Isabel has worked extensively in advocating for universal birth registration and the rights of undocumented migrant children. Currently, Isabel is the manager for the Children and Law Programme at a Pan African think tank-African Child Policy Forum, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where she leads strategic initiatives on child rights governance and justice reform. Her work has been instrumental in shaping policies, laws and practices across Africa, including advancing legislative frameworks and advocacy strategies to protect vulnerable children. Isabel is also an External Expert to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights & Welfare of the Child’s Working Group on Children’s Rights and Business. Isabel studied law at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and she holds a Master’s Degree in Child law and is currently completing her Doctoral Degree on children’s rights.  

Alison is the Deputy Regional Director for UNICEF in Eastern and Southern Africa. She leads a team of technical advisors supporting 21 country offices in program development, implementation, and policy guidance. Alison boasts over 25 years’ experience in diverse humanitarian and development settings across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Latin America.

Timothy Ekesa has over 29 years of experience as a leading child rights activist advocating for children rights and child protection in Kenya, regionally and globally.

He is the Executive Director of Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children (KAACR), an umbrella membership NGO of 250 CSOs in Kenya and with Special Consultative Status) with ECOSOC (UN), Observer Status with African Committee on of Experts on Rights and Welfare of Children (ACERWC) and local partner of ECPAT International.

Mr. Ekesa is currently one of the 18 Experts on the UN Committee on the Rights of the Children, in OHCHR, Geneva Switzerland.

He has led national state party periodic reports and CSO supplementary reporting process on implementation of UNCRC & African Charter on the Rights & Welfare of Children (ACRWC) processes in Switzerland & Ethiopia respectively since 1997. He led a meaningful child participation in CRC reporting process during 44th Session of CRC when Kenya presented the 2nd State Party report of Kenya in 1998 – 2004.

He is one of 20 child advocates from 20 countries at A20 Global Leadership Summit on Child Advocacy 2019 in Beijing, China.

He served as a member of the 5-person ECPAT International Global Supervisory Board

He is a founding Director of 14-country Eastern Africa Child Rights Network (EACRN)

He is a founding Director of Child Line Kenya, Child Helpline 116

He has served as a member of the National Council for Children Services (NCCS), Ministry of Labour Social Security and Services and Vice Chairperson of Elimu Yetu Coalition (Educational Advocacy and pressure lobby group).

He has published several publications on children rights, child protection, child labour, child rights governance and child participation.

He holds Masters of Science Degree in Organizational Development (USIU), continuing Masters of Arts International Relations & Diplomacy (UON), Bachelor of Arts Degree in communication with minor in Community Development from Messiah College through (Daystar University), Post graduate Diploma in Management and Development of NGOs from Galile college, Israel and certificate in magazine editing & production (Daystar University).

Hon. Karoonawtee Chooramun has served as a Member of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) since March 2021. She is the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Name, Birth Registration, and Nationality, where she champions every child’s right to legal identity through birth registration and nationality, and works to combat statelessness across the continent. As Special Rapporteur, Hon. Chooramun advocates for the universal registration of births, which is essential for a child’s legal identity and the realization of many other rights. Her work also involves tackling challenges related to statelessness and ensuring that children can acquire nationality, thereby securing their rights and participation in society. She also serves as Country Rapporteur for Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe, monitoring child rights policies and advising on improvements. In addition, she is a member of the Working Group on Business and Children’s Rights, focusing on the impact of corporate practices on child welfare, including child labor and corporate responsibility.

Biography will be added soon.

Biography will be added soon.

William Muhwava is the Chief of Demographic and Social Statistics Section at the African Centre for Statistics of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. He holds a Doctorate in Medical Demography from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. He is a Demographer and has worked with national statistical offices, universities and international organizations. In his current capacity, he leads the section that has the core functions of supporting countries in the collection, production, analyses and use of demographic and social data collected through censuses, civil registration, population registers and household surveys. He is coordinating the Africa Programme for Accelerated Improvement for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (APAI-CRVS) which has the objective to provide management and programmatic guidance to the African agenda of reforming and improving CRVS systems. The regional programme provides guidance on the institutional and operational linkages, workflows and results management mechanisms in a more comprehensive and holistic manner, encompassing the inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral interfaces of CRVS systems. He also coordinates the implementation of United Nations Legal Identity Agenda, aimed at establishing a mechanism for conferring legal identity to all in a continuous, universal and inclusive manner, from birth to death. Currently, the work has been extended to include the United Nations Legal Identity Agenda and National Population Registers. He coordinates the Africa Census Program.

Nankali Maksud is the Regional Advisor for Child Protection at UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa, where she leads UNICEF’s regional agenda to strengthen child protection systems across 21 countries. With over 20 years of experience in both development and humanitarian contexts, she has championed sustainable reforms in child protection, with a particular focus on legal identity, violence prevention, and protection of vulnerable children.