Circular bioeconomy approaches for food security and resilience

Daniel is a diplomat and part of the team that led the G20 Initiative on Bioeconomy (GIB). He was the negotiator for Brazil at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, the European Biomass Conference, and the Latin American and Caribbean Forum on Sustainable Development. He is a member of the advisory board of the World Bioeconomy Forum and an alternate board member of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP). Daniel has education in economics and diplomacy.

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Pavan works for a global leader in impact data and analytics, harnessing the power of impact economics, technology and AI to uncover a business's full value contribution to the world. A scientist by education, a banker by profession and an environmental economist by passion, he previously led the UN’s Green Economy Initiative and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study. His groundbreaking work has been recognised through several awards including the Blue Planet Prize (2016), the Tyler Prize (2020) and the EAERE European Practitioner Achievement Award in Applying Environmental Economics (2024).

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Pavan works for a global leader in impact data and analytics, harnessing the power of impact economics, technology and AI to uncover a business's full value contribution to the world. A scientist by education, a banker by profession and an environmental economist by passion, he previously led the UN’s Green Economy Initiative and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) study. His groundbreaking work has been recognised through several awards including the Blue Planet Prize (2016), the Tyler Prize (2020) and the EAERE European Practitioner Achievement Award in Applying Environmental Economics (2024).

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Luciana Pellegrino is the first woman to take over the presidency of WPO, a 58-year-old institution that represents the packaging industry with members in 64 different countries. She aims to expand WPO’s activities and relevance for the global packaging industry. Her vision is to raise the voice of packaging at strategic global forums and foster packaging’s positive impact in modern life. Pellegrino has worked in the Brazilian packaging industry for over 27 years and has been general manager of the Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE) since 2002. She has been awarded academic credentials from Mackenzie University, Brazil; the Illinois Institute of Technology, USA; and Instituto Brasileiro de Governança Corporativa (IBGC) in Brazil.

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Gustavo Porpino has worked for Embrapa since 2006. He holds a PhD in business administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas's São Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV-EAESP) and was a visiting scholar at Cornell University, where he carried out research on food consumption behaviour. Gustavo is a member of the Brazilian food banks’ network steering committee and he collaborates with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) initiatives on food security and circularity. He is a co-founder of the Pact Against Hunger, a multi-sectoral movement that combats hunger and reduces food waste in Brazil.

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A Mexican national, Mauricio Mireles has served at the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean since 2019. He previously worked with FAO as an international consultant in Italy, Ghana, Mozambique and Brazil. A sociologist and anthropologist by profession, he holds a master's in environmental security from the UN University for Peace, and a master's in peace, development, security and international conflict transformation from the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Mireles has extensive experience in issues related to the social inclusion of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities, having coordinated diverse projects and initiatives related to South-South cooperation, social protection, school meals, family farming and the Amazonian bioeconomy.

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Liza is a food security advocate and agricultural engineer. She has an extensive experience in developing and managing sustainable food systems, and is a sustainable food systems curriculum manager at the Kings Foundation. Liza has worked with organisations like the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and various institutions in Cameroon, driving innovative solutions and promoting food security through hands-on education and research. Her expertise spans multiple areas of food systems, from food preservation to sustainable farming practices and youth involvements.

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Luciana Pellegrino is the first woman to take over the presidency of WPO, a 58-year-old institution that represents the packaging industry with members in 64 different countries. She aims to expand WPO’s activities and relevance for the global packaging industry. Her vision is to raise the voice of packaging at strategic global forums and foster packaging’s positive impact in modern life. Pellegrino has worked in the Brazilian packaging industry for over 27 years and has been general manager of the Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE) since 2002. She has been awarded academic credentials from Mackenzie University, Brazil; the Illinois Institute of Technology, USA; and Instituto Brasileiro de Governança Corporativa (IBGC) in Brazil.

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Müge Dolun is a development practitioner with expertise on trade, gender and the environment, with experience in strategic research, technical assistance projects and programme evaluation. She manages a large portfolio of UNIDO projects on the circular economy and resource efficiency. Previously Müge served as UNIDO’s gender coordinator. She has managed technical assistance projects in trade and standards as well as agri-business development, mostly in Africa. She is a development economist by training, with a master’s in public administration in international development from Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in environmental studies.

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