Dr George Carter is a Research Fellow at the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University (ANU). He is also the Director for the ANU Pacific Institute a large network hub of scholars in the university - connecting and promoting Pacific research, teaching and training at the university.
The broad focus of George’s research interest explores Pacific island peoples’ and states influence and agency in international and regional politics. His research interests explore international politics of (negotiations, security, gender, finance, justice, science and traditional knowledge) climate change, geopolitics and regionalism(s), as well as the foreign policy and diplomacies of small island states in the Pacific. Furthermore, he is interested in indigenous philosophy and non-western international relations that focus on the longstanding history, practices, protocols and principles of Pacific political communities, contributing to Oceanic Diplomacy.
He has undertaken research in multilateral forums including climate change, security, ocean, sustainable development negotiations, as well as in regional organisations and national governments across the Pacific. George teaches university and executive courses in international relations, diplomacy, security, environment and climate change, policy, cultural communication, and Pacific studies.
His research and teaching interests are informed by his education, work experience in the Pacific and upbringing through his proud Samoan Tuvaluan, i-Kiribati, Chinese, British ancestry. He serves his family and communities in Samoa, where he holds the matai/chiefly title of Salā.
Ruth is a climate change, environment and international development professional, with a particular focus on climate resilience, adaptation planning, and climate finance readiness. She has 9 years’ experience providing policy research, analysis, implementation and project/programme management in these fields, working extensively with a range of donors/international development partners and national governments worldwide. Ruth's recent assignments have included supporting countries with INDCs, capacity building support, contributing to the evaluation of EU adaptation strategy implementation and leading inputs to the EU’s 7th national communications.
Prior to joining Ricardo, Ruth was Climate Finance Adviser for the Commonwealth, where she designed and led a work programme on climate finance readiness and resilience, focusing on improving the access, use and delivery of climate finance for small and vulnerable member states, including the Commonwealth Climate Finance Skills Hub proposal.
Fifteen years managing development finance in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific and six years in small island developing states. Expert building country systems and partnerships for development. Climate change, resilience building, infrastructure, gender equality, blue/green economy, public health, education and governance program experience.
EDUCATION:
Candidate in Master of Business Administration, USP RMI, (4 more courses needed)
Master of Legal Studies in International and Environmental Law, Australian National University 2002
Certificate in World Affairs, East West Center University of Hawaii, 2004
Certificate Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Studies, Waikato University, 1998
Bachelor’s of Arts Natural Sciences, University of Hawaii at Hilo, 1994-1997
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS: AOSIS
OTHER TRAINING:
Legal Drafting, Parliament Sponsored Workshop, 2006
International Treaty Negotiations, SPREP, 2005
Strategic Planning, held in Guam USA, 2006
Budget/Financial Preparations, Majuro 2005
Environmental and Sustainable Development Project Design
Greenhouse gas inventory, Fiji 1998
COUNTRIES OF WORK EXPERIENCE: Republic of Marshall Islands, Pacific and International
EMPLOYMENT
RECORD:
Charlotte is a highly accomplished, skilled and talented development professional with over a decade of experience in international development in 20 countries worldwide. She has a proven track record of providing strategic and programming direction to organisations to develop, implement and monitor policies, strategies, campaigns and programs to build gender-sensitive community resilience. She is an excellent educator and communicator of development theory and practice to a variety of stakeholders including government officials, non-governmental staff and partners, communities, academics, and other groups. She is co-author of Toward Resilience (Practical Action, 2013), a practitioner’s guide to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation programming and advocacy, which integrates gender throughout; and has developed a range of participatory risk assessment tools and guidance for working with poverty-affected and vulnerable communities.
Environment & development consultant with 10 years’ experience in 7 sectors in 16 countries, including 10 Caribbean & Pacific SIDS. Key highlights:
2014 Climate Change Project Officer, The Australian National University
2013-2014 Sustainable Financing Consultant, Cuso International
2013 Marine Protected Areas Expert, GOPA Consultants
2012-2013 Policy Research Manager, Caribbean Policy Research Institute
2012 Executive Director/Park Manager (World Heritage Site), Jamaica Conservation & Development Trust
2011 Climate Change Consultant, Environmental Solutions Ltd
2011-2012 Environmental Project Manager, Conrad Douglas & Associates Ltd
2007-2009 Environment & Sustainable Development Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Currently self-directing PhD research into climate change adaptation in SIDS. Seeking to use my qualifications & skills to help limit human-induced climate change, & ensure that adaptation actions in SIDS meet their development & resilience needs & goals.
