The high-level panel of judges for the Heroes of Tomorrow: UN SDG Action Awards is comprised of distinguished individuals from around the world – including United Nations leadership, government representatives, grassroots activists, civil society, creatives, and impact-driven business champions. The UN SDG Action Campaign is honoured to work with such a distinguished group of leaders committed to turn hope into action for a peaceful, equitable and sustainable world for all.
Honourable Emma Inamutila Theofelus is a Member of Parliament and the Minister of Information and Communication Technology in the Republic of Namibia. In her current role, she is spearheading national initiatives to increase internet access, build digital literacy and prepare Namibia for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. She also champions digital justice across the African continent as a council member of the Nala Feminist Collective.
A globally recognized leader and former youth activist, she is the 2022 Laureate in the Individual Category of the United Nations Population Award and serves as a board member of the Leadership Council of Africa REACH.
Previously, she served as the Deputy Speaker of the Youth Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, Board Member of the National Council of Higher Education and the Junior Mayor of the City of Windhoek amongst other roles.
Her extensive advocacy for gender equality, children’s rights and sustainable development has earned her international acclaim, including being named to the BBC 100 Most Influential Women in the World 2021.
Born in Windhoek, she holds an LLB Honours Degree from the University of Namibia, alongside diplomas in Business Management from Amity University and Afrikan Feminism and Gender Studies from the University of South Africa. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in ICT Policy and Regulation at the University of Witwatersrand.
Stefano Gatti is a senior Italian diplomat serving as the Director General for Development and Cooperation at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). Mr. Gatti also serves as the Special Envoy of the Italian MFA and International Cooperation for Food Security. In this capacity, he co-chaired the Steering Committee for the organization of the 2021 Pre-Food Systems Summit and the 2023 Food Systems Summit+2. Previously, he served as the Ambassador of Italy to Australia, First Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the United Nations, Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Italy to NATO, and First Secretary at the Italian Embassy in New Delhi. He has also been the Director for International Affairs, General Director of Participants, and Director of the Italian Pavilion at Italy EXPO 2015. In addition, he worked as Diplomatic Advisor of the Minister for Innovation and Technologies, and Head of the E-Government Mission Unit for the Development of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers from 2001 to 2006.
Prajakta Koli is one of India’s leading creators, actors and authors, with a digital community of more than 18 million people. She was the only Indian named to the inaugural TIME100 Creators list and has built a decade-long career connecting with young audiences through relatable storytelling across digital media, entertainment and publishing.
Alongside her creative work, Prajakta serves as UNDP India’s Youth Climate Champion and has represented young voices at global forums including COP28, the World Economic Forum in Davos, the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week in New York. She has also contributed to initiatives around education, mental health, gender equality and climate action, including the Daytime Emmy-winning YouTube Original Creators for Change on Girls’ Education with Michelle Obama.
As an actor, she leads Netflix’s Mismatched and has appeared in films and series across major streaming platforms and theatrical releases. She is also the author of the bestselling romance novel Too Good To Be True. Through her work, Prajakta has built a distinctive voice that combines mainstream storytelling, strong audience connection and meaningful engagement with issues relevant to young people.
Alexander De Croo is the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. He started his official duties on 2 December 2025.
Mr. De Croo served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 2020 to 2025. His tenure included crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic, the coordination of Belgium’s vaccination rollout and economic recovery strategies, and Belgium’s presidency of the Council of the European Union during a period of considerable geopolitical strain.
Before becoming Prime Minister, Mr. De Croo served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2012 to 2020, as Minister of Development Cooperation and Digital Agenda from 2014 to 2020 and as Minister of Finance from 2018 to 2020. A steadfast advocate for strong international cooperation, he played a leading role in advancing international development, championed gender equality and digital innovation as drivers of progress, and actively supported humanitarian relief efforts in times of crisis.
Before entering public life, Mr. De Croo worked in the private sector as an entrepreneur and strategy advisor. His background as an entrepreneur shaped his focus on results, his pragmatic approach, and his openness to digital innovation.
