DISTINGUISHED PANELISTS
Speaking at:
Session I - The Changing Economic Landscape: “The Need for a Meeting of Minds”
Yenny Zannuba Wahid
Director of Wahid Institute, Indonesia
Yenny Zannuba Wahid is a social and political activist who works to promote peace and tolerance in the world. Her work experience includes working as a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Melbourne as well as working as special staff for President Susilo Yudhoyono. As a member of a prominent political dynasty in Indonesia-her great grandfather founded Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Islamic organization in Indonesia with around 80 million followers, her grandfather was a Minister in President Soekarno’s cabinet, and her father, President Wahid, was the 4th President of Indonesia—Yenny is expected to follow on the footstep one day. At the moment, the Harvard graduate prefers to focus on her work on the grassroots, trying to empower many marginalized women through The Wahid Foundation. One of the key programs she's initiating is the Peace Village initiative, a joint program with the UN Women that aims to create social cohesion in the society by combining economic empowerment and training on prevention of radicalism and promotion of tolerance. Her "Peace School" program helps to train young adults to become agents of peace in the society. Yenny is a recipient of numerous awards and accolades, such as – The Walkley Awards (Australia's highest award in journalism), Women of Peace Award from Soka Gakai,Tokoh Perubahan 2019 (Republika Media group),Young Global Leader from the World Economic Forum,Ambassador of Peace from Universal Peace Federation, Pendekar Anak from Unicef, Indonesia's Tattler 'Most Promising Woman' in the society. She is also currently serving as a member of the Steering Committe of the Paris Peace Forum, initiated by President Macron of France, as well as one of the founding members of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, a UAE led initiative.