Over 30 years experience financial & contract management, budgeting, established financial systems in Samoa, Tokelau, SPREP & PIFS. Now, Financial Management Specialist, Samoa's Pilot Project Climate Resilience (PPCR-ECR) and Adaptation Fund-ERCC. Ability to meet funders' accountability criteria to drawdown upto US$3M in 3mnths intervals. Wealth of project experience in PPCR, AF,GEF, ADB & EU writing proposals, manage, monitor, report financial, contract progress & project results across sectors i.e regional economic integration, communities resilience to climate change & disaster risk management. Over 20 years experience in organisational development, institutional strengthening & governance, established performance management, monitoring & evaluation frameworks at regional & national levels. Extensive experience in results-based planning & management,capacity building and institutional reviews. SPREP Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC) capacity building management planner.
Barbara is a climate change and disaster risk reduction specialist with more than 16 years of direct professional in-the-field experience. She has provides advisory services in policy and program development, program and project evaluation, training and capacity building, to national and local government agencies and international and regional organizations, including the United Nations system and NGOs with focus on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation for resilient development, food security, gender, policy leadership and advocacy. She is specialised in programmes aiming at climate change and disaster risk reduction mainstreaming into national and sector response policies, strategies and plans.
She has used multi-stakeholder participatory approaches in Pacific countries and has proven hands-on expertise in-the-field. She worked with government and beneficiary institutions to formulate policies and implement programmes. She was responsible for the formulation of national policies, vulnerability assessment, gender, disaster risk reduction and natural hazards prevention and mitigation through the promotion of long-term strategies to adaptation planning for effective aid delivery at national and regional level. In her work she has developed funding recommendation, strategic positioning, partnership and recommended doable and realistic implementation plans, including timelines, costing and roles and responsibilities.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Global Environmental Protection and International Policies and is an active member of the Pacific Infrastructure Advisory Centre and Adaptation Learning mechanism as well as the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery East Asia and the Pacific Disaster Knowledge Network. Barbara is serving on United Nations Women National Committee Aotearoa New Zealand.
The consultant's key fields of expertise include Environmental Management (Env Mgt Sys, Env Audit, EIA, SEA), Sustainable Development, Climate Change (Adaptation, Mitigation, Science, Policy), Community Waste Management, Community Based Adaptation, Ecosystem-based Adaptation. Proficient project management and project performance management skills that include practitioner skills in project management in controlled environments; skills in concept, grant and full project and funding proposal writing, climate financing proposal writing, design, work planning and budgeting. Skilled in project appraisal of project aspects such as costs, timescales, quality, scope, risk and benefits; deliver of quality project products, monitoring, reporting and evaluation. Offers training and workshops on V&A Assessments that include technical and community-based tools and frameworks, socio-economic assessments, lessons learned, results-based management, survey design and implementation, M&E design and implementation, gender & climate change. Range of working experiences at different levels of development intervention - international and regional (negotiations, policy, advocacy, lobbying, media campaigns and presentation, knowledge management); regional and national (project management, policy, science, gender, adaptation, mitigation, media campaigns, public awareness) and community (CBA, EbA, V&A, negotiations, training, gender mainstreaming level, implementation, negotiation skills on climate change, waste management, attitude and behavioral change campaigning). Have on-the-ground and field experiences in 14 Pacific Island communities, particularly in Palau, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Niue, Cook Islands, and Papua New Guinea. Sector expertise areas of climate change adaptation activities and results in integrated coastal zone management, water resources management (specializing in low-lying atolls), food security, food production, agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, tourism and health.
Lisa is a manager within KPMG’s Climate Change and Sustainability practice. She as over fourteen years experience quantifying and developing solutions to mitigate the impacts from climate change and sustainability. As a civil engineer specialising in climate change and sustainability, Lisa has worked with asset owners to determine how they are best positioned to respond to the impacts of climate change. She has extensive experience interpreting climate models and has worked closely with CSIRO to run specific climate models for clients. She applies her knowledge to understand and consider the risks and uncertainty of climate change to guide and inform decision making for business and government. She has worked across the major infrastructure phases, design, construction and operation, and assets, from buildings, roads, mines, water, costal settlements, electricity to rail. She has practical design and construction experience, which she has applied to develop design solutions to mitigate the short and long term risks posed by climate change. Lisa knows how to evaluate the costs and benefits of adaptation to determine the most optimal adaptation solution (i.e. optimising investment decisions).
