Our Global Expert Circle (GEC)

About the Global Expert Circle

The Global Expert Circle of the Asia Global Forum is a global network of distinguished researchers, policy specialists, technical experts, practitioners, and subject-matter specialists. It supports the Forum’s mission by providing interdisciplinary expertise, strategic insight, peer review, and informed analysis that enhance its intellectual rigor, credibility, and engagement on regional and global issues.

Role of the Global Expert Circle

Expert Insights: Identifying and flagging emerging global and regional shifts before they become mainstream, providing high-impact perspectives to inform the Forum’s positioning.
Technical Advice: As appropriate, providing specialized guidance on niche sectors (e.g., global governance, human rights, empowerment of women, sustainable development, social justice, economic policy, public diplomacy) based on individual expertise.
Peer Review: Acting as a review body to vet the Forum’s reports or program content, ensuring technical accuracy and high intellectual standards.
Knowledge Exchange: Sharing "on-the-ground" intelligence that bridges global trends with regional Asian realities.

Ms. Manail Anis Ahmed

Manail Anis Ahmed is a lecturer at Columbia University and an impassioned educator, curriculum innovator and convener on AI and emerging technologies. She has led the establishment of organizations and institutions for learning, research and scholarship globally. She has also architected government regulation, knowledge management infrastructure, and human capital development strategy for an entirely new global city and economic zone. She is currently engaged in cross-disciplinary curricular innovation across AI and engineering, the social sciences and life sciences fields.

At Columbia University, she teaches a course titled ‘Getting AI Right for Techno-Social Change’. She is also adjunct faculty at Johns Hopkins University teaching and developing curricula across Biotech Entrepreneurship, Bioinformatics, Drug Discovery, and Tech Transfer & Commercialization. She has been a visiting lecturer teaching precepts in Technology, AI & Engineering Ethics at Princeton University, and has served as Responsible AI mentor to graduate students through the Princeton GradFutures Program.

Mr. Guy Antoine Avognon

Guy Avognon is a former staff member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with over 25 years of experience in strategic leadership positions both in complex conflict prone contexts and headquarters environments.

He holds a master’s degree in law (Benin), a Master of Public Administration (Lausanne, Switzerland), a Post-Graduate Degree in Development Studies (Geneva, Switzerland), a Certificate in Human Rights Studies (Strasbourg, France) and is a Certified mediator (London, UK). He has a long field experience in the management of complex humanitarian operations, policy formulation, and advocacy. In his functions at various levels in UNHCR including Head of Operations, Head of Office, Regional Emergency coordinator, Policy Advisor, he helped develop and implement emergency preparedness and durable solutions strategies for refugee operations across Africa. He served both at UNHCR headquarters and in regional and country offices in Burundi, DR Congo, Liberia, Kenya and Tanzania. He undertook missions for UNHCR to various parts of the world including Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines), Latin America (Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Cuba), North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia). These assignments and missions especially in Africa and Asia, involved extensive engagement with local state and non-state actors, international organizations, and multilateral partners, to drive forward impactful solutions for refugees and displaced persons. This helped sharpen his deep analytical knowledge of political dynamics in those respective environments.

In addition to his wide experience of work in conflict prone areas worldwide, he held elective positions as Chairperson of the UNHCR Staff Council and was subsequently elected Chair of the Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Association of the UN (CCISUA), representing more than
100,000 UN staff. In the latter capacity, he participated in high-level negotiations on Human Resources policy, conditions of service and staff welfare in the United Nations worldwide, representing CCISUA with institutions such as the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC),
with the UN High-Level Committee on Management (HLCM). Inter alia, he played an advocacy role with diplomatic missions of member states of the UN General Assembly in New York in the review of the compensation package of UN staff in general.

Today, Mr Avognon provides expertise to the Government of Benin on humanitarian emergencies and to the staff Federation CCISUA on conditions of service of staff as part of the reform of the United Nations.

Dr. Henia Dakkak

Dr. Dakkak is a senior humanitarian leader with a technical professional background in a wide range of healthcare interventions, including Emergency Obstetrics care, HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health programs including addressing Gender-based Violence, mental health, psychosocial support, maternal and child healthcare. Holding a leadership position as the Head of the Policy unit within the Humanitarian Office at the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), and later as Acting Chief of the Humanitarian Office, Dr. Dakkak was responsible for providing policy and technical guidance to UNFPA country offices navigating reproductive health challenges during crisis and post-crisis situations. She led and advised on the organizational
humanitarian strategy, advocacy strategies, resource mobilization efforts, built strategic partnerships, and managed a diverse team of staff members.

Dr. Dakkak has a deep understanding of the humanitarian system and architecture and has deployed to numerous emergencies, including scale-up situations in a Senior Emergency Coordinator role. She has demonstrated skills and experience in the facilitation of a wide range of humanitarian topics and was instrumental in the establishment of the UNFPA Surge Assessment Workshop, where she was a facilitator and assessor. She curated content,
facilitated workshops, and participated in scenario-based simulations, which later became industry best practices. Additionally, Dr. Dakkak has coached and mentored both existing and emerging humanitarian professionals.

