Edoardo Monaco is an Asia-based international development and sustainability specialist. He currently serves as Associate Professor and Acting Head of the Department of Social Sciences (DSS), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS), at the Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (BNU-HKBU UIC) in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China. His interests lie in comparative development and the rise of the Global South, with particular regard to innovation for sustainable development; economic growth, diversification, and inclusion; South-South cooperation; Small Island Developing States (SIDS); and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Edoardo regularly collaborates with intergovernmental organizations, prominent think tanks, and global media platforms. He has been a member of the China Association of the Club of Rome since 2021 and a research fellow at the United Nations Multi-Country Office for Micronesia since 2023.

Masato Abe is the Economist of the United Nations Multi-Country Office for Micronesia, Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). He has extensive experience in enterprise development and financing for development with a special emphasis on the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) sector, global value chains, disaster risk reduction, and access to finance. Before joining the secretariat of the United Nations, he worked in the global automotive, electronics, and high-technology industries. He has published numerous books, book chapters, journal articles, policy papers, and other writings for various outlets. He holds marketing, business administration, and economics degrees and is a research fellow at Thammasat University, Bangkok, a visiting lecturer at Waseda University, Tokyo, and a special lecturer at Naresuan University, Phitsanulok.