Theme: Decoding the Green Economy

The final event theme was "The City Rebooted"

Our cities are fragile ecosystems that need to become stronger in ways which create bridges across the rural-urban divide. We need to renew our value systems and live by actively reducing conflict over shared resources and supporting vulnerable communities.

World Agroforestry Center, ICRAF
Nairobi
Kenya

Achim Steiner

Mr. Steiner, a German and Brazilian national, was born in Brazil in 1961. His educational background includes a BA from the University of Oxford as well as an MA from the University of London with specialization in development economics, regional planning, and international development and environment policy.

Virgilio Viana

Virgilio Viana holds a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University, and has conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Florida. He organized the discussion which led to the creation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 1993. He was founder and president at IMAFLORA, the !rst forest certi!cation organization in Latin America.

Raphael Obonyo

Raphael shares stories of young people trying to cross the social and economic fault lines of life in city slums, towards fuller, more empowered lives. Raphael is the convener of The Youth Congress, a vibrant youth led initiative in Kenya that provides mostly young men and women in the urban slums and other informal settlements with a platform to enhance youth leadership and meaningful participation in socio-economic and political processes for improvement of their livelihoods and that of their community members at large.

Sauti Sol

Sauti Sol; the ever refreshing Kenyan Afro pop band from Nairobi, comprising of 4 members (Bien, Polycarp, Willis and Delvin) perfromed at TEDxNairobi. The band, formed in 2005 started off as an acapella group releasing their maiden album Mwanzo Swahili for "beginning" in August 2009. Upon releasing their sophomore album, Sol Filosofia in February 2011 the band embarked on successful European, US and African tours and topped Kenyan charts. The band gained international attention earning them various nominations, including their 2011 celebrated concert performance in Kenya with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (an Internationally renowned South African acappella group).In June 2012, Sauti Sol released 'Sauti Sol', a self-titled EP and collaborative effort with South African avant-garde innovative rapper/producer.

Peter Lee

Peter Lee is the Executive Director of Global Forest Watch Canada, which focuses on improving sustainable forest management. Global Forest Watch is partnership project between Google, NASA, WRI, UNEP and others to create a powerful new remote sensing tool that provides free and easily accessible, near-real time deforestation alerts.

Martha Ruiz Corzo

Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo is responsible for achieving Biosphere Reserve status for the Sierra Gorda under an exceptional public-private co-management system. Through her work and advocacy, 33 per cent of the State of Querétaro is now protected as a Biosphere Reserve engaging more than 34,000 people in community environmental education programs, solid waste management, soil restoration, productive diversification, and conservation.

Alex Owiti

Alex O. Awiti is the Director of the East African Institute of the Aga Khan University; a regional platform for policy oriented research, public engagement and capacity building. He is also an assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on education, conservation, agriculture and food systems, population health, climate change, urbanization and natural resource governance. As a public intellectual, Awiti maintains an active blog (www.envidevpolicy.org) and writes regular op-eds for leading East African newspapers.

Aghan Odero

Aghan Odero Agan is an internationally profiled artistic performance creator, African storyteller, theatre and screen actor, director and writer. He was recently appointed as the Director Kenya Cultural Centre (incorporating Kenya National Theatre) by the Minister of National Heritage and Culture.

Samuel Makome

Samuel Makome is Chief Business Officer and Managing Director KCB Bank Kenya, part of East Africa's largest Banking Group. He holds a Masters degree in leadership and a Bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Nairobi and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB) London.

Njoki Ngumi

Njoki is a nomadic doctor in general practice, currently based in Pumwani Maternity Hosptal. She is also a program coordinator at the NEST. Her favorite way to interact with audiences is through forum theater events, in which she facilitates spectator dialogue around difficult social issues midwifes the birth of conflict around new ideas and serves cake at the end.