Speakers
and Guests

George Akwah
Senior Programme Management Officer-Congo Basin, UN Environment Programme & Congo Basin Project Lead

George is a professional with more than 20-year extensive experience in policy and practice of nature conservation, forests and natural resources management and sustainable development, and standards and compliance frameworks. Including management and leadership roles at global, regional, and national levels with leading organizations – IUCN, WWF, CIFOR, IITA, FSC. He has vast experience in mobilizing resources for large programmatic initiatives, organizational strategies, and process facilitation at field and policy levels. George has a MA in Environmental Anthropology and Postgraduate Diploma in Public Policy and Management.

Benoît Bosquet
Regional Director for Sustainable Development for the Latin America and Caribbean Region, World Bank

Benoît is the Regional Director for Sustainable Development for the Latin America and Caribbean Region at the World Bank. He previously served in the same capacity for the East Asia and Pacific Region. Prior to this he was Director for the Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice and Practice Manager for Environment and Natural Resources in West and Central Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. He has also led global partnerships for climate change mitigation, including the Prototype Carbon Fund, BioCarbon Fund and Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. He has lived and worked in Russia and Madagascar, and has 30 years of experience working on natural resources management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and humanitarian relief in developing countries and emerging economies (in Africa, Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America). Benoît Bosquet is Belgian. He holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland.

Mariela Canepa
Vice Minister of Strategic Development of Natural Resources, Ministry of the Environment of Peru

Lawyer from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), Master in Environmental Law from the Complutense University of Madrid and Master in Water Management from the University of Barcelona.  In addition, she has a diploma in Project Management. She has more than 15 years of experience in issues related to biodiversity conservation, climate change management and in participatory processes for decision-making on environmental issues and sustainable urban management. For almost 7 years she worked at the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN), where she worked as Biodiversity Manager in the Environment Area. Later, she was coordinator of the Public Front Team of the COP20 Project of the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM) heading to Paris. She was Policy Director of WWF Peru for more than 4 years, as well as focal point for Climate and Energy issues. She was also an advisor to the Vice Ministry of Strategic Development of Natural Resources of MINAM and served as director of the General Directorate of Biological Diversity of MINAM.

Liz Chicaje 

Liz is a leader of the Bora indigenous community of Loreto, Peru, president of an agricultural cooperative and former president of the Federation of Indigenous Communities of the Ampiyacu River. At age 16, she began attending meetings focused on defending Bora ancestral territory against illegal logging and other threats. In an outstanding achievement, Liz is the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, one of the highest honors for environmental leaders. This award recognized her tireless work in protecting the Amazon, specifically in the Yaguas National Park, located in the Loreto region.

Genevieve Connors
Practice Manager for Environment, Natural Resources, and the Blue Economy, Latin America and Caribbean

Genevieve is the Practice Manager for Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, since 2022. Her work spans a number of sectors - including forestry, biodiversity, pollution, oceans and climate change-, as well as environmental risk management for LAC in the World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework. She was Practice Manager for Advisory and Operations in the Climate Change Group, where she oversaw monitoring and reporting on the integration of climate and climate finance into the Bank's operations since 2017. She has a BA from Columbia, an MPhil from Cambridge and PhD from MIT. She joined the Bank as a young professional in 2006.

Maria Franco Chuaire
Program Officer of the Andes-Amazon Initiative, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Maria is responsible for developing and managing the Drivers of Habitat Change grant portfolio, focusing on sectors such as infrastructure and mining that disrupt ecological connectivity and produce degradation in the Amazon region. She has more than 10 years of experience in political and natural resource economy, landscape conservation and restoration, and sustainable development and finance in Latin America and the Caribbean. She worked at WRI where she coordinated activities in South America within the framework of the 20x20 Initiative, and was a research fellow at the IDB. María has a master's degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor's degree from the Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.

