Mr. Stefano Pettinato is the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also covered functions as UN Resident Coordinator a.i. in Bahrain between March and November 2020. Before that, he served as UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Bahrain in 2017 and 2018.  His career at UNDP included assignments as Deputy Resident Representative for El Salvador and Belize, Regional Policy Adviser on Social Policy and Human Development at UNDP’s Regional Centre in Panama and the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean in New York, and Policy Adviser in UNDP’s Human Development Report Office in New York. He co-authored the 2003 and 2004 editions of the Global Human Development Report. Before joining UNDP, Mr. Pettinato worked at the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. He also served as a Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, and as a consultant at SWIFT. He is author of the book “Happiness and Hardship: Opportunity and Insecurity in New Market Economies” with Carol Graham (Brookings Press, 2002) and has published several articles and book chapters on poverty, inequality, subjective well-being, and social security reform.  Mr. Pettinato graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florence in an MA on Development and Public Economics and obtained a second Master’s Degree in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Armen Sedrakyan has over 15 years of professional experience in implementing rural development programmes focused on analysis of food security, agricultural policy. Before joining FAO Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen as Economist, he was the Policy Officer (FIRST – Food and Nutrition Security Impact, Resilience, Sustainability and Transformation Programme) in the Kyrgyz Republic providing technical assistance in the formulation of the Food Security and Nutrition Programme in Kyrgyzstan for 2019-2023. From 2015 to 2017, he worked in Bangladesh in the Meeting the Undernutrition Challenge Project in his capacity as Food Security Policy Expert, contributing to the monitoring of the Country Investment Plan for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition 2011-2016 of Bangladesh. From 2011 to 2012 he was Chief Technical Advisor in Tajikistan of the EU/FAO project on Support to Strengthening of the Food Security Information System. From 2005 to 2011 he was FAO National Professional Officer coordinating the capacity strengthening projects for agriculture and rural development of Armenia. He graduated in International Economics from the Yerevan State University and is a Doctor of Economics from the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics of the Republic of Armenia.

Dr. Omar Al-Ubaydli is Director of Studies and Research, and Director of Economics and Energy Studies. He previously worked as an Assistant Professor of Economics at George Mason University, USA, as well as being a member of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell’s Joint Advisory Board of Economists. Dr. Al-Ubaydli received his BA in Economics from the University of Cambridge (Queens’ College) and his MA and PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago. Dr. Al-Ubaydli’s research has been published in several international, peer-reviewed journals and has been featured by media outlets including the Economist magazine.

Presentations in Arabic can be found on the Arabic side of the website.

Day 1, Session 2

Mr. Ahmed Bucheeri, Principal Architect & Managing Director, Gulf House Engineering (GHE), Bahrain

Day2, Session 1

Eng. Saleh AlShanfari, Chairman of the Food Security Committee Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Oman