Alasdair Shott

Alasdair Shott is a Senior Manager in the Chemonics UK team. He has worked across a range of UK-Aid funded programmes, focusing on supporting government and civil society in fragile and conflict affected environments. Previously, he served as Deputy Team Leader on the FCDO Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU) programme and was a…

3 Questions with Sadiki Laiser on Taking Local Action to Respect the Ocean

Overfishing and the effects of climate change are challenging the resilience of Tanzania’s biodiverse marine protect areas (MPAs), but USAID Tanzania Heshimu Bahari Activity (Respect the Ocean), led by Chief of Party Sadiki Laiser, will strengthen management of protected areas and wild-caught fisheries to ensure these vital natural resources are protected. Sadiki Laiser explains what…

Climate Finance for a Just Transition: A Forum on Blended Finance and Catalytic Strategies

As we mobilise capital flows to deliver a net zero future, a just transition means ensuring the benefits are shared widely and embedded successfully, with no one left behind. Financial institutions and governments have been ramping up their commitments to a just transition, but many need to better understand the rationale, implications, and applications of…

Forum on New Challenges and Opportunities for Multisectoral Governance

Successful governance systems demonstrate inclusive, people-centered administration that is transparent and accountable. This two-day interactive forum featured representatives from local governments, leading local and international organizations and thought leaders, USAID, and implementing partner programs discussing how to improve governance systems across different development sectors and the role of locally led development. Locally Led Development in…

Luis Alfonso Ortega

Luis Alfonso Ortega is a specialist in biodiversity conservation adaptation to climate change with community participation, with more than 22 years of experience working in local conservation, environmental management, and land productivity through information technologies and participatory methodologies. Before joining Chemonics, he served as Director of Fundación Ecohabitats based in Popayán, Colombia, where he worked…

Elisa Bravo Henao

Elisa Bravo is an environment and natural resource management and artisan and small-scale mining (ASM) mining specialist with more than 16 years of experience working on projects in Colombia. She worked with various international organizations specializing in biodiversity conservation and community development throughout her career. Elisa currently serves as the Chief of Party for the…

Anamaría Talero Pilonieta

Anamaría Talero Pilonieta is an environmental and human rights lawyer with more than 15 years of experience advising and directing complex initiatives related to law enforcement on anticorruption, land rights, environmental justice, governance and prevention crimes in the Latin American Andean Region and Southern Cone. She currently serves as the Environmental Governance Lead on the…

Roberto León Gómez

Roberto León Gómez is a sustainable development expert with nearly 30 years of experience promoting biodiversity conservation, improving natural resource management, and implementing complex environmental initiatives for international donors in Latin America, including USAID, GEF, EU, IDB, and GIZ. He currently serves as the chief of party on the USAID Amazon Alive Activity in Colombia…

Development Works Here with Achini Wijesinghe

Meet Chemonics’ Achini Wijesinghe, gender advisor for the USAID Sri Lanka Energy Program! In this video, Achini discusses her path to international development, the organizations that inspired her and shaped her career and identity, advice for those interested in a career in development, her experience swimming with nurse sharks in the Maldives, and more. Achini…

Accelerating Plastic Pollution Reduction in Vietnam

Vietnam is considered a significant contributor to the world ocean plastic pollution. This harmful practice weakens the resilience of marine and other ecosystems and exacerbates the effects of climate change, which Vietnam is especially vulnerable to; studies estimate that rising sea levels, typhoons, flooding, droughts, and other extreme weather will affect more than 50 million…

For a Precious Resource like Water, Good Governance Matters

In complex environments with political challenges and evolving conflict dynamics, equitable access to water and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services is increasingly critical and yet often constrained by ineffective or outdated governance systems. Not only are governance initiatives central to meeting the challenges that rapid urbanization poses for the provision of WASH services, but…

Targeting a Just Transition as We Invest In Our Planet

The world is facing mission-critical gaps in climate finance and development finance. Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that investment in climate mitigation and adaptation is three to six times lower than it needs to be to reach the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the UN…