AFCC – Speakers Page

Mr. Gregor Sneddon

Secretary General, IFA (Moderator)

Gregor Sneddon is the Secretary General of the International Federation on Ageing (IFA), where he leads global efforts to advance healthy ageing through policy, partnerships, and advocacy. With a background spanning humanitarian response, ordained ministry, and civil society leadership, including as former Executive Director of HelpAge Canada, he brings a deep commitment to justice, equity, and the rights of older persons.

Ms. Alana Officer

Determinants, Urban Health, Promotion and Behaviour Unit, WHO

Alana Officer’s academic background spans Podiatric Medicine, Applied Science (Exercise and Sports Science), and Public Health. Before joining the World Health Organization (WHO), she held a range of clinical and managerial positions across Africa, Europe, South Asia, the Middle East, and the Western Pacific, working in health, disability, rehabilitation, development and humanitarian response.

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Since joining WHO, Ms. Officer has led the organizations work on disability (2006–2013) and healthy ageing (2014–2025), including the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, the Global Campaign to Combat Ageism, and the Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. She currently heads the Determinants, Urban Health, Promotion and Behaviour Unit. Within this role she continues to oversee work on age-friendly environments and the Commission on Social Connection (2023–2026).

Ms. Lin Yang

Deputy Executive Secretary for Programme, UN ESCAP

Lin Yang is the Deputy Executive Secretary for Programme at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). In this role, she leads ESCAP’s substantive work on finance, social development, and statistics, and oversees five regional institutions that provide critical support to member States and substantive divisions. She also spearheads ESCAP’s regional collaboration with other UN agencies, strengthening coherence and partnerships across the UN system.

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Before joining ESCAP, Ms. Yang served at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), where she advised on intergovernmental processes and the follow-up and review of major global frameworks, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the SAMOA Pathway, and the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review. She was Head of Strategic Planning and Communication Services in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General, where she led efforts to align strategy, communication, and policy support.

Ms. Yang holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Peking University and a Bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy from China Foreign Affairs University.

Mr. Simone Cecchini

Chief of the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE)-Population Division, UN ECLAC (5 min)

Simone Cecchini is Chief of the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE)-Population Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), where he leads a team of professionals working to strengthen the capacity of the region’s countries to analyse population dynamics and their interlinkages with sustainable development, with a view to incorporating demographic factors into public policy.

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He joined ECLAC in 2002 and has held positions in the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, the Statistics Division and the Social Development Division. Previously, he worked as a researcher in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Department of the World Bank (1998–2002) and as a data researcher for Navteq (1994–1996).

Mr. Cecchini graduated with honours in political sciences from the University of Florence, having written a thesis on the population census in Italy. He holds a master’s degree in international economics from George Washington University, as well as an MBA from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

Ms. Francisca Gallegos

Deputy Executive Secretary for Programme, UN ESCAP

Francisca Gallegos is the Vice Minister of Social Services in Chile. She is a sociologist and holds a master’s degree in sociology from the Alberto Hurtado University. She has 15 years of experience in conducting research and implementing social policies in the public sector, multilateral organizations and private institutions in various Latin American countries, including Chile, Paraguay and Mexico.

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She has directed and managed projects to measure and overcome poverty, as well as innovation models and quality of public offer in national and international organizations such as the IDB, UNDP-MMA, FOSIS, MDSyF, SENADIS, among others.

Ms. Gallegos is an academic, university professor, and PhD candidate in Sociology and doctoral researcher at the Observatory of Socioeconomic Transformations (Max Planck-ANID) and the Alberto Hurtado University. Previously, she served as head of the Division of Promotion and Social Protection in the Ministry of Social Development and Family.

Mr. Manuel Veguín García

Head of International Relations, Institute for Older People and Social Services (IMSERSO), Spain

Manuel Veguin Garcia is Head of International Relations at the Institute for Older People and Social Services (IMSERSO), the Spanish Government agency responsible for managing ageing national policies and social services. In this role, he oversees the Institute’s international relations and coordinates its Ibero-American Cooperation projects. Since 2025, he has served as Spain’s national focal point in the UNECE Standing Working Group on Ageing in Geneva. He has been recently nominated as Seconded National focal Point for drafting a Convention of Human Rights of Older Persons in the intergubernamental Group in Geneva.

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He is also a member of the Senior Corps of Civil Administrators of the State.

Dr. Lina Walker

Senior Vice President of Global Thought Leadership, AARP

Lina Walker is Senior Vice President of Global Thought Leadership at AARP, the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in the United States dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. Dr. Walker heads three departments: AARP International, Brain Health, and Thought Leadership. She leads her team to influence U.S. and global leaders to catalyze change domestically and globally, to promote age-inclusive innovations, practices, and protections that enable older adults to thrive and contribute as they age.

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Dr. Walker has deep and broad knowledge of aging issues. Prior to leading AARP’s Global Thought Leadership team, she spent over 20 years working on U.S. domestic policy to strengthen access to healthcare, long-term care, and financial security in academia, state government, congressional agency, and the non-profit sector. Her career includes working at the Brookings Institution, where she worked on private-sector solutions to promote retirement savings; at Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, where she worked on long-term care solutions; at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, where she worked on Social Security and disability policy proposals; and for the Maryland General Assembly in the nonpartisan Office of Policy Analysis, where she evaluated state legislative proposals on taxes, health and long-term care.

Dr. Walker sits on the board of The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit, patient-safety and data transparency organization. She holds a master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from the University of Michigan. She is an avid gardener, and lives with her family in Washington D.C.

Mr. Kahir Lalji

Vice President, ILC Canada

Kahir Lalji is the Chief Executive Officer, HelpAge Canada; Vice President, International Longevity Centre Canada; and country lead for Seniors for the Ismaili Community. Inspired by caring for his grandparents, Kahir has dedicated the last 15+ years of his life to supporting the quality of life of older adults, with a particular focus on traditionally underserved populations.

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In his previous role as the Provincial Director of Government Relations with United Way British Columbia, Kahir played an influential role in establishing the social licence of the CBSS sector in British Columbia and securing sustainable funding for community-led action, building recognition for the important role CBSS organizations play in healthy aging provincially, nationally and internationally. Prior to his longstanding role with United Way British Columbia, Kahir spent over 10 years leading two grassroots community-based organizations.

Mr. Lalji is a Gerontologist with a Masters of Gerontology from Simon Fraser University and has a fellowship in developmental leadership and evaluation. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Alzheimer’s Society for British Columbia and brings with him extensive experience advocating and developing programs in over 30 countries. Previously, Kahir was the President of the Board of Directors for British Columbia Original Minds Association and a Board Member of BC211.