26 June 2014: The UNFCCC Secretariat has selected 12 high-profile leaders to join the Momentum for Change Advisory Panel in the fields of information and communication technology (ICT), sustainable energy, international diplomacy and non-profit advocacy.

The 25-member panel is responsible for: selecting the Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activities, the most inspiring and transformational mitigation and adaptation activities; providing strategic guidance in expanding and strengthening the Momentum for Change initiative; and supporting the Secretariat in marketing the initiative.

Welcoming the 12 new members, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres stated that with their help, “we will be able to shine a light on activities that are moving communities, cities, businesses, governments and institutions toward a low-carbon, high-resilient future.” Selected activities will be announced in November 2014 and celebrated in December at the UN Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru.

Teresa Ribera Rodriguez, Chair of the Advisory Panel, noted that the new focus area, ICT Solutions, had led to bringing on board some of the additional panelists. She expressed the hope that by showcasing initiatives that demonstrate the great impact that positive action can have on the climate, “we can help mobilize action and ambition everywhere as national governments work toward a new, universal climate agreement in 2015.”

The new panel members are: Chinmaya Acharya, Chief of Programs, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation; Ignacio Campino, Board Member, Desertec Foundation; Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Ambassador, Embassy of Mexico to the Federal Republic of Germany; Ramiro Fernandez, Director, AVINA Foundation; Matilda Gennvi Gustafsson, Sustainability Director, Ericsson Group; Antonio Hill, Executive Director, Global Call for Climate Action; Ian Inaba, Executive Director, Citizen Engagement Lab; Malcolm Johnson, Director of Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, International Telecommunication Union; Thierry Klein, Head of Green Research, Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent; Heather McGeory, Director of Partnerships, Purpose; Luis Neves, Group Climate Change and Sustainability Officer, Deutsche Telekom; and Angelica Valeria Ospina, Research Fellow, Climate Change, Innovation and ICTs, the University of Manchester. [UNCCC Press Release and New Panel Members] [Momentum for Change Website] [Members of the Advisory Panel] [Lighthouse Activities]