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PGA’s vision is to contribute to the creation of a Rules-Based International Order for a more equitable, safe, sustainable and democratic world.

Who We Are

PGA operates under the political direction of the Executive Committee and the International Council, with technical and legal assistance from the Secretariat, which is based in New York and has an office in The Hague.

Our organization is also supported by two advisory bodies: the United Nations Advisory Committee for PGA and the Development Advisory Committee.

Executive Committee

PGA’s Executive Committee consists of 15 member-parliamentarians elected by the International Council on a 40:60 either gender ratio. It meets twice a year and is responsible for policy and fiduciary oversight, including the approval of PGA’s strategic plan.

Syed Naveed Qamar
President of PGA

Hon. Syed Naveed Qamar

MP (Pakistan)

Hon. Qamar serves as Federal Minister for Commerce and Investment, member of the Pakistan People’s Party and former Defense Minister. He is a champion for the protection of the oceans, addressing the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons and the rights of transgender persons in his country.

Ali Ehsassi
Chair of the International Council

Mr. Ali Ehsassi

MP (Canada)

Mr. Ehsassi is a liberal politician who represents the riding of Willowdale, Ontario in Canada's House of Commons. He is Chair of the House Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee.

Petra Bayr
Treasurer

Ms. Petra Bayr

MP (Austria)

Ms. Bayr is a Member of the Austrian National Council and Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) spokesperson for global development. She serves as General Rapporteur on Combating Racism and Intolerance at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe..

Margarita Stolbizer

Dip. Stolbizer is a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina. Originally a member of the Radical Civic Union (UCR), she founded her own party, Generation for a National Encounter (GEN) in 2007. She is a past President of PGA.

Valerie Wood

Hon. Valerie Woods

Speaker of the House of Representatives (Belize)

Hon. Woods has served as Speaker of Belize's House of Representatives since December 2020. Previously, she was a Senator for the People’s United Party.

Hon. Agho Oliver Bamenju

Hon. Agho Oliver Bamenju

MP (Cameroon)

Hon. Agho Oliver Bamenju is a Member of Parliament in the Cameroon National Assembly. He is currently one of the youngest Members of Parliament. He is a human rights advocate on issues of child labor and child trafficking.

Sahar Albazar

Hon. Sahar Albazar

MP (Egypt)

Hon. Sahar Albazar is an Egyptian MP and the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee at the Egyptian House of Representatives. She is the Head of Harvard Women in Diplomacy, Defense and Development covering Sub- Saharan Africa.

Hon. Amanza Walton Desir is a Guyanese politician and attorney serving as Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Guyana since 2020.

Angele Brown Burke

Dr. Brown Burke has served as Mayor of Kingston and St Andrew before becoming involved in National politics. She was elected the first woman chairperson of the 83-year-old People's National Party (PNP).

Antonio Niquice

Hon. Antonio Niquice

MP (Mozambique)

Hon. Niquice serves as Chairperson of the Planning and Budget Commission (CPO) of the Mozambican Parliament.

Sen. Boris Dittrich

Sen. Boris Dittrich

(The Netherlands)

Sen. Dittrich is a member and former leader of the Democrats 66 Party, jurist, author and human rights activist. He is the first member of the Dutch Parliament to have drafted four different Private Bills that have successfully become law and is a leading advocate on the issues of same-sex marriage, euthanasia, legalization of specific forms of sex work and decriminalizing the use of soft drugs. From 2007-2018, He has served as Advocacy Director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.

Hon. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig

Hon. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig is a Member of the National Assembly and former Senior Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Hon. Bernard Georges

Hon. Bernard Georges

MP (Seychelles)

Hon. Bernard Georges is a member of the National Assembly of Seychelles. A lawyer by profession, he is a member of the Seychelles National Party, and was first elected to the Assembly in 2002. In 2015, he was appointed to Judge of the Court of Justice for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.

Hon. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo

Fox Odoi-Oywelowo is a Ugandan advocate and legislator. An avid human rights advocate and defender, he vows to hold every institution accountable for human rights violations,

Galyna Mykhailiuk

Dr. Galyna Mykhailiuk is a Member of Parliament of Ukraine and Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

International Council

PGA’s International Council, composed of the chairs of the National Groups, meets once every year to report on the progress and challenges faced in the advancement of PGA’s campaigns. The Council represents all regions of the world and advises and elects the PGA’s Executive Committee.

