Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is an important economic activity in many rural areas, with a long tradition in Colombia. High rates of informality undermine governance, security, and legal economies, and cause significant environmental and social impacts. As the government of Colombia consolidates post-conflict conditions, the United States and Switzerland are providing assistance through…
Carlos Morales has over 20 years of experience implementing USAID and other donor funded projects in Latin America. He worked for over than ten years in the Guatemalan food industry, developing an exhaustive understanding of the vegetables value chain and strong relationships with producers, suppliers, and international customers. Carlos worked with the World Wildlife Fund…
Although adaptive management is widely promoted — and often required — for development programs, its basic principles can be difficult to adhere to. Strict timelines and prescribed indicators often demand immediate success — success now. How do we implement this seemingly simple approach, which is measured by failure more than success, and requires experienced technical…
Which digital tools show the greatest promise to maximize development impact around the world? How can organizations and governments make sure that these tools are part of an inclusive approach to development? These are the kinds of questions that participants will discuss at the Digital Development Forum: The Next 10 Years event, hosted by USAID…
The goal of RESILIM, a five-year contract funded and administered by USAID/Southern Africa, was to improve transboundary management of the Limpopo River Basin and enhance the resilience of its people and ecosystems. With the support of the four Basin governments — Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe — the program was geared toward collaboration with…
Greg Minnick is a natural resources and environmental management and forestry specialist with more than 40 years of experience across a broad range of ecological zones, from the Sahel in Western Africa to the humid tropics and high Andean regions in Latin America. He has worked in forest management with community and indigenous groups and…
What part should civil society play in protecting the planet? How have recent political crises put the environment at risk? How can civil society hold government institutions accountable to alleviate the resource curse? These are the kinds of questions that environmental protection and democracy and governance experts will tackle at the International Civil Society Week…
David Fratt is a senior director with more than 25 years of experience working in environment and natural resource management in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the United States. During this time he has worked with various clients, including USAID, regional development banks, national and local governments,…
Kristin Dreiling is an international development and environmental management professional with more than 10 years of experience in community-driven development and project management. She was the knowledge management and learning specialist on USAID’s Climate Change Adaption, Thought Leadership, and Assessments (ATLAS) project.
For over 30 years, Carlos E. Quintela has managed environment, climate, and sustainable finance programs. In 2020, he joined the Land Innovation Fund for Sustainable Livelihoods, established by Cargill and implemented by Chemonics. As a director and senior advisor for climate and environment at Chemonics, he led several USAID-funded projects: SERVIR and Climate Services Support…
Chris Perine is an environmental management specialist with over 25 years of international experience working on climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental impact assessment, urban environmental infrastructure development and natural resources management. He is currently the Managing Director for Chemonics’ Climate Group where he leads a team focused on delivering climate services, implementing Chemonics’ global…
Brian App is an international natural resource management specialist with over 20 years of experience working in the climate and environmental sectors. Brian currently serves as a Senior Climate Services Director in Chemonics’ Climate Group where he helps identify and better understand climate risks and opportunities to improve climate integration into programs and proposals across…