Resilience Pays Off – SDG 6, SDG 11: Reimagining Urban Water from Risk to Resource

Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter was born 1962 in Waldshut. She studied economics at the Universities of Freiburg and Zurich and worked in marketing before becoming a Member of the German Parliament in 2005. Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter has been Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Environment between 2013 and 2021 and has returned to this position in 2025. In the period between 2021 and 2025 she held the role of Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. She is head of the working group “sustainable mobility” of the national SPD Executive Committee, as well as deputy chair of the Baden-Württemberg SPD.

Dr. Bärbel Kofler (SPD) holds the position of Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. Before being appointed to this role in December 2021, she was the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid for six years. She has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2004, where her previous roles included Development Policy Spokesperson of the SPD parliamentary group and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Ambassador Thomas Zahneisen has served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations since March 2022. Before coming to New York he served as Director for Humanitarian Assistance in the Federal Foreign Office (FFO) in Berlin following his role as Head of Division for Crisis Prevention, Stabilization, Peacebuilding and Mediation from 2015 to 2017.

Antonio Francisco Da Costa e Silva Neto serves currently as Co-Chair of the Coalition for High Ambition Multilevel Partnerships for Climate Action (CHAMP) and as Vice-President of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC).

In his diplomatic career, he joined the service as a Third Secretary in 1984, reaching the position of First Class Minister in 2013, always on the basis of merit. He served in various positions in Brazil, including as advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and professor at the Rio Branco Institute. Abroad, he represented Brazil at the UN (New York), the OECD (Paris), OPANAL (Mexico), and at embassies in Latin America and Europe.

He served as Brazilian Ambassador to Jamaica (2011–2015), Finland (2015–2019), and Costa Rica (2019–2023), with representation in international organizations such as ISBA, IICA, FLACSO, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Anacláudia Rossbach (Brazil) is the Executive Director of UN-Habitat and an economist with over 20 years of experience in housing, informal settlements, and urban policies. She was appointed Executive Director of UN-Habitat at the Under-Secretary-General level by the General Assembly, following nomination by the UN Secretary-General on 7 June 2024. Prior to this role, she was the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and served as Regional Manager for Cities Alliance, where she founded the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub. Prior to that, with the World Bank, she oversaw the development and implementation of Brazilian housing and slum-upgrading policies. Ms. Rossbach has actively contributed to global urban policy discussions and has a strong academic presence in the field. She took office on 12 August 2024.

Globally recognized municipal leader and urban ambassador with over 25 years of executive experience in strategic urban governance, sustainable transformation and multilateral city engagement. As Mayor of Heidelberg since 2006, widely acknowledged for shaping evidence-based city strategies and advancing resilient, equitable urban development. Provides leadership in the Forum of Mayors at the United Nations and the Global Parliament of Mayors and plays a central role in major international city networks including UCLG and the Global Covenant of Mayors. Represents German cities with distinction in national and international forums, driving impactful partnerships, systemic local transformation and the strengthened global role of cities in tackling shared challenges.

Sushmita Shekar is an urban designer, architect, and policy advocate dedicated to creating sustainable, people-centered cities. With international experience working alongside governments across the US, China, India, Russia, and the Middle East, she advances innovative approaches to urban development that strengthen both social and environmental resilience. A recognized Future 100 designer, she co-authored Livable Cities of the Future for the G20 Summit and is actively engaged in promoting youth participation and the UN Sustainable Development Goals through her work with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Columbia University.

A senior public sector leader with nearly three decades of experience in public finance, strategic planning, and government administration. Since 2025, serving as National Director of Planning at the Ministry of Planning and Development, following nine years as Deputy National Director of Budget Planning at the Ministry of Finance. A civil servant since 1997 and a director-level leader since 2010, with extensive expertise in coordinating national planning and budgeting processes, strengthening fiscal decentralization, and supporting effective public financial management.