GEF staff recognized for joint efforts connected with IPCC’s Nobel Peace Prize

Honors reflect contributions in Africa and South America  

 
Sekou Toure

Sekou Toure was one of the lead authors on the IPCC Special Report on the Regional Impacts of Climate Change and Assessment of Vulnerability (he is the co-author of Chapter 2: Africa). He also collaborated with IPCC to develop methodologies to estimate greenhouse gas emissions. Sekou’s contribution to the work of IPCC date back to when he was Professor at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Travaux Publics, now Institut Polytechnique Félix Houphouet Boigny of Yamoussousokro in his home country, Cote d’Ivoire.

Sekou joined the GEF in September 2007. Prior to this while he was living in Cote D’Ivoire he held several administrative and political positions in the Government of Côte d’Ivoire. Among others he was Junior Minister (Haut Commissaire a l’Hydraulique), Special Advisor to the State Minister in charge of Development Planning and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister. Sekou left his country in February 2001 when appointed as Director of the Regional Office for Africa at the United Nations Environment Programme. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, specializing in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, U.S.A.  

“It is rewarding to see that over the years scientific and technical effort of those associated with IPCC has contributed to better understanding of climate change and the prominence the issue is given in policy circles. IPCC provided a tremendous opportunity for African scientists to work together with their counter parts from around world. A lot of us benefitted from this experience”.

 
Claudio Volonté

Claudio Volonté participated in the earlier days of the IPCC (1992-96), as one of the lead authors of reports and assessments conducted by IPCC Working Group II that contributed to the IPCC Second Assessment (1995). Claudio's main contribution was on the development of the first methodologies for vulnerability assessment and development of adaptation strategies for impacts of climate change on coastal zone areas. His scientific work conducted in Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela and USA was essential to increase global awareness of the potential socio-economic and ecological impacts of accelerated sea level rise during the early days of the climate change debate.

Claudio coordinated the first GEF supported adaptation project, Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Global Climate Change (1996-2000). Prior to that, Claudio worked on disaster management in Latin America also at the Organization of American States and on evaluation of impacts of World Bank lending to the urban and environmental sector at the World Bank. Claudio joined the GEF Secretariat in 2000 and was part of the team that established the GEF Evaluation Office in 2003. He is a national of Uruguay and holds advanced degrees on environmental planning and coastal zone management.

"Working and discussing climate change in the early 90s was not fashionable like it is today, most people thought that we were mad scientists. The establishment of IPCC, a volunteer organization, provided an incredible and very unique platform for scientists from around the world to come together and eventually convince the world that our assessment did not belong in science fictions books”.