2014

Elisabeth Decrey Warner is the Executive President and co-founder of Geneva Call. For over 30 years, she has worked with NGOs on issues relating to refugees, torture, disarmament and humanitarian norms.

Vincent Cochetel is the Director of the Bureau for Europe at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He will explore why humanitarians continue working in the face of danger and reflect on his own experiences in captivity, having been kidnapped near Chechnya in 1998.

Mahlet Afework, a fashion designer based in Addis Ababa, has gained critical acclaim for her cutting-edge designs. Mafi works exclusively with hand-woven fabrics made by women, working with traditional fabrics and weavers to express the rich cultural history of Ethiopia and creating sustainable small businesses at the same time.

Maryanne Diamond is immediate Past President of the World Blind Union (WBU) and a tireless advocate for the rights of persons who are blind and live with print disabilities. She led the WBU’s delegation to the World Intellectual Property Organization negotiations which resulted in the ground breaking Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.