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Title: Deputy Chief, Policy Coordination Branch, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Topics: Economic Development, Financing for Development, Globalization, and Sustainable Development
Mr. Alberto Padova is currently Deputy Chief of the Policy Coordination Branch in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Here he manages a team of professionals, supporting the substantive work of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly and coordinating efforts within the UN system. He began his career in the private sector as an analyst in the international finance area. He joined the United Nations in 1989 as an economist, focusing on Southern Africa and Latin America as well as financing for development issues. He also spent a year in Haiti, as economic adviser to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. He has written on globalization, international financial issues and sustainable development. He graduated from the University of Venice, Italy with a degree in economics, and holds a Master’s degree in economic development from the University of Reading, UK.
Title: Legal Officer, Office of the Under-Secretary-General, Office of Legal Affairs
Topics: International Law, Transitional Justice and International Criminal Court
Mr. Markus Pallek is a Legal Officer in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General (OUSG) in the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) of the United Nations Secretariat in New York. He is a member of the Bar in New York and the District of Columbia and is also admitted to practice law in Germany. He is Ancien Elève de l’Ecole Nationale d’Administration (Promotion René Cassin) in Paris and Strasbourg/France where he earned a Master’s degree of Public Administration (MPA). He also has a Master’s of Law (LL.M.) from New York University’s School of Law and a Doctorate in Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Würzburg, Germany. In addition to directly assisting the Legal Counsel of the United Nations he works on “transitional justice,” UN-ICC cooperation issues and advises on the interpretation of rules and procedures of UN principal and subsidiary organs and UN conferences. Mr. Pallek is a national of Germany.
Title: Chief, Development Section, Strategic Communications Division Department of Public Information
Topics: Media, Public Information, and Millennium Development Goals
Ms. Pragati Pascale manages communications and media campaigns for the United Nations on development issues, ranging from the Millennium Development Goals to AIDS to violence against women. In her long career with the UN Department of Public Information, she has worked on the communications, and media teams for major events including the Millennium Summit, 2005 World Summit, the Johannesburg Summit on sustainable development, and the General Assembly Special Session on AIDS. Ms Oascale has also served as spokesperson for General Assembly President Jan Eliasson in 2005-2006. She is a national of the United States.
Title: Chief of Promotion and Distribution Unit, Department of Public Information, News and Media Division
Topics: Media, Creative Partnerships, Audiovisual (film, TV, radio) and Marketing
Ms. Petit has 20 years experience in international communications, marketing and public information campaigns with the United Nations in New York and the European Union Commission in Brussels.
In her current capacity as Chief of the Promotion and Distribution Unit, she is responsible for promoting a wide range of UN Radio, Photos, TV programmes and multimedia products and is teaming up with key global broadcasters to air them. She established partnerships with TRT Turkye, Fuji TV, TV5 Monde, Deutsche Welle, Google and Dalily Motion video websites among others. She is liaising with UN information centres in 63 countries and UN agencies as well as with a variety of partners from the creative community, social media, private sector and civil society to promote UN priority issues including the Millennium Development Goals. She launched the UN Channel on You Tube and successfully distributed the UN TV award-winning series 21st century aired by 50 major broadcasters.
Before joining the UN in 2001, Ms. Petit was the main fundraiser for the National Film and Television Group in London promoting the best of British film talent to Europe and the US.
Ms. Petit started her career at the European Commission in Brussels where she contributed to strengthen the European audiovisual industry as marketing Director for the Media Programme.
Ms. Petit holds a Licence in Communication and Journalism from the University of Libre de Bruxelles. She speaks fluent English and French.
Title: Interagency Water Advisor, UN-Water, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development
Topics: Water, Sustainable Development, and Environment
Mr. Pischke has worked on sustainable development issues with an emphasis on water management, adaptation to climate change, land management, and Geographic Information System (GIS). He holds a Master of Research degree with distinction in Environmental Sciences from the University of East Anglia, UK. Prior to joining UN-Water, he has worked for the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA); the CGIAR's International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Sri Lanka; the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ, now GIZ) in Bolivia.
Mr. Pischke is a German national, fluent English and Spanish and pretends to know French.