Alejandra Laina
Natural Resources Manager, World Resources Institute - Colombia

Alejandra is a professional with extensive experience and the ability to relate, coordinate and work together with local communities, government agencies and civil society organizations. She has experience in monitoring and analyzing topics of interest at the regional and national level, including planning, monitoring and coordination processes of technical teams and international and national cooperation projects. She has vast experience in strengthening capacities in her own research with Government and Non-Government entities, Indigenous and peasant communities. Administrative and Financial Coordination of Cooperation Projects.

Yves Lesenfants
Senior Sustainability and Inclusion Specialist – Forest Conservation

Yves Lesenfants is a Belgian ecologist with more than 30 years of field experience in Latin America, especially in the Andean and Amazon regions. He specializes in technological innovation for the conservation, development and management of the territory. He currently leads activities related to innovation, bioeconomy and geospatial intelligence for the IDB's Amazon Forever Program.

Pascal Martínez
Senior Climate Change Specialist, GEF Secretariat

Pascal Martínez, senior climate change specialist, began his work at the GEF Secretariat in 2015. During the last 20 years of his professional career he has worked on various issues of natural resource and environmental management, especially sustainable management. of Forests, biodiversity, agriculture and climate change. Previously, he worked in private companies, ministries of environment and agriculture in France, French embassies in Argentina and Chile and international organizations (FAO, ECLAC and now the GEF).

Alberto Maurer
Executive Director, Institute of Production Technology - ITP of Peru

Alberto é Engenheiro Agrônomo de profissão, com um doutorado em genética pela Universidade de Missouri. Ele possui mais de 20 anos de experiência nos setores público e privado. Atuou como Vice-Ministro de Políticas Agrárias do Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário e Irrigação, foi chefe do Instituto Nacional de Inovação Agrária (INIA), diretor do Fundo Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico e Inovação Tecnológica (Fondecyt). Além disso, ocupou cargos como chefe de ciência e operações no Centro Internacional da Batata (IPC), diretor de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento na Innovak Global, gerente de Tecnologia de Sementes no Centro de Pesquisa Enza Zaden, entre outros marcos profissionais.

Fiona Rodgerson
Senior Associate, Latin America Training, Rare

Fiona is the training manager for Latin America at Rare's Center for Behavior and the Environment. She is currently working to develop training and tools in Behavior Based Design in Spanish, and expand its reach and application throughout Latin America through building alliances and collaborating with new partners. Before joining the Rare team, she worked at the intersection of sustainable agriculture, conservation, and education. She did her master's degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development, where she conducted social science research on how to reduce barriers to the adoption of agroforestry practices in the Amazon. She is passionate about collaborating with small producers, cooperatives, and communities to empower them to create solutions to address climate change and conservation challenges. She has worked in Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.

Inés Pando
Head of the General Office of Cooperation and International Affairs, Ministry of the Environment of Peru

Domingo Peas
Coordinator of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative

Domingo Peas, leader of the Achuar Nation of the Ecuadorian Amazon. He is currently the coordinator of the Sacred Amazon Basins Initiative of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE). Domingo has been communications director of the Achuar Indigenous Nation of Ecuador (NAE), founder of the Sharamentsa Achuar indigenous community tourism project and vice president of CONFENIAE. Domingo has also been vice-president and later president of CODENPE (Council of Nationalities and Peoples of Ecuador) and representative of the German Indo-HILFE Foundation.

Franz Quispe
Vice Minister of Environment, Biodiversity, Climate Change and Forestry Management and Development,  Ministry of Environment and Water of Bolivia

Franz holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Technical University of Oruro. He has a Master's degree in Environmental Engineering from the same university. In addition to several diplomas in Irrigation Engineering, Higher Education Competency Based Training, Civilizational Paradigms, Climate Change and Restoration of Balance with Mother Earth, within the framework of living well, Training in Rural Business Development Services (CASDER), and Environmental Consulting. He has extensive work experience in the public and private sector since 2012, such as the Ministry of Rural Development and Land, Ministry of Environment and Water, Municipal Autonomous Government of Poopó, Departmental Autonomous Government of Oruro, Single Trade Union Confederation of Peasant Workers of Bolivia, Foundation for the Development of the Altiplano, Strategic Research Program, and in the Faculty of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences.

