Shamil Idriss is Chief Executive Officer of Soliya, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering young people to use new media tools to advance social change and improve cross-cultural understanding within and between their societies.  Though independent of the United Nations, Soliya is an implementing partner of the UN Alliance of Civilizations.  Mr. Idriss was appointed Deputy Director of the UN Alliance by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2005 and continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the initiative.  From 2000-2004, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Search for Common Ground (SFCG), a leading conflict resolution organization with offices in 17 countries.  Mr. Idriss serves on the Board of SFCG and was Chairman of the Board of Soliya from 2003-2009.  He is a member of the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow network of the ASMA Society and of the Young Global Leaders network of the World Economic Forum.  He lives in Larchmont, New York with his wife Cynthia and daughters Aniset and Nura.