Opening Remarks & Keynote Address
Session Time and Date
11 November, 9.00-9.45am
Conference Room 2
Speakers
Christophe Bahuet
Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Director for Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP
His earlier assignments with UNDP included China, Vietnam, Ghana, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Mr. Bahuet also worked in UNDP Headquarters in New York, in the Evaluation Office and then in Partnership Bureau. Prior to joining UNDP, he was posted in the French Embassy in Yugoslavia.
Mr. Bahuet holds a Master’s Degree with Honours from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, a Diploma in Southeast Asian studies from the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations in Paris, a Law Degree and a Degree in Slavic languages from the University of Bordeaux. He speaks French, English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and other Asian languages.
H.E.Tawee Sodsong
Minister of Justice of Thailand
Pol. Col. Tawee Sodsong is Thailand's Minister of Justice, appointed in September 2023. A graduate of the Royal Police Cadet Academy and Kasetsart University, he has held notable roles such as Director General of the Department of Special Investigation, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Justice, and Secretary-General of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center. In 2018, he joined the Prachachat Party, becoming its leader in 2023. With a career spanning law enforcement and politics, Pol. Col. Tawee is committed to justice reform and enhancing transparency across Thailand.
Brett Pettit
Deputy Director, U.S. Embassy Bangkok International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section
Brett has worked for the U.S. Department of State since 2010 and has graduate degrees in Law and Political Science and undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Philosophy.
Martin Hoppe
Head of Division, Governance,
German Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
After studying law, Mr. Hoppe in 1998 first became legal counsel at the German Patent and Trademark
Office, then in 2002 at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ). In BMZ he held various positions, as senior policy advisor on environmental protection in China,
on principles and procedures, as chief speech writer, Head of Division for Peace and Security, Disaster
Risk Management and Head of Division Food and Nutrition Security, Fisheries.
Postings abroad were to the German Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York and Head
of Economic Cooperation and Development at the German Embassy in Hanoi.
Miriam Otto
Netherlands Deputy Ambassador to Thailand, Cambodia and Laos
After studying political science and international relations in Amsterdam and Paris, Ms. Otto started working for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs some 15 years ago. She enjoyed working in various roles in The Hague and at several Embassies abroad (Bangladesh, Senegal, Russia). Before coming to Thailand, she was Head of our Arms Exports Policy division. In her current role, she works on strengthening the Netherlands relations with Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as head of the policy department of the Embassy. She lives in Bangkok with her British
husband and two children (6 and 8 years old). In her free time, she enjoys exploring the cultural and culinary side of the city, playing field hockey and relaxing with a good book, podcast or movie
Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed
Chief Justice of Bangladesh
Born on December 28, 1958, and son of Late Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed and Late National Professor Dr. Sufia Ahmed, he is a distinguished legal professional and scholar. He obtained his LL.B. (Hons) with first-class honors from the University of Dhaka and pursued further studies at the University of Oxford (B.A. in Jurisprudence, M.A.) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA (M.A. in Law and Diplomacy, Ph.D.). A Ford Foundation Fellow in Public International Law, he has been an Advocate of the Bangladesh Supreme Court since 1984 and became a Judge of the High Court Division in 2005.
He has published extensively, including "Digital Footprints: A Rights-Based Perspective" (2020) and contributed to a 2024 Routledge publication on the Bangladeshi Constitution. His career includes work as a lawyer in London, with the UNHCR, and as a Founder Member of the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment. He organized the 2016 South Asia Judicial Conference on Environment and Climate Change and has participated in numerous international conferences
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Richa Shretha
Judicial Clerk at the Supreme Court of Nepal and Coordinator for the World's Youth for Climate Justice
Richa Shrestha is a Nepalese law student and indigenous climate activist dedicated to advancing legal protections for climate migrants in South Asia. She currently serves as a Judicial Clerk at the Supreme Court of Nepal and Coordinator for the World's Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ), where she engages with young activists, policymakers, and scientists to support climate justice advocacy at the Hague. Richa has contributed to Nepal's climate submission to the International Court of Justice and serves as a National Rapporteur for the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, reporting on climate litigation across Nepal and the Pacific. She also represents indigenous youth voices as part of the Asia Pacific Youth Advisory Group on Environmental and Climate Justice.