Programme

Hon. Retno L.P. Marsudi is the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Water, a position she has held since 1 November 2024. The Special Envoy’s work aims to galvanize partnerships and concerted efforts to advance the water agenda. Marsudi served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia from 2014 to October 2024. During this time, Indonesia held numerous key positions, including member of the UN Security Council (2019–2020), president of G20 (2022) and Chair of ASEAN (2023). From 2012-2014, Marsudi served as Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands. From 2005-2008, she was the Ambassador to Iceland and Norway. She served as Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2012 to 2014, and as Ambassador to Iceland and Norway from 2005 to 2008. Born in Semarang, Central Java, Marsudi studied International Relations at Gadjah Mada University and  earned a Master's degree in International European Law & Policy from The Hague University of Applied Science. She also studied human rights at the University of Oslo, Norway. 

Anita Soina is a climate change and community development advocate from Kenya’s indigenous Maasai community. She founded Restoration Warriors Africa, a youth-led community of changemakers restoring ecosystems and championing communities and the Soina Foundation, which works to empower indigenous, rural and marginalized communities to build climate resilience through access to education, WASH services, storytelling and intergenerational dialogue. She served as the 2023-2024  Youth Champion of the UN-hosted Sanitation and Water for All global partnership. An SDG creator and influencer, she uses her digital platforms to showcase challenges facing the global community and to tell powerful stories of how those affected play a key role in providing solutions. She has participated in several high-level events and conferences. At 21, she was a Green Party candidate in Kenya’s 2022 general election, becoming the country’s youngest parliamentary candidate (she did not win a seat). She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Multimedia University of Kenya and is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Community Development at Daystar University.