The Global Leadership Council is the high-level group of appointed SWA leaders who advocate for and mobilize wider political commitment to the Guiding Principles and aims of the SWA partnership. The Council helps to champion the need for universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene, and supports in increasing SWA's visibility at regional and global levels.
H.E. Laura Chinchilla
Former President Laura Chinchilla is a political scientist with a Master in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
She was the first woman to be elected president of Costa Rica (2010-2014). Previously, she served as minister of public security (1996-1998), congresswoman (2002-2006), minister of justice (2006-2008), and vice president (2006-2008). During her political career, Mrs. Chinchilla prompted police and justice reform measures to tackle crime and violence, digital and open government, the promotion of women's rights, and early childhood protection. She also promoted environmental sustainability policies, especially on preserving marine biodiversity, for which she was distinguished with international awards.
Mrs. Chinchilla has worked as a consultant with various international organizations, such as the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). She has been part of the advisory boards of the UNDP`s Human Development Report and the Global Happiness Report, and board member of the International Olympic Committee, the World Leadership Alliance - Club de Madrid, the Inter-American Dialogue, the Concordia Summit, and the Euro-America Foundation. Mrs. Chinchilla has headed various Electoral Observation Missions in the Americas and chaired the Kofi Annan Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age. She has taught at the Institute of Politics and Public Policy of Georgetown University (USA), the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (México), and the Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil).
H.E. Dr Joyce Banda
An entrepreneur, activist, politician and philanthropist, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Banda served as the President of the Republic of Malawi from 2012-2014. She was Malawi’s first female President and Africa’s second. Prior to assuming office, President Banda served as a Member of Parliament, Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, Foreign Minister, and Vice President of the Republic of Malawi. While serving as Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, she championed the enactment of The Prevention of Domestic Violence Bill (2006), which provided the legal framework to support the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.
During her reign, President Banda is credited with turning around an ailing economy which was on the verge of collapse to one that registered 6.2% in 2014 from 1.8% registered in 2012. This followed her aggressive economic reforms which led to significant economic expansion. Under President Banda, Malawi’s operational industrial capacity improved from 35% in 2012 to 85% in July 2014, and the foreign exchange import cover was increased from one week to three and half months in July 2014. In the areas of democracy, good governance, and rule of law, President Banda repealed a number of draconian laws which had weakened essential democratic institutions, infringed upon civil liberties, and restricted the freedom of the press.
In 1997, after receiving the Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger that she shared with President Chissanu of Mozambique, she used the prize money of $50,000 to establish the Joyce Banda Foundation. The Foundation seeks to transform villages in Malawi and internationally through its work in supporting women’s economic empowerment, education, maternal health and HIV/AIDS programs, leadership training, and support for human rights. The Joyce Banda Foundation has reached 1.3 million Malawians with Women’s empowerment, education, maternal health, leadership, and rights. In her post-presidency, Dr Banda has been leading election observation missions to Botswana and Nigeria. She currently serves as pan African Climate justice champion further raising climate change issues in developing countries, in general, and Africa in particular.
President Banda is an international speaker on leadership, democracy, good governance, and women’s and girl’s rights and motivational speaker. She has delivered numerous lectures at universities including Harvard Medical School and the Kennedy School of Politics, the London School of Economics and Political Science, George Washington University, Kansas State University, among others. She is also a recipient of many global awards ranging from leadership, democracy and girls rights. President Banda is member of the Southern Africa Community Development (SADC) Panel of Elders on Conflict Resolution, Peace and Security and serves on more that 25 international and local boards, making her contribution to various sectors of the society.
Book published:
From Day One: Why Supporting Girls Aged 0 to 10 is Critical to Change Africa’s Path
H.E. Aminata Touré
Aminata Touré is a Senegalese politician and Human Rights activist. She held several governmental positions including Prime minister (2013-2014), Minister of Justice (2012-2013), President's Special Envoy for Internal and External Affairs (2015-2019), President of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (2019-2020). Dr. Touré worked for 24 years in the United Nations Organization where she held technical expert positions in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Sénégal. She also headed the Gender and Human Rights Direction at the United Nations Population Fund Headquarters in New York. At the early stage of her career, Dr. Touré worked in the private sector and with the Senegalese branch of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. From 2014 to 2020, Dr. Touré led and co-led Presidential election observation missions on behalf of the African Union and The Carter Center in Mauritius, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Libéria and Guyana. Aminata Touré holds a Master in Economics and an MBA from the University of Aix-Marseille in France and a Ph.D. from the International School of Management in Paris. Dr. Touré directed more than 30 United Nations publications and authored in 2021 a book highlighting Africa’s contribution to International Penal Law through the Extraordinary Judiciary Chambers that trialed Hissein Habré, former President of Chad. Besides her native language, Wolof, Aminata Touré is fluent in French and English.