Mr. De Croo holds a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago and a degree in business engineering from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. He is fluent in English, French, and Dutch.
Ümit Boyner is an Executive Board Member of Boyner Group, one of Turkey’s leading non-food retail groups, with a portfolio of 18 million customers. Recognized as one of Turkey’s most influential business leaders, Boyner served as Chairwoman of the High Advisory Council of Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD) from 2010 to 2013 and currently serves as Vice President of the TUSIAD’s High Advisory Council. She has an extensive background in corporate finance previously serving as Credit Marketing Manager at Chemical Mitsui Bank, Finance Manager at Türk Petrol Holding A.Ş. and as Finance and Treasury Manager at Turcas Petrol. She joined her family’s business, Boyner Group, where she served as the Chief Financial Officer. Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Boyner is actively engaged in civil society and philanthropy. Her current roles also include serving as a trustee of the Tohum Autism Foundation, the Turkish Education Volunteers Foundation, and the Turkish Nautical Archaeology Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from the University of Rochester.
Maurizio Martina is the Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), supporting the Director General on key external and internal strategic matters. Before joining the UN system, he had a distinguished political career in the Government of Italy, serving as Minister for Agriculture, Food, and Forestry from 2014 to 2018, Delegate Responsible for Expo Milano 2015 and Undersecretary of State of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. He was also a Member of the Italian Parliament at the House of Representatives as well as Member of the Agricultural Commission in Rome, Italy.
Prior to his current appointment, Martina served within FAO as Special Adviser to the Director-General, Office of the Director-General and then as Assistant Director-General, Office of the Director-General at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.
A national of Italy, he holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Macerata in Italy.
Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven is the Managing Director of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH since October 2020. A recognized development economist with more than 30 years of international experience, she focuses on sustainability, gender and climate issues. Prior to her leadership at GIZ, she served as World Bank Group Executive Director representing Germany from 2010 to 2014 and held various high-level positions in the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Throughout her distinguished career, she spearheaded new global initiatives such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Partnership and the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) and various multi-stakeholder partnerships in climate risk insurance and finance.
Ms. Hoven studied economics and political science at Justus-Liebig University Giessen and Université Paris IX/Dauphine. She is alumna of the postgraduate programme of the German Development Institute (now German Institute of Development and Sustainability).
Prof. Dr. Tobias Wollermann is Group Vice President for Corporate Responsibility at Otto Group, where he leads the company’s sustainability and corporate responsibility activities.
He also serves as the President of the German Retail Foreign Trade Association and holds advisory and board positions with several organizations, including the Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability, Systain Consulting, B.A.U.M. e.V., the Finlit Foundation, The Young ClassX e.V., and the European Union Youth Orchestra Foundation.
From 2008 to 2020, Tobias Wollermann served as Managing Director of The Young ClassX, an education and cultural initiative founded by the Otto Group. Earlier, he served as Program Manager for the artistic degree course in Popular Music Design at the Pop-Akademie Baden-Württemberg. During this time, he initiated and led a range of educational and cultural projects in partnership with organizations including Deutsche Post DHL and BASF SE and has been teaching Corporate Cultural Engagement at the Institute for Cultural and Media Management in Hamburg.
Wollermann studied Physics and Music and earned his PhD from the University of Osnabrück in 2005.
Merve Dizdar is an award-winning Turkish actress recognized for her powerful work across theatre, film and television. In 2023, Dizdar made history as the first Turkish actress to win the Best Actress Award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for her performance in About Dry Grasses, directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Born in İzmir, she began her theater career with Semaver Kumpanya, a theatre company in Türkiye, and later performed at Craft Theater, including her role as the Cat in Alice the Musical. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards and nominations, including the Afife Theatre Award, Direkler Arası Audience Award for Best Actress for her performance in Yutmak (Swallow) and Best Actress Award at the 59th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival for Snow and the Bear, establishing herself as one of Turkey’s most respected contemporary performers.