Esther Cuesta
Dip. Esther Cuesta

(Ecuador)

Hannah Neumann
Dr. Hannah Neumann

MEP (Germany)

abdoulie Ceesay
Hon. Abdoulie Ceesay

MP (The Gambia)

Dip. Jorge Cálix
Dip. Jorge Cálix

(Honduras)

Kula Segaran.jpg
Hon. Kula Segaran

MP (Malaysia)

Juliet Kavatuna
Hon. Juliet Kavetuna

MP (Namibia)

Bamidele Salam.jpg
Hon. Bamidele Salam

MP (Nigeria)

Sherry Rehman
Sen. Sherry Rehman

(Pakistan)

Raul Cardoso
Hon. Raul Cardoso

MP (São Tomé and Príncipe)

Patrick Kensenhuis
Hon. Patrick Kensenhuis

MP (Suriname)

Jasson Rweikiza
Hon. Jasson Rweikiza

MP (Tanzania)

Wade Mark
Sen. Wade Mark

(Trinidad and Tobago)

Galyna Mykhailiuk
Dr. Galyna Mykhailiuk

MP (Ukraine)

Secretariat

PGA’s Secretariat is the operational body of the organization. It is responsible for the management and execution of the campaigns and provides technical and legal assistance to all PGA members. Its Headquarters is in New York, United States. The Secretariat also has an office in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Ms. Mónica Adame
Secretary-General

Ms. Jennifer McCarthy
Deputy Secretary-General

Ms. Tiffany Ommundsen
Senior Development Officer

Mr. Charles Rubin
Information Technology Officer

Mr. Florian Delsert
Membership Officer

 
 

 

  Democracy, Gender, and Inclusion Program

Ms. Melissa Verpile
Director



 

  International Law and Human Rights Program

Ms. Frederika Schweighoferova
Director

Ms. Olivia Houssais
Program Officer

Ms. Fiona Servaes
Communications Consultant



 Human Rights and Environment Program

Ms. Faatimah Saarah Monawvil
Director

Ms. Ana Filipa Vilalva Repas
Program Associate

 

  International Peace and Security Program

Mr. Peter Barcroft
Senior Director



PGA UN Advisory Committee

PGA’s United Nations (UN) Advisory Committee comprises Permanent Representatives and Ambassadors to the UN and senior UN officials. PGA uses this forum to update members of the UN system on the results and plans of its campaigns and discuss the role of parliamentarians in supporting and implementing the UN agenda at the national level, considering, in particular, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030, and challenges to international peace & security and to principles and norms of international law.

Christian Wenaweser
H.E. Mr. Christian Wenaweser

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein

Alexander Marschik
H.E. Mr. Alexander Marschik

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Mission of Austria
President of the Economic and Social Council

Rodrigo A. Carazo
H.E. Mr. Rodrigo A. Carazo

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of Costa Rica

Ivan Šimonović
H.E. Mr. Ivan Šimonović

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of Croatia

Martin Bille Hermann
H.E. Mr. Martin Bille Hermann

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Mission of Denmark

Olof Skoog
H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog

Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of the European Union

Harold Adlai Agyeman
H.E.Mr. Harold Adlai Agyeman

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Mission of Ghana

Cho Tae-yul
H.E. Mr. Cho Tae-yul

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea

Olivier Maes
H.E. Mr. Olivier Maes

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of Luxembourg

Pascale Christine Baeriswyl
H.E. Ms. Pascale Christine Baeriswyl

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of Switzerland

Sergiy Kyslytsya
H.E. Mr. Sergiy Kyslytsya

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Mission of Ukraine

Adama Dieng
Mr. Adama Dieng

UN Secretariat and Agencies
UN Expert on Human Rights in the Sudan; Former Under Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide

Pro Bono Legal Support

DLA Piper Nederland N.V.

DLA Piper Nederland N.V.

Mr. Paul Deloo
Partner
Buren Advocaten, The Hague (Law Firm)

Akerman LLP

Akerman LLP

Mr. Martin Domb
Partner
Akerman LLP