University of Lyon III and a Diploma of High Level School of Translation and International Relations from the Catholic University of Lyon. Ms. de Gardelle is a citizen of France.

Fernanda GUERRERO, Assistant to the Chief Executive. Previously, worked for Lloyds TSB Bank, The Fondation Philantropic Safra SA, la Société de Gestions de Placements Privés and the Office Cantonal de la Population. She is of Swiss nationality.

Natalia CUBILLA is a Human Resources Administrative Officer at ICTSD. Prior to joining ICTSD she worked as assistant-accountant at Northern Assurances Co., and at TOTAL Oil Company. Ms. Cubilla holds a Diplôme d'employée de commerce et de gestion. She is a citizen of Argentina.

Pierre-Alain STOFFEL, Human Resources Administrative Officer (temporary replacement). Has a Diplôme de Commerce, Tourisme et langues, a Diplôme en Gestion du personnel, and a Certificat en Techniques et Outtils de la Fonction Personnel. Worked as Collaborateur Ressources Humaines for Kritter S.A., as Généraliste Ressources Humaines for One Placement and as Assistant Resources Humaines for Speno International S.A. He is of Swiss nationality.

Elizabeth JAMES is Assistant to the Managing Director. Mrs. James has extensive experience in publishing and in conference development. Prior to joining ICTSD she worked as Conference Director for the Telecommunications Team at the Institute for International Research (IIR) in London and has also worked for McGraw Hill Publishing as Programme Editor. She holds a BA in English at the University of London. She is a citizen of Australia.

Programme Partners

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