Furthermore, Dr. Dakkak's expertise extends to medical activities in conflict-affected regions. She has engaged in developing and managing medical initiatives in the Balkans, specifically in pre-conflict and post-conflict Kosovo. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in establishing and
developing a multispecialty medical center in Jerusalem. To further contribute to the body of knowledge in emergency healthcare, Dr. Dakkak has dedicated her efforts to researching and authoring a paper on Reproductive Health programs in emergency situations. Her research aims to provide valuable insights and recommendations for healthcare providers and policy makers operating in crisis and post crisis settings. Throughout her career, Dr. Dakkak has fostered collaborations with numerous UN agencies, Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Humanitarian Assistance (IASC), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), IFRC, donor agencies, and military organizations, including OFDA, PRM, GAC, FCDO, ECHO, and NATO. These partnerships have been instrumental in implementing successful healthcare programs and ensuring the delivery of life-saving services to vulnerable
populations in crisis-affected regions

Ms. Georgina Galanis

Ms. Georgina Galanis is a cultural creative, peace educator, spiritual intuitive, sacred artivist.
As founder of THE COLORS OF LIFE Portal, she has guided individuals and non profit social agencies in synergetic discovery using Lifestyle Mapping Formulas and Creativity Consulting for inside out freedom, an expanding lens of mindfulness and compassionate awareness through which to free authenticity, unfold individuation through life cycle transitions and changemaking potentials. Her work has upheld philosophies of Gandhian ‘Ahimsa’ and non violence , a Buddhist precept that humans should "cause no injury" to other living beings includes one's deeds, words, and thoughts.

A dedicated creativity and consciousness researcher, lifestyling design consultant extending to various non profit boards since 1999 ~discovering the abstract path of service through empathic self transformation, to individuals, social causes and humanity.

As a founding member, ASP newsletter production, writer and VP for The Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy,NYC - A network integrating Science, Spirituality and Psychotherapeutic healing modalities highlighting wholistic practitioners, gathering community through conferences and educational events.

Ms. Galanis has acted as Creative Strategist for Organization for the Arts and Whole Brain Learning and VP of Humanitarian Outreach ATOP- Curriculum Enrichment Advisor for Meaningfulworld 2006.

Propelled by curiosity, the exploration and study of diverse spiritual history and a sacred activist calling, lead her to United Nations DGC, as accredited NGO Representative for The Good News Agency 2011-present. She was a 2010 recipient of Orphans International Humanitarian Award NYC. Reaching forward as a 2011 founding civil service advocate for United Nations Global Movement for the Culture of Peace,

https://www.facebook.com/groups/gmcop/ a UN HQ related community of world servers dedicated to awakening and educating towards the Culture of Peace, Programme of Action, and Resolution #1325, Women Peace and Security and as a representative organizer at annual UN High Level CoP Forums annually from 2012-2020. Co chair Advisory Council of Educators for CGC2030 and 2018 Board Member for Global Network for Sustainable Development. Advisory Consultant to Source of Synergy Foundation and 2020 - Voices of Women Canada (VOW) Culture of Peace Education Award, 2018 Board Member Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace, 2021 Poet - Amanuensis ATTOTA project 2022 conference Colombia Steering Committee. 2022 Director - I AM PEACE Film Forum, 2024 Dare to Dream Edu, International Convenor - Partnerships and Alliances. 2014-2026 The Kintsugi Konsortium - YouRGold - Make Art Not War initiative #cultureofpeaceNOW #letskintsugiworld! #youRgold

Contact : Geocolors2@gmail.com

Mr. Takashi Kamishiro

Takashi Kamishiro is an international affairs, peacebuilding, and humanitarian practitioner with nearly three decades of experience in diplomacy, development cooperation, humanitarian action, and United Nations peace operations across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and North America.

He has held leadership, advisory, and field-based and strategic roles with the United Nations, including assignments with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC), the United Nations Mission in Colombia (UNMC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD).

Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Kamishiro was a foreign affairs officer with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, with postings in Europe and Latin America. He also worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Myanmar and Afghanistan, supporting humanitarian protection and assistance in conflict-affected areas. His expertise includes peacebuilding, conflict prevention and dialogue,
humanitarian response, recovery and reintegration, governance, strategic planning, organizational performance, and international cooperation. Through
extensive work with governments, civil society, local communities, and international organizations, he offers practical insight into how global policy
frameworks intersect with local realities.

Until recently, Mr. Kamishiro was Coordinator of the United Nations Asia Network for Diversity & Inclusion (UN-ANDI), where he advanced dialogue and institutional efforts to promote diversity, inclusion, racial equity, and a more representative organizational culture across the United Nations system. This experience further strengthened his commitment to inclusive leadership and equitable multilateralism. Mr. Kamishiro holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, a graduate qualification in Community and Economic Development from Pennsylvania State University in the US, and a Bachelor of Laws from Waseda University in Japan.

As a Japanese national, he is recognized for his cross-regional perspective, extensive field experience, and dedication to practical solutions for complex
global challenges. His work integrates strategic insight with operational experience, supporting informed dialogue on peace, development, humanitarian
affairs, governance, and social inclusion in Asia and beyond.

Ms. Absa Samba

Absa Samba is a policy, women’s rights, advocacy and grassroots movement expert. She leads the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C which led the a law banning FGC in Washington State in 2023.
With over 15 years of experience, she advocates for girls’ education and the elimination of harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital cutting through policy. She has received multiple honors, including the University of Washington Evans School Diversity, Global Citizen, Equity & Inclusion and “Walk the Talk” awards.
Absa holds dual master’s degrees in Public Administration and Social Work from the University of Washington, where she serves as a Global Engagement Manager working with public health leaders across the African continent.