I am a strategic thinker and advocate for better environmental management including climate change and biodiversity conservation. I have over 18 years of experience working in both private sector, government and with civil society organizations in Vanuatu. This way of thinking has led to legislative amendments to existing laws governing environment in Vanuatu where from 2010 to 2015, over 10 bills were passed by the national parliament of Vanuatu to become law. These legislative changes has also the resulted in increased revenue (VT5m) for Government in 2013 compared to previous years where the average was VT500, 000.
I have devoted my last two years in Vanuatu Government on climate change, not only as a Climate Change Negotiator (2012 and 2013) but also as Acting Director General of the newly established Ministry of Climate Change from March 2014 to September 2014.
25 years experience in environmental management with a particular emphasis on climate change, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management. I have spent more than ten years working on climate change adaptation programs and for most of the last decade I was the Manager Climate Change Science for the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Australia. In early 2013 I decided to look at opportunities outside of Australia. Over the last two years I have worked as the Climate Change Expert for the update of the Seychelles National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), lead consultant for two projects on Mainstreaming Climate Change into Key National Natural Resource Management Policies in Swaziland, International Adviser Jamaica 2nd NBSAP, Ecosystem Ecologist for SPREP EbA project on Choiseul Province -Solomon Islands and the consultant to synthesise the Eastern Seaboard Climate Change Initiative Research Program and an Honorary Research Fellow at Macquarie University
With an academic background in Water Resources Engineering (BS) and Urban and Regional Planning (PhD), I have always worked in multi-cultural environments and positions that involve research and extension programs on the critical issues of water, climate, and society. I have more than 20 years of successful working experience in some of the most climate sensitive countries in the Asia-Pacific region (Bangladesh, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands).
Since 2003, in my current position, I have been actively involved in the following: a) providing tailored, understandable ENSO-based climate information and products to support the planning and management of water resources, fisheries and aquaculture, agriculture, emergency management, utilities, and coastal zones; b) identifying impacts from and providing advisories for current and expected 1-year seasonal variability in rainfall, sea level and tropical cyclone activity; and c) providing periodic educational and event warning outreach.
For fifteen years Julie has supported governments, communities, NGOs, and humanitarian organisations across the Pacific, Asia and Australia to address climate change through their policy, project and program work. Her specialties are adaptation, resilience and gender. She has expertise in research, writing and analysis. She also has substantial expertise in developing and delivering tailored training packages and developing targeted and practical communication materials, guidelines and toolkits for diverse audiences. She has excellent written and verbal communication skills and substantial experience in mentoring, capacity building and leadership. She has a Masters in Sustainability from Murdoch University and is completing a Master of Climate Change from the Australian National University.
Matt is a Sustainability Planner with 30 years of experience in local governance, environmental planning, development planning, climate change and sustainable development programmes and development management projects. His experience in all levels of government has centred on community development frameworks, the integrating of environment and development (decision-making), participatory land use planning and governance. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge in: vulnerability assessments, risk management, adaptation approaches and methods, capacity needs assessments (CNAs) and NRM Policy development, as well as technical skills in impact assessment, coastal management, GIS/Remote sensing, soil and water management, and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) of programmes and projects. Matt has lead teams in rural development, climate change adaptation, integrated coastal management, disaster risk reduction, poverty alleviation, sustainable tourism, urban development and land use planning
My area of expertise is in the field of Civil and Environmental Engineering specializing in;
• water resources engineering and integrated management,
• civil and environmental engineering design of infrastructures,
• environmental risk assessment and minimization, climate change analysis,
• urban hydrology, water demand forecasting and allocation framework,
• hydrological, hydraulic and watershed modelling,
• system dynamic and model development.
Qualifications: Ph.D (Env Eng). University of Melbourne (UoM), Australia, ME. The University of Auckland, BE. Unitec Institute of Tech
Employment History:
HARC, Melbourne
Senior Water Resources Engineer – Candor3 Ltd, NZ, 2014 – Present.
