Alfredo Aguilar holds a PhD in biochemistry and is former Head of the Units of Biotechnology and International Scientific Cooperation at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission in Brussels. He played a key role in the development of the European Bioeconomy Strategy, as well as in the creation of the Joint Undertakings «Innovative Medicines Initiative» and «Bio-based Industries». He is Professor of Microbiology at the Universities of León and Complutense of Madrid, and a senior international expert on bioeconomy, food security, sustainability, climate change and the science-society dialogue.

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Laura Basu is a writer and independent scholar affiliated with the Institute for Cultural Inquiry, Utrecht University and Goldsmiths, University of London. She is the co-founder of the Amsterdam-based project Good Societies, which aims to develop ideas for new social structures. Since 2019, she has been Europe Editor for openDemocracy’s new economics section, ourEconomy.

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Colleen Boland is Research Manager at Common Action Forum. She holds an M.A. from SOAS, University of London and PhD in Sociology of Migration from Complutense University of Madrid. She has previously served as Managing Editor of the International Journal of Health Services. Research areas of interest include international migration, diversity management and religion.

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Simone Buratti served as former Executive Director of The International Association for the Study of the Commons, and previously worked on sustainable lifestyles, migration and sustainable communities. He is a PhD candidate in Sustainability Science at UNAM, México and holds an MA from the University of Bologna in Contemporary History. He currently works on urban commons, public space and sustainable development.

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A former employment lawyer and magistrate, Manuela Carmena recently governed as mayor of Madrid from 2015 to 2019.  She served as a judge for over 30 years, as well as spokesperson for Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary from 1996 to 2001. She co-founded the law firm targeted in an infamous far-right terrorist attack, known as the Atocha massacre. She retired in 2010 and founded an NGO to support underprivileged collectives through local trade. She has also served as Chair-Rapporteur of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and has authored several books.

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Herta Däubler-Gmelin served as Germany’s Minister of Justice (1998 – 2002) and as congresswoman in the Bundestag for over 30 years and SPD vice-president for ten years.  She chaired the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. She has written several books, continues to practice law, integrates the board of many civil society organizations and is Honorary Professor of Political Sciences, International Law and Humanitarian Law at the Free University of Berlin.

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Rafael Heiber is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Common Action Forum. Geographer, MSc. in Spatial planning and PhD in Sociology, his expertise includes mobilities, climatology, politics and the links between territory, technology and citizenship. He advises journalists, provides commentary and publishes in the international media.

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Wadah Khanfar is the Chairman and Co-founder of Common Action Forum. He previously served as the Director General of Al Jazeera, transforming it from a single channel to a media network. He is also the President of the Al Sharq Forum and board member of several distinguished think-tanks such as the International Crisis Group. In 2011 Wadah was ranked first in Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers.

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Leticia Merino holds a PhD in anthropology and is professor at the Institute of Social Research (IIS/UNAM), Mexico, where she also teaches the Postgraduate Program on Sustainability Sciences. She has served as member of the Committee for Development Policies of the United Nations since 2016 and collaborated for 15 years, in research and teaching projects with Elinor Ostrom, Nobel Price on Economics, 2009. She has authored and coauthored more than 80 articles and book chapters, as well as six books.

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Saskia Sassen is the Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University and chaired its Committee on Global Thought from 2009 to 2015, now serving as a member. She is a recipient of the Prince of Asturias Award in the Social Sciences (2013). A renowned sociologist, she has conducted extensive work on topics including cities, immigration, and states in the world economy, examining inequality, gendering and digitization as variables.

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Alfonso Zegbe currently heads the Strategy and Public Diplomacy Unit at the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. He is the former Ambassador of México in Iran, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and is an expert in environmental law and international relations. He has worked on energy and environmental diplomatic agendas for more than 20 years in Mexico City, Washington DC, Ottawa, Paris, Brussels and the OECD.

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