Opening Address by Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians
Kitty van der Heijden
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships
Marc Pecsteen
Chief of Staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions of Belgium
Fatima and Halima
Youth Ambassadors Plan International
Co-Researchers Impact Climate Change on Adolescents
Chairperson:
Geert Cappelaere
Children's rights expert
Panelists:
Virginia Gamba
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Najat Maalla M'jid
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children
Ann Marie Skelton
Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Olof Skoog
EU Special Representative for Human Rights
Cécile Aptel
Deputy Director, UNICEF Innocenti
WG 1A: Children and Armed Conflict - Protection of Education
Chairperson:
Petra Heusser
Executive Director, Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies
Panelists:
Virginia Gamba
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Allyson Bachta
Senior Researcher, Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack
James Cox
Head of Education, Policy & Advocacy, Save the Children International
WG 1B: The Climate Crisis is a Children's Rights Crisis
Chairperson:
Isabelle Kolebinov
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
Panelists:
Benoît Van Keirsbilck
Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Director of Defense for Children International Belgium
Abheet J. Solomon
Senior Advisor Environment, UNICEF
Aoife Fleming
Core Team Member, World's Youth for Climate Justice
2A: Girls in Crises - Addressing their Specific Needs
Chairperson:
Najat Maalla M'jid
Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children
Panelists:
Florence Raes
Director, UN Women Brussels Liaison Office
Antonia Mulvey
Founder and Executive Director, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)
Anita Queirazza
Head of Global Child Protection, Humanitarian Action Unit, Plan International
2B: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) in Emergencies
Chairperson:
Rachel McKinney
Team Lead, Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE)
Panelists:
Leah James
Regional Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Specialist, UNICEF ECARO
Akfer Karaoglan Kahilogullari
Mental Health Expert, World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Türkiye
Relinde Reiffers
Senior Technical Expert on MHPSS, Save the Children Netherlands
Chairperson:
Geert Cappelaere
Children's rights expert
Panelists:
Lindsey Hutchison - WG 1A
Head of Global Humanitarian Policy, Advocacy and Diplomacy Unit, Plan International
Iris Abraham - WG 1B
Communications & Fundamental Rights Advisor, Cabinet of the European Commission Vice President for Democracy & Demography
Birgit Van Hout - WG 2A
Director, UNFPA Representation Office to the European Union
Bertrand Bainvel - WG 2B
UNICEF Representative to the European Union Institutions
Heidy Rombouts
Director General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
With the support of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child - Belgium.