Key skills: providing strategic, targeted knowledge network, evaluation and technical services to international environmental and development programs and institutional capacities. Thematic interests and work experience: project design, implementation and results based monitoring: child rights, disability mainstreaming in UN funds and programs, inclusive education sector planning, biodiversity strategic planning, disaster risk reduction , climate change and resilience, natural resources and protected area management, ecosystem services and environmental science. Policy and bottleneck analysis and implementation problem resolution including work in environment sectors, poverty alleviation and education, improved service delivery and transparent government initiatives. Advocacy interests focusing on one UN programming, education for sustainable development, education systems and planning, climate change adaptation, emergencies, disaster risk reduction and resilience. Communication: training and education experience, including organizing and leading workshops. Research: data analysis, writing/editing materials for a wide variety of audiences and preparing content for websites.
Director, Strategy, Governance and Engagement - Responsible for leading the governance and legal functions of the environment department. Responsibilities include the following:
- Providing governance advice to the Secretary of the Department
- Ensuring that the department has access to high quality, timely legal advice
- Ensuring that the risk and audit function of the department is operating effectively
- Chair of the Accredited Purchasing Unit
- Assisting a significant restructure of the Department
During the 12 months I worked with the Government of Nauru, I provided technical, policy and planning advice across a range of areas including climate change, renewable energy, waste management, biodiversity conservation and integrated water resource management. My key projects included:
- Working in close partnership with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to develop and finalise the Pacific Climate Change Finance Assessment Framework - Nauru Case Study
- Working in partnership with GIZ/SPC on the development of an Energy Road Map for the Government of Nauru
- Working with the Government of Nauru to develop and finalise the National Water Sanitation and Hygiene Policy and Implementation Plan
- Assisting in the development of RONAdapt, the Republic of Nauru Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Framework
For 3 years I was the Executive Director responsible for climate change policy and projects within the South Australian Government. This included the effective financing of climate change projects and ensuring that key institutional and human capacity frameworks were in place. Some of my key projects during this period included:
- The development of South Australia’s Adaptation Framework following exhaustive national and state consultations with academics, the private sector, senior officials and ministers and extensive research. The Framework has received national recognition in Australia for its innovative and collaborative approach to climate change adaptation. The World Bank is also in the process of investigating the approach to determine its applicability to other parts of the world.
- Development and implementation of the South Australian Government’s international climate change program. This program included the provision of assistance to regions in developing countries.
- Work with local government, state government and the private sector on an innovative financing mechanism to facilitate the retrofitting of energy efficiency measures in office accommodation in South Australia.
- Overseeing the development of a low emission vehicle strategy for South Australia to accelerate uptake of these vehicles in the state
- Overseeing various demonstration projects, which were funded through South Australia’s Building Innovation Fund, including trials of mini-wind turbine and co-generation technologies and the installation of green roofs on large office building
I led the development of climate change policy for the South Australian Government. Some key projects that I was responsible for during that time include:
- The development of Tackling Climate Change: South Australia’s Greenhouse Strategy which is South Australia's long-term response to climate change and which was developed after significant consultation with industry, community, academia, local councils and government. The strategy sets out specific goals and targets for South Australia, recommended ways to achieve them and identifies key action areas.
- Work on a net metering policy for the State to increase the use of renewable energy at the household level. As a result of this policy South Australia now has the highest rate of solar roof top penetration in the country, with 170,000 households with solar panels, twice the national average.
During this period I had lead responsibility for the Corporation’s policy and strategy function. This included responsibility for the following functions and projects:
- Providing policy and strategic advice to the Corporation’s Board and CEO
- Developing a strategic plan for the Corporation
- Contributing to the development of a national film policy framework, including a new film funding model
- Developing a business case for a major film studio hub for South Australia
- Working with the South Australian film industry on an industry development plan
- Providing advice to CEO and Board on public sector governance issues
I was responsible for leading the policy function within the office of the secretary of the department. This included responsibility for the following functions and projects:
- Providing policy advice and analysis to the Secretary and relevant Government Ministers on transport, urban planning and urban regeneration issues
- Contributing to the preparation of the Departments budget proposals, budget papers and annual report
- Supporting and advising Boards and Committees associated with the Department
- Providing advice to Ministers and the Secretary regarding law reform including during the parliamentary process
- Developing whole of government and regional approaches to urban regeneration, service delivery and economic development