Coordination

Sacha Stone

Humanitad Foundation: New York Link

Sacha is Founder of the humanitarian not for profit organization Humanitad. He was born in Rhodesia and grew up throughout the Zimbabwean war for independence. He now lives between the organization's European base in London (UK) and Asian base in Bali (Indonesia). He travels widely, meeting with political, theological and intellectual figures across the globe and is Editor-in-Chief of the Humanitad World Leadership Quarterly.

In 1999 Sacha established Humanitad as an internationally positioned neutral organization dedicated to uniting all nations, faiths and cultures on earth through the conception and realization of projects and programmes which celebrate common unity. It serves as a facilitator for the exchange of core ideas and promotes international arts, cultural and education programs.

Humanitad has assembled a world-leading media team who come together as a unit in order to lend their considerable names and expertise in rolling out programs which contribute to the upliftment of humankind.

The organization is also involved with various international programs which seek to preserve indigenous cultures and the promotion of ecological sustainability.

In 2007 Sacha Stone co-chaired a meeting with Jonathan Glenn-Granoff at the offices of the Global Security Institute in New York. The late President of Slovenia Dr. Janez Drnovsek and His Grace Bishop Riah Abu El Assal of Jerusalem accompanied Humanitad t o the United States for this purpose. Celebrated author Deepak Chopra and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs (key architect of the UN MDG) also attended and contributed to the format.

The purpose was to discuss the formation of an annual Global Impact Forum as an integrated web-based forum bringing together global leaders, thinkers and activists in an interactive 'conversation with the world' on the critical issues facing humankind and the planet. The idea for this forum has now developed into a concentrated annual Forum on the Millennium Development Goals and will be linking 'live' to the World Summit of Nobel Laureates for the purpose.

View photo gallery of meeting (GSI)

Jonathan Granoff

Global Impact Forum: Chair

Jonathan is Senior Advisor of the American Bar Association's Committee on Arms Control and National Security. He is Vice President of the NGO Committee on Disarmament at the UN, and serves on numerous governing and advisory boards including the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, the Lawyers Alliance for World Security, the Jane Goodall Institute, the Bipartisan Security Group, and the Middle Powers Initiative. Mr. Granoff has lectured worldwide emphasizing the legal, ethical and spiritual dimensions of human development and security, with a specific focus on the threats posed by nuclear weapons. He is an award-winning screenwriter, and has been featured in more than 30 publications. He has practiced law in Philadelphia as an individual practitioner, in several medium sized firms, and as in-house counsel in a public company. He chaired the special session on Terrorism and Threats to Humanity at the Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome in 2004 . He has represented the International Peace Bureau, a Nobel Peace Laureate organization at several Nobel Peace Laureate Summits in Rome.

Rune Hersvik

Nobel Peace Laureates Liaison

Stavanger-Link Director

Mr. Hersvik was educated and worked as a Civil engineer but quickly moved into work with social issues as Coordinator of the Scandinavian contribution to the "Live Aid" event, (including video production and international TV distribution to 1,5 billion viewers -in cooperation with BBC TV producer Mike Appleton), followed by Director of International Fundraising and awareness campaign for Sub Saharan Africa at the UN HQ -IFAD in Rome; Mobilizing support from Governments and sponsors in the OECD and OPEC regions by using international contemporary artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Hamilton, Armani, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, the Norwegian sculptor Bård Breivik and 85 Nobel Laureates as catalysts for the UN IFAD awareness campaign which achieved objective; 300 million us $ for the IFAD Sub Saharan Program.

In 1991 to 2003 Secretary General and co-founder of the Media and Human Rights organization Worldview Rights and "the Nobel Peace Laureates Follow up Fund", and later became Director of the Lillehammer Olympic cultural event/concert "voice of the voiceless" organized on behalf of the Lillehammer Olympic Committee. He was Co-founder and executive producer of the Nobel Concert in Oslo Norway, and Executive producer of "the Nobel Concert statements" for the TV Concert program; Executive producer of the live broadcast and web cast of the Nobel centennial event in support of Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi with all present Nobel Laureates (28) plus personal contributions from Desmond Tutu, Jose Ramos Horta and Bono among others.

Michael Jacobson

Michael has a long history of bridging the language barrier between not for profit organizations and the corporate community. He is currently a member of the Board of Advisors to the Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and a Board Member of World of Hope International and the Montessori Model UN program. In addition, Mr. Jacobson has worked extensively as advisor and director to an extensive cross section of not for profits including the American Heart Association, United Cerebral Palsy and the Make a Wish Foundation. In the corporate world, he has worked with the charitable giving programs of clients such as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Mercedes Benz, N.A.

He is also a Director of the Shaolin Centre in Toronto, being developed in association with the Kingbridge Centre, a state of the art corporate meeting and training center developed by Global Scientific founder John Abeles.

Heidi Walters

Heidi Walters has the unique experience of more than 15 years experience in managing and coordinating projects and programs in both the for-profit and not-for profit worlds. Having this behind her Heidi has clearly seen the need for the two worlds to unite in the name of corporate social responsibility and effective project implementation.

Along side her experience as administrative and clinical team leader for Canada’s largest corporate dental group, Heidi has held various leadership and management positions during her long-term relationships with the Ontario Lupus Association, Lupus Canada, and the Arthritis Society, and today is one of their leading spokespersons and motivational speakers. Heidi is also a founding member of TLC (Taking Life as a Challenge) a wellness group for children and teenagers diagnosed with chronic autoimmune and rheumatic conditions.

In addition to her responsibilities as Managing Director for the UN MDG Awards Committee, Heidi is also the Director of United Nations Relations and Aggregated Purchasing Program for BidGive International whose Principal marketing partners include EVO Merchant Services, an affiliate of HSBC, and Office Depot.