The Team
The Team
This is the team behind the IWRM Action Hub! Scroll down to meet the members of our Advisory Group.
Yelysaveta Demydenko
Case Study Manager
Currently working with GWP in Stockholm on the Knowledge Management and Transboundary cooperation, Yelysaveta manages the case studies on the IWRM Action Hub as well as the Transboundary Community of Practice. She has over 5 years of experience in water and environmental management, focusing on water governance and legal frameworks. In her daily work she is responsible for development of transboundary-related knowledge products and supports the learning and capacity building on water governance and management.
Monika Ericson
Communications Manager
Monika works as a Senior Communications Specialist at GWP in Stockholm since 2014. She has over 20 years of experience as a communications professional in intergovernmental organisations, with in-depth knowledge of strategic communication principles and methods, and with accomplishments in almost all fields in communication. Specialised in digital media, she is passionate about Com4Dev, an advocate for sustainability, and believes in the power of using comms for doing good.
Mario Lambán
Platform Manager
Mario works as Technical Specialist at GWP in Stockholm. He has more than five years of experience in adopting technologies and information systems for development in Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea and Guatemala. His expertise lies in virtual platforms design and development, information management, digital literacy, information architecture, virtual repositories, and libraries.
Gergana Majercakova
Coordinator
Gergana Majercakova, PhD works as a Senior Learning Specialist at Global Water Partnership, where she is responsible for shaping GWP’s global learning agenda, creating and strengthening learning alliances and communities of practice. With over 15 years of experience, her expertise and interest lie in organizational learning and knowledge management, instructional design and capacity building, stakeholder engagement and public participation, as well as strategic communications and outreach.
Ananya Peddibhotla
Research Fellow
Ananya Peddibhotla is a PhD student at the Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of California, Irvine, USA. Her research interests are at the intersection of informality, infrastructure (water and energy), and climate change in the Global South. Ananya has a master’s degree in public policy and governance and specialises in environmental governance. Her master’s thesis focused on exploring the potential of IWRM as an approach for sustainable conflict resolution of the 200-year-old Kaveri River water dispute in India.
Primož Skrt
Community Manager
Primož Skrt is a geographer with international working experience from Slovenia, Germany, Spain and Slovakia. He has been working in international cooperation for the last 15 years in the areas of climate change, environmental risks, river management, ecosystem services, nature-based solutions. He has an extensive expertise in stakeholder engagement, communities of practice, as well as project management and fundraising.
Laurent-Charles Tremblay-Levesque
Content Manager
Laurent-Charles is working for GWP as IWRM and KM Specialist and Network Specialist for China and South Asia. Before coming to GWP Laurent was working in South Sudan as WASH Emergency Response Team Manager for Medair, a humanitarian NGO. His specific expertise lies in humanitarian WASH, rural and community based water supply systems, community led total sanitation (CLTS), multiple use water systems (MUS), and watershed conservation management. His field work spans across South Sudan, Peru, Kenya, Nepal and Malawi, working for local and international NGOs. He holds a BA Honours in International Development from McGill University, a MA in China Development Studies from the University of Hong Kong, and an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford.
The IWRM Action Hub Advisory Group
The Advisory Group provides guidance, recommendations and ideas for new content and activities into the IWRM Action Hub. It is composed of a diverse representation of stakeholders with various backgrounds, expertise and affiliations.
Alex Guerra Noriega
Climate Change Research
Institute, Guatemala
Alex Guerra Noriega, PhD has been the General Director of the Climate Change Research Institute in Guatemala since 2010. He holds a master’s degree in Water Science, Policy and Management and a PhD in Geography and the Environment, both from the University of Oxford, UK. Alex was a lecturer at a master’s program at the Del Valle University in Guatemala from 2012 to 2017. Previously he worked as a researcher in water resources at the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve. He is a Young Affiliate Member of TWAS LACREP 2018, and a member of the National Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Guatemala since 2015. He is author or co-author of several publications on disaster risk, water resources and climate change mitigation and adaptation. In 2020 and 2021 he was the chair of the Guatemalan National Science System on Climate Change (SGCCC).
Barbara Janusz-Pawletta
Kazakh German University,
Kazakhstan
Dr. Barbara Janusz-Pawletta is vice-president on International Cooperation at the Kazakh-German University (DKU), a member at the Technical Committee of the Global Water Partnership (GWP), at International Law Association within the Committee “Role of International Law in Sustainable Natural Resource Management for Development”, Legal Research Fellow of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) and UNESCO Chairholder for water management in Central Asia. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Central Asian Journal of Water Research (CAJWR), which is open access, peer-reviewed e-Journal dedicated to all aspects of water management in the region of Central Asia.
