Andrew Potts is a lawyer and climate heritage policy expert who has focused on the intersection of culture and climate change since 2015. He helped found and coordinate the Climate Heritage Network (2018–2023) and led the 2024 launch of its “Imagining Low Carbon, Just, Climate Resilient Futures” initiative with support from the Mellon Foundation. He is currently Community of Practice Director for the Preserving Legacies project, funded by the National Geographic Society, and serves as Heritage and Climate Action Adviser to Europa Nostra. A former Associate General Counsel at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, he is a recipient of the John H. Chafee Trustees’ Award and has advised ICOMOS, UNESCO, and the U.S. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Deyvesson Israel Alves Gusmão is the President of the Brazilian National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN), of the Ministry of Culture of Brazil.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in History from the Federal University of Rondônia (UNIR) (2003), a Master's degree in Geography from the same institution (2008), and a postgraduate specialization in the Management and Study of Archaeological Heritage from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) (2014).

Throughout his professional career, he has served as civil servant for the State of Acre as a Cultural Policy Specialist and for IPHAN as Analyst. He is currently a Social Policies Technical Analyst at the Brazilian Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI), with a decentralized assignment at IPHAN.

Since 2009, he has worked in the field of public policies aimed at the protection, safeguarding and promotion of Brazil's cultural heritage. At IPHAN, he served as Superintendent in the State of Acre (2009-2016), General Coordinator for Identification and Registration of Intangible Heritage (2016-2021), and, from 2023 to 2026, held the position of Director of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Margareth Menezes is a singer, songwriter, actress, cultural manager, entrepreneur, and, since 2023, the Minister of Culture of Brazil. She is a native of Salvador, in the state of Bahia, Brazil.She has an artistic career spanning more than 38 years. She began her career in theater. In 1987, she recorded her first single, the classic "Faraó (Divinity of Egypt)," considered the first samba-reggae recorded in Brazil, selling over 100,000 copies. She has released more than 17 musical works and has completed 23 international tours on every continent. She is the winner of two Caymmi trophies, two Troféu Imprensa, four Dodô and Osmar trophies, and has been nominated for two Grammy and Latin Grammy categories.Her concern with social issues led her to found, in 2004, the Cultural Factory Association, an organization that develops projects in the areas of Culture, Education, and Sustainability. She also created the Mercado Iaô project, which brings together social actions in music, fashion, gastronomy, handicrafts, and creative economy, as well as other income-generating and Afro-entrepreneurship activities.In 2002, she was elected as one of the 100 most influential black women in the world by "MIPAD - Most Influential People of African Descent."In 2020, she became an Ambassador in Brazil for the International Organization of Folk Art (IOV).In 2023, she earned a position as an "immortal" at the Brazilian Academy of Culture (ABC), alongside 55 other notables, taking over Chair 28, which was previously held by singer Elza Soares.In 2023, Minister Margareth Menezes launched the Group of Friends for Culture-Based Climate Action, which she has co-chaired alongside the United Arab Emirates ever since. Through this initiative, she has led an informal coalition of culture ministers and institutional partners committed to strengthening the role of culture and cultural heritage in the international climate agenda and advancing their integration into global climate policies and action.

Ibrahim Tchan is a Heritage and Climate Change Expert with over 15 years of experience in West Africa. He is Director and Co-Founder of the Tata Somba Ecomuseum, Executive Director of the Beninese Volunteer Corps, and Co-Coordinator for Francophone Africa at the Climate Heritage Network. His work integrates indigenous knowledge with climate science to build biocultural resilience in living cultural landscapes, notably leading the Koutammakou climate risk pilot. Recognized globally, Ibrahim is an ICOMOS Ambassador for the "Heritage Adapts!" campaign and was named one of the top 10 most influential figures in the global museum sector by Blooloop in 2022.

Dr. Meredith Wiggins is Senior Director of Climate Adaptation at World Monuments Fund (WMF), where she guides climate strategy across WMF’s global portfolio, assessing environmental risks and opportunities while advancing practical approaches to adaptation for communities and their heritage. An archaeologist and environmental researcher by training, Dr. Wiggins brings deep expertise in heritage protection, policy, planning, and international development to her work. She currently oversees WMF’s Climate Heritage Initiative and leads Cultivating Resilience, a global program focused on risk assessment and adaptation for biocultural landscapes. Dr. Wiggins also represents WMF as Focal Point for the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action and for AG19: Culture, Cultural Heritage, and Climate Action. Before joining WMF, Dr. Wiggins led climate mitigation and adaptation programs for the U.S. Government, following 16 years in the UK working with Historic England and English Heritage in research, urban planning, and heritage protection.

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Mankesh Kumar Gupta is the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) Coordinator at the Center for Indigenous Peoples' Research and Development (CIPRED) in Nepal. Over 18 years in the forests and watersheds of Nepal have taught him a fundamental truth: climate resilience is not merely built with hardware and data, but rooted in the living heritage, customary governance, and ancestral wisdom of local communities.

A certified regional trainer in Participatory Assessment of Climate and Disaster Risks (PACDR), Mankesh works at the intersection of natural resource management, customary tenure rights, and climate adaptation. He is dedicated to ensuring that Indigenous Peoples’ tangible lands and intangible ecological knowledge are not just preserved as history, but recognized, safeguarded, and activated as front-line solutions for a resilient future.

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Dr. A. Ege Yildirim is an urban planner specializing in heritage conservation, with over 25 years of experience related to cultural heritage policy and governance, UNESCO World Heritage, and sustainable development. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Pratt Institute (New York), Senior Fellow for Archaeological Site Management at Koç University (Istanbul) and a Salzburg Global Seminar fellow. Her previous positions include heritage planner at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, site manager for the Historic Guild Town of Mudurnu; and ICOMOS Focal Point for the SDGs. She founded Terra Mudurnu, a social venture for heritage-based sustainable development. Ege is currently supporting ICOMOS Türkiye, Europa Nostra, Heritage Adapts! and the Climate Heritage Network for the Culture at COP31 platform.