Fareed’s Global Briefing, a daily digital newsletter, is one of the most widely read of CNN's newsletters. His column for The Washington Post remains one of the longest-running for that newspaper.

Zakaria is the author of five highly-regarded New York Times bestselling books: Age of Revolutions (2024), an analysis of progress and backlash throughout history; The Post-American World (2008), a discussion of the rise of non-Western powers; The Future of Freedom (2003), a study of “illiberal democracy” in various countries; Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World (2020), on how the pandemic reshaped society; and In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015), a commentary on the importance of a well-rounded education.

Zakaria was named a “Top 10 Global Thinker of the Last 10 Years” by Foreign Policy magazine in 2019, and Esquire called him “the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation.” He has received a National Magazine Award, the Arthur Ross Media Award from the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the Deadline Club Award. In 2010, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, one of its highest civilian honors, and in 2022, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded him the Order of Merit.

Prior to his tenure at CNN, Zakaria was editor of Newsweek International, managing editor of Foreign Affairs, a columnist for Time, an analyst for ABC News, and the host of Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS.

Zakaria earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a doctorate in political science from Harvard University, and has received numerous honorary degrees.

Before joining the United Nations, Kyung-wha Kang held various positions in South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, specializing in multilateral affairs and intergovernmental organizations. Among others, she served as Minister at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, during which she chaired the 48th and 49th sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Additionally, she spearheaded efforts to highlight women with disabilities in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Kyung-wha Kang graduated from Yonsei University in Korea with a BA in political science and diplomacy and holds an MA and PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her doctorate research as in the field of international and intercultural communication. She served as Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Ewha Womans University and is Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment at Yonsei University.