Dr. Barbara Janusz-Pawletta has obtained her Master Degree on Law in the Jagiellonen University in 2003. And through 4 years she has become a Doctor on Law in Freie Universität Berlin. Her teaching and research fields cover legal framework and institutional interstate cooperation including water and energy nexus. Dr. Janusz-Pawletta has been dealing with worldwide and best regional practices facilitating sustainable interstate related to production and maintenance of renewable energies by using water potential. Since 2004, Dr. Janusz-Pawletta has on hers account more than 35 research publications in various sources.
Christopher A. Ilagan
Cargill Philippines Inc.,
Philippines
Christopher A. Ilagan joined Cargill Philippines Inc. last July 2019 as its Corporate Affairs Director. In this capacity, he provides strategic leadership in the company’s corporate communications, government relations, corporate responsibility, sustainable development, and branding practice areas. He is a member of the company’s Country Leadership Team. In 2021, his portfolio was expanded to cover the Taiwan and Hong Kong markets as well. Over the years, Chris has built his expertise in the government and regulatory affairs space. From 2017 to June 2019, Chris was the Government Affairs and Markets Country Leader for 3M Philippines. Prior to that, Chris worked with Manila Water Company, Inc. – the East Zone Water Concessionaire of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System - where he rose the ranks to eventually become the Group Head for Corporate Regulatory Affairs. His career in the government affairs and regulation space began in the global port operator, International Container Terminal Services, Inc., where he served as the company’s Industry Affairs and Special Projects Officer.
Victor Kongo
GWP Tanzania,
Tanzania
Victor Kongo, PhD is an accomplished Water Resources Engineer and international consultant with a wealth of experience in the field of water resources management, climate resilience and sustainable development. His extensive expertise and leadership has been utilized by governments and global organizations including the UN and World Bank. He has served as an advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and currently is the Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Water, Energy and Minerals in Zanzibar. He served as the country Coordinator for the World Bank 2030 Water Resources Group. His work does not only require technical proficiency but also strategic thinking, leadership, deep understanding of government or organization’s priorities and processes, acumen in stakeholder engagement, team building, and program management skills. He has supervised and mentored numerous postgraduate students (MSc, PhD & Post Doc) and is the Regional Coordinator for the Eastern African Chapter for International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). This is on and above being the Executive Director for Global Water Partnership Tanzania.
Cindy Kushner
UNICEF,
Zimbabwe
Cindy Kushner leads change at scale by developing innovative strategies and partnerships, managing people and programs, and providing technical advice to government decision-makers. For over twenty-five years, she has worked for UNICEF, the UN, consulting companies and NGOs; primarily on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Cindy is currently leading the climate resilient WASH program and the mainstreaming of climate, energy, and environment in all programs in UNICEF Zimbabwe, a role she previously held at UNICEF Rwanda. From 2009 to 2017, she served as Senior Advisor in UNICEF HQ; first as founding Coordinator of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) global partnership. Following her work with SWA, she led the development of UNICEF’s Strategy for WASH (2016-2030) and flagship partnerships with the private sector and other multi-stakeholder initiatives, including chairing the multi-stakeholder WASH4Work. Prior to UNICEF, she implemented both emergency and development-focused community water supply and sanitation programs in Timor-Leste, Albania and Uganda for international NGOs and the UN. Cindy holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Yale University’s School of the Environment and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan.
Alejandra Mujica
GWP South America,
Uruguay
Alejandra Mujica is the Regional Coordinator of GWP South America. With a background in Biology and post graduate studies in Science and Technology Management she has more than 20 years of professional experience in the academia, governmental institutions, and the private sector. She has focused her experience on the design of innovation and research policies. She has a vocation for multidisciplinary work as a way of approaching complex issues. In this sense she considers IWRM as a powerful tool to understand and work on water related topics.
Jaehyang So
GWP TEC,
USA
Jaehyang So (“Jae”) is the Chair of the GWP Technical Committee. She is a senior executive with a track record of nurturing small and large organizations in Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa in strategy, innovation, and resource mobilization. During her 30-year career in the World Bank Group, Jae’s portfolio included sustainable development and finance, including infrastructure, water, urban development, gender, and public private partnerships. Jae is the architect of the WBG PPI Database, an industry leader in tracking public private investments around the world. Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Jae worked at Monitor Company in Massachusetts, advising Fortune 100 level companies on corporate strategy in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. She holds an MBA and a BA in Economics from Stanford University.
Alexander Zinke
Austrian Environment Agency,
Austria
Alexander Zinke is a biogeographer with 35 years of experience in environmental and water policy, project management, capacity building and awareness raising all over Europe, notably on IWRM and protected nature areas in SE Europe (Danube-Balkan) and the Caucasus. He has worked in many international projects both at an NGO (12y at WWF in DE and AT), in his environment consultancy firm (17 y) and at a public administration (since 2017 at the Environment Agency Austria). Here, he is leading a multi-partner EU program implementing the EU Water Framework Directive in the Caucasus countries, Moldova, and Ukraine.