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.
I'm a trained Environment & Climate Change Adaptation Practitioner/Specialist with over 10 years of practice and consultancy experiences. Provided technical advice to Governments of Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu on policy changes, marine resource use, climate change. Area of expertise includes; policy analysis, environment management systems, V&A, M&E, mainstreaming climate change adaptation interventions into planning processes, MPA, community engagement and workshop facilitation. Authored book on, Climate Change Adaptation and the Coastal Zone of S.Tarawa (2014), "Kiribati: the inter-linkages and the array of adaptation barriers and limits". Co-authored the "Kiribati Second National Communication Report to the UNFCCC" (2013) and other technical reports.
With over 16 years of experience in sustainable energy development, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, my work focuses on increasing energy access, improving livelihood, and building resilience of vulnerable communities in developing countries. I have provided services to donors and development agencies; including IFAD, Sida, UNESCO, UNEP and USAID; both being part of an organization as well as independently. I have been extensively involved in understanding the needs of developing countries of Asia in relation to improving access to energy supply and resilience to climate change; and developing innovative solutions to address those needs in ways that are appropriate to local contexts. Areas of my expertise are:
• Climate Change Adaptation: Adaptive capacity for municipalities; community based adaptation planning; and climate vulnerability assessment.
• Climate change mitigation: Strategies for low carbon development, sustainable waste management, sustainable city planning, and Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions.
• Sustainable energy: Energy access through renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency in buildings and facilities, and policy analysis for cleaner technologies in SMEs.
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.
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.
Member of Linnean Society of London (FLS)
Visiting Fellow of Nottingham Trent University, UK
Officer for Environmental Science for the government of Tuvalu Honorary Ambassador
Project Team Leader for PACE-SD USP, Suva Fiji
Leading the 8 million Euro European Union Global Climate Change Alliance Project. Working in 15 P-ACP countries. http://eugcca.usp.ac.fj/Home.aspx
Principal Supervisor for 7 MSc & 3 PhD students plus 2MSc completions in 2012. Developing and delivering courses for PGDip in Climate Change. Developing a new programme for PGDip Disaster Risk Management. Developing and administering "on-line" resources for full delivery of these courses to studnets in isolated small-island nation states (USP has 12 campuses in nations across the Pacific). Face-to-face teaching on various postgraduate and undergraduate courses as and when required.
Responsible for the proper and timely coordination, management and implementation of the project “Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change in the Pacific Islands through Training, Applied Research and Community Engagement”. The project ambit consists of 15 Pacific nations, 11 of which have a USP campus. CCA adaptation plans and activities in 43 communities.
Member of various committees: Research Committee; Academic Standards; Academic Audit (Research); Faculty Programming (designing new undergraduate "Environmental Science" programme); organizing committee for 4 international conferences (Local Governance and Climate Change; Pacific Climate Services Forum; 12th Pacific Science Inter-congress; 2nd International Renewable Energy and Climate Change Conference).
Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, UK
Lecturing and development of Undergraduate modules: “Sustainability” and “Rural Communities and Planning”. Lecturing on Post Grad MA International Relations: Theories, Practices and Policy. Supervision of undergraduate students; setting & marking coursework. School of Animal, Rural & Environmental Science Research Committee. Secured SPUR funding for research in Tuvalu
Scientific Advisor for Alofa Tuvalu (French-Tuvaluan NGO)
Author of the renewable energy technology component of the 10-year “Small Is Beautiful” project, Tuvalu.
Currently implementing renewable energy related sustainable development/environmental management & adaptation activities in Tuvalu (biogas, biodiesel, gasification, solar pv & thermal, wind). Selected as one of UNESCO’s decade of achievement projects.
Preparing funding proposals & securing funding.
Programme Manager for Cusichaca Trust, UK
Planning projects and devising/implementing/evaluating strategies for natural resource management, sustainable development & adaptation of rural Highland Peru. Major environmental management project - completed in September 2007 - research, agricultural extension and rehabilitation of land, vegetation, Inca terraces & irrigation systems in the Pampachiri District, Peru. Defining and implementing management structures and systems of an NGO with 40 full-time employees. Directing research and funding programmes, securing funding (1,500,000 Euro - EU, DFID & Community Fund).