H.E. Dr Han Seung Soo
Prime Minister Han had a distinguished political, diplomatic and administrative career serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (1996-97), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2001-02) and Minister of Industry and Trade (1988-90) before serving as Prime Minister. In his various roles, he promoted peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula and oversaw negotiations for the Republic of Korea to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1996. He also had a distinguished academic career teaching economics at various universities.
He also served as Korean Ambassador to the United States (1993-94), Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Korea (President Kim Young Sam) (1994-95), President of the 56th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2001 and 2002, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change (2007-08) and Chairman of the 2009 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris.
He is also the Founding Chair of the High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters and was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB) (2004-15)
H.E. Elbegdorj Tsakhia
Elbegdorj Tsakhia is a public servant, a freedom fighter, and a policymaker from Mongolia. In 1990, he was one of the key leaders of the Mongolian Democratic Revolution and since then has continuously served Mongolia as a Member of Parliament four times, Prime Minister two times, and was elected President for two terms. Born in the isolated Western Mongolia as the youngest of eight sons from a humble traditional nomadic, he has worked as a machinist in a copper mine, a soldier, and a journalist in the army newspaper.
As Prime Minister, Member of Parliament, and President, Mr.Elbegdorj prioritized strengthening the rule of law in Mongolia, fostering social justice, fighting poverty, combating corruption, supporting environmental sustainability, and advancing active participatory democracy. He has also initiated and led many social, economic, and governance reforms.
Aiming to consolidate democracy in Asia, Mr. Elbegdorj established the Asian Partnership for Democracy initiative within the confines of the Community of Democracies, the largest international organization that drives the global democracy agenda which Mongolia presided in 2011-2013. Under the chairmanship of the Community of Democracies, Elbegdorj developed a plan on promoting civil society and advocating women’s rights, particularly political rights.
Currently, Mr. Elbegdorj is continuing his work to improve public policy, governance, and democracy through the Elbegdorj Institute, a think tank he found in 2008. During his tenure as President, he also focused on the impacts of climate change, air and soil pollution, the most significant public health issues in the capital of Mongolia. Through his Green Belt Foundation, he continues this work as well by bringing together multi-stakeholders to find novel solutions to these challenges. He also supports Mongolian studies and aims to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Mongolia successfully.
Mr. Elbegdorj is now Commissioner of International Commission against Death Penalty (ICDP), Patron of the World Sustainable Development Forum (WSDF) and Member of World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid.
Mr. Elbegdorj holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government (2002) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Land Forces Military Academy of Lviv of former USSR (1988).
Ms. Catherine M. Russell
Catherine M. Russell became UNICEF’s eighth Executive Director on 1 February 2022.
Ms. Russell brings to the role decades of experience in developing innovative policy that empowers underserved communities around the world, including high-impact programmes that protect women and girls, including in humanitarian crises. She has extensive experience building, elevating, and managing diverse workforces and mobilizing resources and political support for a broad range of initiatives.
From 2020 to 2022, she served in the US government as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. She previously served from 2013 to 2017 as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State. Previously, Ms. Russell served as Deputy Assistant to the President at the White House under President Barack Obama, Senior Advisor on International Women’s Issues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice, and Staff Director of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Kinya Seto
Mr. Kinya Seto is the CEO of LIXIL Corporation.
LIXIL makes pioneering water and housing products that touch the lives of over a billion people every day. The company’s corporate purpose is to make better homes a reality for everyone, everywhere. It does this through brands such as SATO, which offers affordable, easy-to-use, and innovative sanitation and hygiene solutions, including the SATO Tap and SATO Toilet, that help people from all walks of life have a better life.
Mr. Seto joined LIXIL in 2016. He began his career with Sumitomo Corporation, a major Japanese trading company, in 1983. He went on to establish more than 10 companies in Japan and overseas, including MonotaRO Corporation, which under his leadership grew into one of the largest and most profitable MRO distribution companies in Japan.
Mr. Seto holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Tokyo and an MBA from Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.