Speakers Africa

Sophia Ugwu

Sophia Ugwu is the Founder and Chairperson of the Center for African Justice, Peace, and Human Rights, an organization that works to build communal capacities and strengthen peace, human rights, and justice on the African continent. Prior to this, Ms. Ugwu practiced law in Nigeria and was admitted to practice at the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2008, and has also worked at the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Furthermore, she has done extensive work and volunteering related to migration and refugees, and human rights and economic development in Africa. At our event, we are honored to have Ms. Ugwu speaks about the effect of conflict on women and children in Africa.

Tom Middendorp

Tom Middendorp is an expert in security and military affairs with over 40 years of experience in the Dutch military and having served for 5 years as The Netherlands Chief of Defence. During his time in the military, Mr. Middendorp headed a multinational task force in southern Afghanistan and acted as Director of Operations in over 20 military missions. Currently, Mr. Middendorp is a Senior Research associate at Clingendael and Chairman of the Military Council on Climate and Security. Additionally, Mr. Middendorp serves as The Netherlands’ Special Envoy on European Defence Cooperation and a Senior Advisor in the areas of security, defense, and strategic leadership. At our event, we are honored to have Mr. Middendorp speak about climate change in Africa and climate-proofing NATO.

Mirjam van Reisen

Mirjam van Reisen is an expert in migration, international cooperation, and policy. Currently, Ms. van Reisen works as a professor of Computing for Society at Leiden University and professor of International Relations, Innovation and Care at Tilburg University. Ms. van Reisen also leads the EEPA in Brussels, a non-profit organization which aims to ensure that justice, equality and accountability are always key cornerstones in the pursuit of international relations. Furthermore, Ms. van Reisen serves as Chair of the Globalization, Accessibility, and Care network, which conducts research to help ensure low-income, rural, post-conflict, and otherwise vulnerable populations can access healthcare. At our event, we are honored to have Ms. van Reisen speak about the relationship between conflict and migration in Africa.

For more information about the different themes of the event, click here!