Speakers
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Chief Dr. Doliwura ZakariaHead of the African Union Interfaith Committee -
Chris ElisaraSustainability Center, World Evangelical Alliance, Co-founder
Dr. Chris Elisara, VP of Strategic Development at Thriving Cities Group, is a renowned urban design and placemaking advocate with a rich history of revitalizing American cities. He’s played key roles in the Congress for the New Urbanism and UN-Habitat, including leading the World Urban Campaign. As co-director of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Sustainability Center, he represents over 600 million evangelicals globally at prestigious international platforms like the World Economic Forum and the United Nations. Dr. Elisara also co-founded First+Main Films and international film festivals dedicated to city transformation storytelling. His current projects include the “Faith for Cities” grant and consulting for the World Economic Forum’s “Faith in Action.” He’s dedicated to creating thriving, spiritually vibrant cities.
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Hon. Philda Nani KerengRepublic of Botswana, Minister of Environment and Tourism
Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation & Tourism of Botswana. She has been instrumental in the development and adoption of the Botswana’s first Climate Change Policy and Strategy. She has also been a Project Officer for Community Development of the Action for Economic Empowerment Trust, a local partner of the US African Development Foundation (ADF), working closely with rural on ecotourism projects. Her grassroots knowledge of the Botswana’s society led UNICEF to appoint her as Child Protection Officer to drive the national programme on orphan care and child services in collaboration with NGOs and CBOs. In parallel to her state responsibilities, she is an Associate Pastor in a local church and offers counselling and life coaching for families, women and young people.
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Maha QasimZero-Point Partners, CEO
Maha, CEO of Zero-point Partners, an advisory firm for sustainability, boasts 13+ years in climate, sustainability, and climate finance. Formerly a Pakistan Country Advisor for global development, she secured Green Climate Fund accreditation for a renewable energy firm. Her roles at Engro Corporation included environmental assessments, carbon credit registration, and CSR projects. Maha’s expertise spans ESG reporting, TCFD, SASB, and more. She has authored numerous publications on climate change and co-authored papers for the Asian Development Bank Institute. Maha holds a Yale School of Environment master’s and a Princeton University BSE in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
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Nik Nazmi bin Nik AhmadMinister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Malaysia.
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Rutaba TariqFaith For Our Planet, Regional Programme Coordinator
Youth advocate and emerging scholar with an excellent track record in international affairs, youth empowerment, politics, and policy. She currently works as Regional Program Coordinator for Faith For Our Planet (FFOP), an international faith-based climate action NGO. At FFOP, Rutaba leads initiatives such as the groundbreaking Youth Interfaith Leaders Fellowship on Climate Change at Duke University, USA- one of the world’s first fellowship of its kind. Her diverse career also includes key roles, such as Asia’s Regional Coordinator for the International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS), Board Member for the Asia Africa Youth Government (AAYG) and as Country Coordinator for OIC’s Official Youth Forum.
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Shiraz AhmadInternational Director at Faith For Our Planet (FFOP)
Religious Philanthropy: A Catalyst for Climate Action World – Evangelical Alliance & Faith For Our Planet
The event is dedicated to exploring how religious philanthropy can play a transformative role in bridging the global climate financing gap. It will include the launch of a report co-produced by Faith For Our Planet (FFOP) and Duke Divinity School (DDS) at Duke University, followed by an interaction panel discussion on the values and traditions found in the Abrahamic traditions, and their communities incredible potential to mobilize trillions of dollars’ worth of religious charity towards climate finance. The panel will explore the role religious leaders and communities can play in tandem with governments, civil societies, and global financial institutions to make that happen.