Mauro Ruffino
Coordinator of the Bioamazon Project and the Amazon Regional Observatory (ORA),  Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO)

Mauro has more than 20 years of experience in international projects in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Colombia, Panama, Argentina, Paraguay, and Mozambique, as well as working for some Brazilian government agencies. He participated in numerous international and national workshops, seminars, and symposia as well as several training courses. His expertise is within the Bilateral Technical Cooperation with Germany (GIZ) and United Kingdom (DFID) as well as Financial Cooperation (KfW and World Bank). Mauro’s principal experienced areas are i) Management and conservation of natural resources and fishing; ii) Technical, financial and monitoring management of international cooperation projects; iii) organizational development, institutional strengthening, capacity building; iv) moderation of meetings and events; v) management and monitoring of terrestrial and aquatic protected areas; vi) environmental and land regularization in the Amazon; vii) shared management of natural resources; viii) strategic and budgetary planning; ix) standards and procedures for cadastral regularization and monitoring processes; x) interinstitutional articulation; xi) elaboration of public policies; xii) project design; and xiii) search for project financing. Mauro has also more than a 100 scientific articles published in national and international journals and journals, as well as books and chapter books. He has a Master’s of Science in Biological Oceanography and a Bachelor’s in Biological Oceanography.

Natalia Ruiz
World Resource Institute

Natalia is a forestry engineer, graduated from UNALM in Peru and a Master in Development Practice, graduated from CATIE in Costa Rica. She has experience and training in participatory and inclusive processes of sustainable development, gender, forest management, governance and landscape restoration in Peru, Central America and South America. She is a member of the management team of the Latin American Model Forest Network.

Ana Rosa Saenz
Coordinator of the Great Putumayo Amazonas Indigenous Landscape Program, Common Good Institute - Loreto 

Ana Rosa is an agricultural engineer with extensive experience in sustainable management of natural resources and governance of Amazonian landscapes. She leads an interdisciplinary team for the establishment and governance of the Great Putumayo Amazonas Indigenous Landscape. This includes the territorial and environmental planning of the landscape and the strengthening of capacities in sustainable resource management of forests and aquatic systems. Ana Rosa facilitates inter-institutional alliances at different levels. She is a Graduate of the National University of the Peruvian Amazon and the Peruvian Institute of Business Administration.

Carlos Salinas
Administrative Director

Carlos is an industrial engineer with Master's Degrees in Economics (MA) and Management (MBA) from Boston University. He is specialized in Environmental Quality Management. During his professional career he has worked in the private, public, sectors nationally and internationally. All related to environmental issues and forestry. He has extensive experience in multilateral agreements; negotiation; management and design of public policies; formulation, implementation and development of programs and projects at national and regional level. He has also led multidisciplinary teams in public and private institutions. Carlos has mastered technical-administrative procedures, and financial management. Within the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) he was the Regional Coordinator of the Biodiversity Program (financed by IDB 2006-2010); as well as with the Deforestation Monitoring Project (financed by TTO -BMZ/DGIS -FA/BNDES 2011 -2018)

Corine Vriesendorp
Andes-Amazon Program Director, The Field Museum

Corine directs the Andes-Amazonia program at the Keller Scientific Action Center. She is a field biologist with extensive experience in the flora and vegetation of the most remote corners of the western Amazon. As Director of the Andes-Amazonia program, she directs the Museum's work on conservation and quality of life for the local population. She has been part of the rapid inventory team since 2003, a program that has discovered more than 150 species new to science and has helped governments protect more than 9.4 million hectares of forest in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. She has a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a doctorate from Michigan State University.