Ambassador Keisha McGuire has demonstrated leadership in the multilateral sphere serving as Grenada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations for over six (6) years. During her tenure, Ambassador McGuire served as a Vice President of the United Nations General Assembly, served as a four-time Chair of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, served on the Executive Board of UNICEF and led several UN processes, including the co-facilitation of the negotiations for the political declarations of the UN Ocean Conference and the UN Economic and Social Council Financing for Development (FfD) Forum. She further co-initiated the African Group-CARICOM Caucus (AfCAR) Collaboration Initiative at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and served as co-Chair of the AfCAR Joint Steering Committee.

More recently, Ambassador McGuire served as Special Advisor on Gender and Women’s Empowerment to the 78th President of the UN General Assembly.

Ambassador McGuire, who holds a Juris Doctor from Cornell University, has built an acute understanding of the challenges facing the global community and gaps in the global architecture. Through her vast experience, she has built strong relationships with developing and developed countries, and in the UN system. Having been a successful attorney prior to assuming her ambassadorship, with a past practice in international arbitration and commercial litigation, Ambassador McGuire further brings a unique perspective and insight.

Photo Credit: UN Photo / Loey Felipe

Ambassador Collen Vixen Kelapile has an accumulated career of over 29 years in multilateral diplomacy, both as a government representative, intergovernmental expert and is also a former United Nations (UN) Secretariat staff member.

Most recently, he served as the Chef de Cabinet to the President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, and also served as 77th President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at its 2022 Session.

He is a former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Botswana to the UN in New York from 2018 – 2023. He was, during the same period, concurrently Botswana’s Ambassador to Cuba and High Commissioner to Jamaica, on a non-resident basis.

Prior to his appointment as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Botswana in New York, he was Chief of Staff to the Executive-Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 2014 – 2018. He also served as Chair of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), from 2011-2012.

Ambassador Kelapile joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Botswana in 1995 as Desk Officer for the UN, soon after graduating with a bachelor’s degree (Political Science and Public Administration) from the University of Botswana in the same year.

Dr. Magnus Jiborn brings over 20 years of experience spanning academic research, philanthropy, civil society, and private enterprise, with a strong focus on climate mitigation, sustainable economic development, and peacebuilding.

At Lund University School of Economics and Management, he conducted research at the nexus of environmental policy, global trade, economic growth, and equity. Notably, he developed innovative principles for national carbon accounting in the context of international trade, with findings published in esteemed journals such as Nature Climate Change and Science. He also taught management ethics in the university's international master's program in business management.

As Head of Research at the Global Challenges Foundation in Stockholm, Dr. Jiborn led impactful projects, including the New Shape Prize review process, co-authoring the Climate Governance Commission’s interim report, Governing Our Climate Future. He fostered strategic collaborations with institutions like the Earth Commission, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, and the Crisis Group.

In his role as CEO of a Swedish offshore wind power company, Dr. Jiborn advanced sustainable energy initiatives in the Baltic Sea region.

Beyond his environmental leadership, Dr. Jiborn has championed peace and conflict resolution as Chair of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, the world’s oldest peace organization. A skilled communicator and advocate, he has inspired global audiences as a speaker, columnist, and advisor, driving sustainable, equitable, and peaceful futures.