The initiative is overseen by a Global Commission comprising former heads of government and finance ministers, and leaders in the fields of economics, business and finance. All members serve in a personal capacity. A list of our Emeritus Commissioners is available here.

Chen Yuan

Commissioner; Former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Former Chairman of the China Development Bank (CDB)
China

Chen Yuan is the Former Vice Chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He was elected to this post in March 2013.

Masatsugu Asakawa

Commissioner, President of the Asian Development Bank
Japan

Masatsugu Asakawa is the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors. He was elected President by ADB’s Board of Governors and assumed office on 17 January 2020.

Helen Clark

Commissioner; Former Administrator, UN Development Programme (UNDP); Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
New Zealand

Helen Clark became the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme on 17 April 2009, and was the first woman to lead the organization. She was also the Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments working on development issues.

Vera Songwe

Commissioner, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa
Cameroon

Vera Songwe is the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Upon her appointment, she became the first woman to lead the institution in its 60-year history. 

Ricardo Lagos

Commissioner; Former President of Chile; Professor at Large, Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University
Chile

Widely regarded as one of Latin America's most important political leaders, Ricardo Lagos served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. During his presidential term he prioritised the pursuit of free-trade agreements, improvements in health care and education legislation, and addressing the crimes of Augusto Pinochet's military regime.

Felipe Calderón Hinojosa

Honorary Chair, Former President of Mexico
Mexico

Felipe Calderón was President of Mexico from 2006 to 2012. During his presidency he prioritized the rule of law and public security; a competitive and job-creating economy; equal opportunities; sustainable development; effective democracy; and a responsible foreign policy.

Angel Gurría

Commissioner; Former Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Mexico

Angel Gurría is the former Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a post he held between 2006-2021. Under his leadership the OECD expanded its membership and its links to major non-OECD countries, reinforcing its role as a hub for global dialogue and debate on economic policy issues.

Nicholas Stern

Co-Chair; IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at the London School of Economics and President of the Royal Economic Society
United Kingdom

Professor Lord Nicholas Stern of Brentford, Kt, is IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government at the London School of Economics and President of the British Academy.  He is Chairman of the LSE's Asia Research Centre and of its Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.  

Caio Koch-Weser

Commissioner; Chair, European Climate Foundation
Germany

Mr. Caio Koch-Weser is Chair, Advisory Council of the European Climate Foundation. From 2013 until 2018 he served as Chair of the Board of the European Climate Foundation.

Sharan Burrow

Co-Chair; General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Australia

Sharan Burrow was elected General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in 2010.  She was ITUC President from 2006-10, and before that President of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (2004-06). She is the first woman to have held any of these positions.