The ACG and the Robert Bosch Fellowship Alumni Association will host a discussion and luncheon with La Neice Collins, (2004-2005 Robert Bosch Fellowship Alum) Program Manager, Advocacy and Social Impact for the United Nations; Ambassador Florian Laudi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations; and Rafael Peralta, North American Director of the United Nations Environment Programme.
This event is only open to members.
La Neice Collins is responsible for Public Information and Multimedia at the United Nations, currently serving as the Program Manager, Advocacy and Social Impact. Ms. Collins brings over 20 years of experience in communications, advocacy, and development, having served in several UN offices including New York, Geneva, Bangkok, and Vienna, most recently serving as the Spokesperson for the 80th President of the UN General Assembly. She has also worked as a gender focal point for the Department of Global Communications (DGC) and has experience with issues related to youth engagement, sustainable development, human rights, and peacebuilding. Prior to joining the UN, Ms. Collins was an award-winning television and radio producer in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Berlin, Türkiye and Iraq. She has also worked as a strategic partner manager for news partnerships at Facebook, where she focused on news integrity, news literacy, and building sustainable revenue models for media organizations. Ms. Collins holds a Master of Science degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and a degree in political science and mass communications from the University of California, Berkeley.
Ambassador Florian Laudi has served as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations since July 2026. Ambassador Laudi joined the Federal Foreign Office in 2002. Before taking up his new post, Ambassador Laudi served as the Director for the United Nations and Counterterrorism at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin since 2022. From 2003 to 2005, Ambassador Laudi served at the German Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan and was in charge of constitutional reform and police reconstruction. From 2005 to 2008, Ambassador Laudi worked on Middle East issues (Iraq, Iran, sanctions) at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. Between 2008 and 2012, he was assigned Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations in New York, covering non-proliferation and disarmament issues, including the Iranian nuclear file. From 2012 to 2016, Ambassador Laudi was Deputy European Correspondent at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. From early 2017 to 2019 he Laudi led the Brexit team at the German Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels, serving as Brexit Delegate of the Federal Government. From 2019 to 2020 Ambassador Laudi was the Special Envoy for Ukraine and Head of the Ukraine Task Force in the Federal Foreign Office, from 2020 to 2021 Head of Division for the United Nations Security Council, General Assembly, Peacekeeping, incl. while Germany was a non-permanent member. Ambassador Laudi obtained his law degree at the University of Passau, Germany and the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal. His practical legal traineeship led him to courts, public authorities and law firms in Hamburg, Germany; Lisbon, Portugal and Milano, Italy. He is married, with two children.
Rafael Peralta is the Director for the New York Office and North America from July 2026. Mr. Peralta previously served as UNEP’s Regional Director for North America from July 2023, and as UNEP’s Chief of Staff from April 2021, having previously worked as Acting Chief of Staff and as Deputy Chief of Staff. Mr. Peralta has over 20 years’ experience at the United Nations and beyond, working at the intersection of sustainable development, peace and security. Prior to joining UNEP, Mr. Peralta served as Senior Political Affairs Officer in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York from 2015 to 2018, working in support of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. Earlier, he worked in West Africa and the Sahel supporting political process in the region, as well as on post-conflict stabilization in Somalia and Haiti. His expertise includes international diplomacy, inter-agency UN coordination, environmental management and management of large organizations. Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Peralta worked with international organizations in Amman, Pristina and Sarajevo in different capacities. A Spanish national, Mr. Peralta holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Brussels School of International Studies-University of Kent at Canterbury and a degree in Law from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.