The Middle East Institute (MEI) and the North African Policy Initiative (NAPI) are pleased to announce the second in a series of roundtable discussions inviting engaged Libyan youth to share their perspective on the key issues facing their country’s future.
This event will feature a number of NAPI’s Young Policy Leaders Program fellows and NAPI affiliates, who will discuss their research on the wide-ranging impacts of climate change on the formal and informal economies, social fabric, and political landscape in Libya. The speakers will delve into questions surrounding the implications of a changing climate on the future of climate-related migration, food and water insecurity, and economic development. The roundtable participants will also address the role of the international community, the expectations and activism of North African youth on this issue, and the prospects for a more global effort to put climate action at the top of the political agenda.
Speakers:
Wajd Alsaadi (Benghazi)
Wajd Alsaadi currently works as Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager for Chemonics International. Previously, Wajd served as a Libya Country representative for USIP, supporting and coordinating its programs in Libya. He has 10 years’ experience in civil society and capacity building, where he previously worked as a course leader in an EU funded program implemented by Common Purpose where he was leading the activities in Benghazi and running leadership courses for youth and NGO’s leaders in Eastern Libya. Wajd is passionate about the environment and civic activism, together with other civil society activists he established Chlorophyll organization to raise awareness of environment and sustainable development. Wajd holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Manufacturing System Engineering from the University of Benghazi. He speaks Arabic and English.
Ali Badreddin Ansari (Obari)
Ali Ansari is a civil society activist and advisor. Since 2008, he has helped numerous activists develop plans and form NGOs. He also founded an organization entitled I am a volunteer (Anna Volunteer), which focuses on environmental protection. Ali works as Project Officer on peacebuilding and reconciliation with the United States Institute of Peace. Previously, he worked with ACTED as project officer on local governance and stabilization. Ali holds a Bachelor degree in Chemistry from Obari University (Libya), and a Master’s in Environmental Chemistry form the University of Putra in Malaysia.
Malak Altaeb (Paris / Tripoli)
Malak Altaeb is an analyst, writer, and researcher based in Paris, France. She is an Environmental Policy Master's graduate from Sciences Po University in Paris, France. She is a graduate of the North African Policy Initiative’s Young Policy Leaders Program during which she researched and wrote a policy paper on Local Agribusiness Development in Tripoli, Libya. She is a member of the Libyan Youth Climate Movement (LYCM) and also the Association Sciences Po pour l'Afrique. She contributed to different domains and magazines, such as sister-hood magazine, Alfusaic, Libya's Herald, and Unootha magazine.
Mohamed Maray Elshikhi (Benghazi)
Mohamed is Libya's official delegate at Youth4Climate and the PreCop26ITA, Milano. Besides that, he is the Founder of the Climate Gap in lab Organization and a semi-final Juror at INSPIRELI AWARD. He has worked as a Project & Event Manager at The International Academy for Training and Development (IATD), Libya also worked as a site architect at Sera Yapı group in Istanbul. He holds a Bachelor's degree in architecture from Altinbas University. He is a Climate activist focusing on involving youth in international events and decision-making processes to tackle climate change and fight for a better future.
Marouen Taleb, moderator
Postdoctoral researcher, Tunis’ Research Institute on Contemporary Maghreb
Marouen Taleb is a postdoctoral researcher at Tunis’ Research Institute on Contemporary Maghreb (IRMC/CNRS), where he works on the "ProGreS Migration" project funded by the French Development Agency. Marouen holds a Master's degree in Environmental Geography and a PhD in Urban Planning and Development from the National School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tunis. His doctoral dissertation focused on the growth of non-regulated industrial activities in Tunis’ suburban areas. Currently, his fields of research include spatial planning in relation to economic development and governance models, migration, local governance, and decentralization in North African countries. Marouen also works as an expert consultant for urban planning programs in African and Arabic countries.
Jonathan M. Winer, moderator
Non-resident scholar, MEI
Jonathan M. Winer has been the United States Special Envoy for Libya, the deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement, and counsel to United States Senator John Kerry. He has written and lectured widely on U.S. Middle East policy, counter-terrorism, international money laundering, illicit networks, corruption, and U.S.-Russia issues.
In 2016, Winer received the highest award granted by the Secretary of State, for “extraordinary service to the U.S. government” in avoiding the massacre of over 3,000 members of an Iranian dissident group in Iraq, and for leading U.S. policy in Libya “from a major foreign policy embarrassment to a fragile but democratic, internationally recognized government.” In 1999, he received the Department’s second highest award, for having “created the capacity of the Department and the U.S. government to deal with international crime and criminal justice as important foreign policy functions." The award stated that "the scope and significance of his achievements are virtually unprecedented for any single official."
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