Quest Lecturer – Unitec Institute of Technology, NZ, 2014 – Present.
Research Fellow: UoM, Australia, 2014.
Fellow/Lecturer: BYU, USA, 2012 – 2013.
Water Resources Engineer: Division of Water Resources, Utah, USA, 2013 – 2014.
Tutor: UoM, 2008 - 2010.
Env Engineer: Wood & Partners Consultants Ltd, 2007.
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My specific areas of expertise are in climate financing, project proposal development, monitoring and reporting for key development partners including EU, WB, UNDP, Adaptation Fund and GEF. I am well versed with EC project management cycle, budget support mechanisms and GEF, WB and AF project proposal processes. In 2012, I was engaged as the Public Finance Expert for the Climate Change Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR) exercise and it provided information on how relevant agencies utilised their budgets and resources to address climate change issues. I was engaged as the Climate Change Adaptation Specialist by UNDP in 2013 to provide specialist inputs into the development of an economy-wide GEF funded USD 14m project proposal for climate change adaptation which was approved in 2014. I am currently the Monitoring and Reporting Expert for two multi-million dollar climate resilience projects targeting all the communities in Samoa and its funded by PPCR-WB and AF-UNDP.
Education
2009 – 2013: PhD, UWA, School of Environmental Systems Engineering (SESE). Hydrodynamics and Sand Transport on Perched Beaches in Western Australia.
• Analysis of the variability and longer term changes of the wave climate in the southern Indian Ocean.
• Assessment of the dissipation of extreme wave events on the continental shelf.
• Development of a GPU based morphodynamics model (XBeach_GPU)
• Assessment of the role of the variability in rock topography on the dynamics of perched beaches.
• Modelling the sand transport on a submerged seawall using SPH hydrodynamics.
2004 - 2006: MSc (Integrated Approach to Geological Hazards), University of Sciences and Technology, Montpellier (France) – Grade A-.
• Development of methodology to map inundation from storm surge.
• Mapping tsunami hazards for 8 locations in the Mentawai archipelago using numerical models.
2003 - 2004: License’s Degree, Earth Sciences, University of Sciences and Technology, Montpellier (France).
2001 - 2003: D
Paul Mitchell has over a decade of international development experience in more than 20 countries across five regions. Paul is an expert in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. He has led adaptation programs for the Australian aid program and international NGO Save the Children. He has also provided consultancy services for government, non-government and international organisations. Paul focuses on helping organisations integrate climate change risk and adaptation into development programs at all levels and throughout the project cycle, as well as developing and implementing capacity building programs. He holds a BA (Hons) in Cultural Studies and Sociology and a Masters in International Development from UNSW. Paul has completed consultancies in the Pacific for a range of organisations, including: DFAT, the World Bank, Save the Children, CARE and Oxfam. More information is available at www.adapt-develop.com
Have worked with government for 10 years, and currently employed as Assistant CEO for Research, Policy Planning and Information Processing. Have experience in community engagement in the fields of women, children, youth and disabilities development. Experience in the conducting of surveys, development and review of policies, corporate planning, social impact assessments. Have experience in the development of monitoring frameworks and information systems (excel), and inter-sectoral communication.
Dr. Margaretha Wewerinke has a broad range of experience related to human rights, climate change and sustainable development. She has advised governments and NGOs on questions of international law at climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and in relation to potential legal claims related to loss and damage caused by climate change. She designed and taught a 10-day capacity building workshop on the added value of a human rights approach to climate change for Pacific Island states at the University of the South Pacific's PaCE-SD in Suva, Fiji in 2011 and is now teaching International Climate Change Law and Regional Environmental Law at the Emalus Campus of USP in Vanuatu. Her consultancy and capacity building work has focused on using domestic courts as well as international mechanisms - such as the UN Human Rights Council - to raise concerns related to climate change and its adverse effects on the enjoyment of human rights.
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.