Brigitta Maria Andrea Gunawan is an award-winning ocean advocate, conservation biologist, and founder of 30×30 Indonesia and Diverseas, whose work has engaged more than 22,000 people through environmental education, policy advocacy, immersive media, and community-led conservation initiatives. Through leadership training, coral reef restoration and virtual reality, Brigitta empowers communities to become active environmental stewards. As a scientific scuba diver, she works with diving communities to support locally led conservation. Her recognitions include Forbes 30 Under 30, Samsung and UNDP’s Generation17 Young Leader, National Geographic Young Explorer, Millennium Oceans Prize, Global Citizen Youth Leader, and Ocean Awards Young Initiative Winner.
Yoke Ling Chee is the Executive Director of Third World Network (TWN), an international policy research and advocacy organization focusing on sustainable development issues and international relations from a Southern perspective. Her work addresses the systemic macro-economic injustices faced by developing countries, focusing on public health and access to affordable treatments, food sovereignty and farmers’ rights, the impact of trade, debt, and technology – including intellectual property regimes – on knowledge building and innovation in the Global South. Yoke Ling has engaged as part of the TWN team in the UN Sustainable Development Agenda since the Earth Summit of 1992.
Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as of 10 December 2021, has had various leadership positions from an early stage in his career.
Between 1980 and 1989, he was a teacher at vocational schools and a civil servant at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. From 1989 to 1994, he served as a Member of the European Parliament, during which time he was a member of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Between 1994 and 2021, he served as a Member of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, and as a member of the Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development.
In 2005, he was appointed Deputy Minister at the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, in charge of international relations, development projects and world food affairs.
In 2013, he was appointed Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, a position he held until 2021.
Gerd Müller has many years of experience in the fields of multilateral cooperation, sustainability and innovative agriculture. Key focus areas of his work are the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Beijing Declaration on Gender Equality. Furthermore, he is a strong advocate of fair trade, and initiated legislation in Germany and the European Union on social and environmental standards along supply chains.
Naomi Akakpo is a French-Togolese hurdler and sprinter. A silver and bronze medalist at the Islamic Solidarity Games, she has competed in the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships and represented Togo in the 100m at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she also served as one of the nation’s flag bearers. Born in France to a French mother and a Togolese father, she chose to represent Togo internationally in 2019 to inspire young athletes and promote sports in her father’s homeland. Ms. Akakpo is also a registered dietitian and a United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Food Security Champion, advocating for nutrition, health, and sustainable food systems.
Kimberly Kay Hoang is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago and the author of Spiderweb Capitalism: How Global Elites Exploit Frontier Markets and Dealing in Desire: Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work. Her research explores the intersections of global finance, gender, and development in frontier and emerging markets. Through empirical work, Prof. Hoang sheds light on the opaque networks through which capital flows—and the profound impact these movements have on local communities. As a sociologist deeply committed to equity and accountability, she brings a justice-oriented lens that powerfully resonates with the mission of the SDGs.
Amitabh Behar is the Executive Director of Oxfam International, a global civil society leader with decades of experience in human rights, economic justice, and strengthening citizen participation. Before this, he was CEO of Oxfam India. He has held leadership roles in major organizations including CIVICUS, where he served as Vice Chair of the Board, and Navsarjan and Yuva, where he was Chair and President, respectively. He currently serves on the boards of the International Civil Society Centre and the Norwegian Human Rights Fund, and also holds the position of Chair at the International Civil Society Centre. Prior to Oxfam, he led the National Foundation for India and co-chaired the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a coalition of over 11,000 civil society groups worldwide.
Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.
Ms. Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to four successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.
Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, Ms. Mohammed has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels. She is the mother of six children and has two grandchildren.
Mame Balla is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, and music producer based in Europe who sings about peace, environmental issues, the experiences of growing up in West Africa and more.
