Island Responses To The COVID-19 Pandemic

Jessica’s mission is to help islands be examples to the world of place-based sustainability. With over ten years with the Global Island Partnership largely in New York City, Jessica has returned to her island home of Tasmania to build partnerships to increase ambition and action to maintain what is wonderful, protect what is invaluable and urgently fix problems facing the Tasmanian community, and help facilitate a Tasmanian response to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Jessica is connected locally and globally working with Tasmanian Leaders Inc and the Micronesia Challenge. She stays energised trail running in wild places and eating lots of delicious local produce whenever possible.

His Excellency Chad Blackman, is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva.

Ambassador Blackman has worked in the international development sector for over fifteen years, and has engaged as an international trade law specialist and development consultant respectively.

He served as a legal Consultant in Caribbean Law Firm, where he led the team on issues international trade and data protection laws from 2016.
Ambassador Blackman is the Chair for the Trade and Environment Committee in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and former Chair of the Trade and Development Committee and chairs the SIDS Group in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
He is an Associate member of the London based, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators , and has both an LLB Law and LLM International Trade Law from the University of Essex.

Economist, lawyer & politician. MP in the Faroese Parliament.

Former Minister of Finance (2015-2019) and former Minister of Education, Research & Culture. First time MP in 2002.

Career in IT, marketing & development within banking & insurance. Former board member of various companies.

Two master degrees from Copenhagen University (cand.polit & cand.jur) & a CBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. 45 years and 4 children.

Angus Brendan MacNeil was born and brought up in Tangasdale, on the Isle of Barra, on the Western Isles of Scotland. He was educated at Castlebay School, Isle of Barra; The Nicolson Institute, Isle of Lewis, Strathclyde University and Jordanhill, Glasgow.

After working as a journalist with the BBC, he taught for two years in Salen, Isle of Mull, where he started the Gaelic Medium Unit before moving to Fort William. Angus Brendan lives on his croft in Barra and has three daughters. He is an active crofter on Barra.

Angus Brendan MacNeil was elected MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar in 2005 and he has a high profile throughout his constituency. The main islands in the constituency, which is the length of Wales, include Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra.

Over the last Parliament Angus Brendan has successfully fought for his constituents on issues as varied as coastguards, fishing, fuel and mobile phone connectivity.

In 2015 he was elected Chair of the influential Energy & Climate Committee until its dissolution in July 2016. In 2016 he was elected as the first ever Chair of the International Trade Committee, re-elected again in 2020 following the 2019 General Election.

During his 15 years in Parliament he has served as SNP Spokesperson on Transport, Foreign Affairs & Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Ruth was born and educated in North Western Tasmania. Ruth worked as a Registered Nurse and Midwife, childbirth and sex educator from 1982 - 2005. She is a member and past president of Australian College of Midwives (ACM) (Tas Branch) and awarded ACM Fellowship in 2001.
May 2005, Ruth was elected to Tasmanian Legislative Council (Independent Member for Murchison) and re-elected in 2011 and 2017, elected Deputy President and Chair of Committees (2018) and member and Chair of a number of Parliamentary committees including Subordinate (Delegated) Legislation and Public Accounts.
Ruth completed a Master of Midwifery Degree (2010), Tasmanian Leaders Program (2011), Australian Institute of Company Directors Course (2012), Graduate Certificate in Business (2013) and Australian Futures Project Parliamentary Leaders Program (2017). In 2019, named as one of AFR’s 100 Women of Influence.
Ruth serves on the Boards of Engender Equality, supporting those impacted by family violence and Unconformity an arts organization supporting Tasmania’s West Coast.