Title: Economic Affairs Officer, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Topics: Economic Development, Global Economic Outlook, Economic Trends in East and South Asia, Millennium Development Goals
Mr. Ingo Pitterle is an economist in the Development Policy and Analysis Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in New York. He is currently DESA’s focal point for macroeconomic trends and policies in East and South Asia and a contributing author of the United Nations’ annual flagship publication World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP). Mr. Pitterle previously spent several years working for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut, Lebanon. He was one of the lead authors of the 2007 Millennium Development Goals Report for the Arab Region.
Mr. Pitterle holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Eberhard-Karls University in Tuebingen, Germany. His main research interests include international macroeconomics, economic development and the Millennium Development Goals.
Title: Economic Affairs Officer, Financing for Development Office, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Topics: Financing for Development, Economic Development,Trade, Global Governance, Partnerships
Daniel Platz is an Economic Affairs Officer and the focal point for civil society and private sector engagement in the Financing for Development Office of UN-DESA, which monitors and promotes the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development. Mr. Platz has contributed to many UN publications, particularly in the area of development finance, development cooperation, trade and global economic governance. His most recent research focuses on effective financing mechanisms for investments in water and energy in developing countries.
He holds a PhD in Economics and an MA in Global Political Economy and Finance from New School University in New York City. He also received BAs in Political Science and Economics from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.
Title: Head of Strategy and Partnerships, United Nations Global Compact
Topics: Global Compact, Partnerships, and Civil Society
Ms. Melissa Powell is the Head of Strategy and Partnerships with the United Nations Global Compact, the corporate citizenship initiative launched by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2000. Ms. Powell leads the Compact’s work on “Business and Peace.” In this area she works closely with the private sector, NGOs, labour, governments, and the UN to explore the ways and means by which the private sector can contribute to peace and development. Ms. Powell also manages a variety of projects related to UN-business partnerships enhancing the capacity of the UN to effectively partner with business.
Prior to joining the Global Compact Office, Ms. Powell worked as a Junior Professional Consultant in the Speechwriting Unit of the Executive Office of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan where she composed messages and articles on behalf of the Secretary-General.
A graduate of the London School of Economics, where she earned a Masters degree in International Relations, Ms. Powell also holds an honours Bachelors degree in Political Science from Queen's University, Canada.
Title: Senior Legal Officer, General Legal Division of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs
Topics: United Nations Charter and International Law
Mr. Jay Pozenel is a Senior Legal Officer in the General Legal Division of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. His areas of expertise include public and private international law and the interpretation and application of the Charter of the United Nations, and the status, privileges, and immunities of the United Nations as it relates to international and intergovernmental organizations. Mr. Pozenel has served for 16 years in the General Legal Division, OLA, starting as an Associate Legal Officer and working to his current position as Senior Legal Officer. He represents the UN in a wide variety of legal matters including claims, contracts, and litigation. He provides legal advice, assistance, and support to the offices and departments of the UN at Headquarters, field offices, and subsidiary organs of the UN (such as UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, and UNICEF).
He received a Bachelor of Arts from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1982, a Masters of Public Administration from the University of New Mexico in 1983, and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in 1991.
Title: Senior Legal Officer, Codification Division, Office of Legal Affairs
Topics: International Law, Terrorism, and International Criminal Court
Mr. Arnold Pronto is currently employed as a Senior Legal Officer in the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations. He has been working in the legal office Division since he joined the organization, and works primarily in development of public international law. In particular, he has worked on the negotiation of international anti-terrorism treaties, the establishment of the International Criminal Court, and a variety of ad hoc treaties. He has also been a member of the Secretariat of the International Law Commission since 1999, and has worked on the topics of State responsibility, diplomatic protection, effects of armed conflicts on treaties and the protection of persons in disasters.
He is a South African law graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand, where he obtained BProc and LLB degrees. He subsequently completed a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Boston. While at the Fletcher School he specialized in public international law, international human rights law, and international trade.
Title: Tech. Coop. Assistant, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Topics: Peacekeeping, Electoral Assistance, and HIV/AIDS
Mr. Luis Prugue is currently a Tech. Coop. Assistant (TCA) in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). When stationed in New York at the United Nations Headquarters his major responsibility was providing administrative support and organizing Seminars, Workshops, Lectures, EGMs, etc. His areas of expertise include peacekeeping missions, electoral missions, and HIV prevention. Mr. Prugue attended Montgomery College in Rockville Maryland and took a few additional courses at New York University in translation. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.