Mame Balla has worked with Bouba Ndour, producer and brother of the famous singer Youssou Ndour, with whom he released two internationally successful albums. Between his solo career and the former music groups Dancehall Masters and Darou Salam, Mame Balla has partnered with international artists of different music genres such as Senegalese pop singer Viviane, dancer Ndeye Geye, hip hop group Gokh-Bi System, and Dutch-Albanese rapper Jon Tarifa. He has also partnered with Polish and German artists for a jazz project, and performed with Congolese afrobeat singers in the Netherlands. Between 1999 and 2004, Mame Balla and his former group Dancehall Masters received awards as Best New Group and Best Group in The Gambia; and also received the prize Prix de l’intégration at a Senegalese hip-hop awards. Mame Balla took a course in music production at the State of Mic Studio in The Gambia. Performing with Pape Samory and Issa Ndiaye.
Katlego Kai Kolanyane-Kesupile is an international award-winning cultural architect, communications specialist, performance artist, development practitioner and human rights advocate. OkayAfrica named her one of the 100 Most Influential Women of African Descent in 2018. Her accolades include being nominated for the US State Department’s International Women of Courage Award, a TED Fellow, Queen’s Young Leader, Chevening Scholar, Mandela Washington Fellow, and OutRight’s UN Religion Fellow. She holds a Sociology Masters in Human Rights, Culture, and Social Justice, with a focus on Disability Rights and Public Space Design, from Goldsmiths University of London, UK. Her published writing spans theatre, academic texts and policy analyses.
Ms. Ulrika Modéer officially began her role on 20 August 2018 as UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy. In this role she leads the organization in nurturing and growing key relationships with Member States, and new and emerging partners, as well as lead UNDP’s communications and advocacy, as it works to realize the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ms. Modéer previously served as Sweden’s State Secretary for International Development Cooperation and Climate and has been instrumental in reshaping the country’s international development cooperation to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. She combines a strong policy background with parliamentary and civil society experience and has had several assignments in Latin America (Bolivia, Guatemala) and Africa (Mozambique/South Africa). Ms. Modéer holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Tolu Olubunmi is a Nigerian-born, American-raised chemical engineer turned political strategist, social entrepreneur and public speaker. She is the founder and CEO of the social impact venture, Lions Write. In 2018, Tolu was tapped by the Director-General of the UN Migration Agency (IOM) for a special appointment as Advisor to the UN Department of Global Communications and Manager of the Climate Action Campaign ActNow. Tolu has established and led numerous NGOs and campaigns focused on education, migration, economic inclusion, sustainability, and climate change. She has worked closely with leaders in government, the private sector, and civil society to shift culture, influence public policy and build strategic and mutually beneficial partnerships – she served on the World Economic Forum’s Migration Council, co-founded Immigrant Heritage Month, and has helped draft and implement U.S. immigration policies.
Tolu sits on the Board of Directors of the Anti-Defamation League, Board of Directors of USA for IOM. In 2015, the World Economic Forum named her one of 15 Women Changing the World and an Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur. Her inspiring personal story and work have been profiled by several media outlets, including BBC, MSNBC, TIME, CBS, US News and World Report. Tolu is an inaugural Leadership Institute Fellow at the Center for American Progress and holds a chemistry-engineering degree from Washington and Lee University.
Since 2014, Khalifa Jassim Al-Kuwari has led the establishment, strategy-setting, partnerships, and funding programs of the Qatar Fund for Development in developing countries. Previously, Mr. Al-Kuwari was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director – Joint Venture and International Business of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). He has been appointed to the boards of leading organisations, including: Harrods, Volkswagen Group, Fairmont Raffles Group, Songbird Real Estate, Qatar Exchange, Katara Hospitality, and Mowasalat. He holds an Executive MBA in Business Administration from the London Business School, an MBA in Accounting from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Qatar University. He graduated from the Leadership Development Program at Harvard Business School and Qatar Leadership Center.
