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Who We Are

Parliamentarians for Global Action is a multi-party, global network of legislators from all regions of the world advocating for the most fundamental social and environmental principles: human rights, democracy, and the rule of law; peace and human security; gender equality and inclusion; protection of the environment; and justice in all its forms.

Our network includes more than 1,000 active members of parliament from more than 150 countries working in their individual capacity to advance these principles through legislative action in their home countries and internationally.

Executive Committee

Our executive committee, or Board, is composed of members of parliament who represent a broad spectrum of political parties, ideologies, geographies, genders, ethnicities, and interests. The Board meets twice a year. It guides our organization and advises our Secretary-General — the chief executive and administrative officer of the network — who leads our Secretariat.

Syed Naveed Qamar
President of PGA

Hon. Syed Naveed Qamar

MP (Pakistan)

Hon. Qamar has served as Minister for Defense, Minister for Finance and Federal Minister of Commerce. 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

Hon. 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 a former Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement.

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 foreign affairs and global sustainable development. She serves as Chairperson of the Committee for the Election of Judges for the European Court of Human Rights 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.

amanza walton desir

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).

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. Georges serves as the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly of Seychelles. He 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 who served as former senior legal counsel to the president of Uganda. He currently serves as chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament of Uganda. 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

Our network is further guided by an International Council composed of the chairs of PGA national groups — cross-party caucuses of parliamentarians that enable legislators to work collectively on domestic legislation and policies while staying integrated into PGA’s global advocacy work. The International Council meets once every year to report on the progress of PGA’s campaigns and to discuss and strategize around challenges.

Dip. Ycelmary Brito O'Neal
Dip. Ycelmary Brito O'Neal

(Dominican Republic)

Hannah Neumann
Dr. Hannah Neumann

MEP (Germany)

abdoulie Ceesay
Hon. Abdoulie Ceesay

MP (The Gambia)

Dip. Jorge Cálix
Dip. Jorge Cálix

(Honduras)

Mary Navicha
Hon. Mary Navicha

MP (Malawi)

Kula Segaran.jpg
Hon. Kula Segaran

MP (Malaysia)

Bamidele Salam.jpg
Hon. Bamidele Salam

MP (Nigeria)

Sherry Rehman
Sen. Sherry Rehman

(Pakistan)

Ann-Sofie Alm
Ms. Ann-Sofie Alm

MP (Sweden)

Jasson Rweikiza
Hon. Jasson Rweikiza

MP (Tanzania)

Wade Mark
Sen. Wade Mark

(Trinidad and Tobago)

Secretariat

PGA’s Secretariat is the operational body of our organization, responsible for managing our programs and campaigns and providing technical and legal assistance to our members. Our Secretariat is headquartered in New York, United States with an office in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Mónica Adame

Ms. Mónica Adame
Secretary-General

Mónica Adame

Ms. Jennifer McCarthy
Deputy Secretary-General

Florian Delsert

Mr. Florian Delsert
Membership Officer

Charles Rubin

Mr. Charles Rubin
Information Technology Officer

Maryna Prykhodko

Ms. Maryna Prykhodko
Development Officer

Cat Brozena

Ms. Catherine Brozena
Communications Consultant

 

  Democracy, Gender, and Inclusion Program
Melissa Verpile

Ms. Melissa Verpile
Director



 

  International Law and Human Rights Program
Frederika Schweighoferova

Ms. Frederika Schweighoferova
Director

Olivia Houssais

Ms. Olivia Houssais
Senior Program Officer

Fiona Servaes

Ms. Fiona Servaes
Communications Consultant



 Human Rights and Environment Program
Faatimah Saarah Monawvil

Ms. Faatimah Saarah Monawvil
Director



 

  International Peace and Security Program
Peter Barcroft

Mr. Peter Barcroft
Senior Director



PGA UN Advisory Committee

Christian Wenaweser

H.E. Mr. Christian Wenaweser
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein

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.

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