Alliances for Action: What the World Wants

Katherine Zavala is Director of Grassroots Partnerships at Thousand Currents, which partners with grassroots groups and movements — led by women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples in the Global South — that are creating lasting solutions to our shared global challenges. In this role she has worked alongside groups including AFEDES, an indigenous women-led organization in Guatemala and the Movement of People Affected by Dams, a national social movement in Brazil. Previously she worked for IDEX on poverty alleviation.

Otto Saki is a global program officer on the Civic Engagement and Government team. He joined the foundation as a program officer in the South Africa office in 2017. His areas of interest are global and regional political economy, regional economic communities, health, information technology, and governance. Otto has provided technical assistance to civil society, government ministries and government agencies across Sub-Saharan Africa on various law related matters including legislative reform. Otto has litigated before the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights on matters relating to freedom of expression, protection of the law and forced evictions.

Berry Vrbanovic was born in Zagreb, Croatia. He is Mayor of Kitchener, Canada and Treasurer of the United Cities and Local Government, the largest association of its kind in the world. He has a long history of engagement in local government, as well as global fora, with particular focus on Agenda 2030 and Financing for Development.

Patrick Gaspard Is President of the Open Society Foundations. He has worked in government, politics and social justice movement, including as US ambassador to South Africa (2013-16), White House director of political affairs, national political director for Obama for America in 2008 and before then for a number of unions and the mayor of New York City, David Dinkins.