Pacific Centre

Garry Wiseman

manager

Garry Wiseman has over 19 years experience working in the economic development field, concentrating on development economics, planning and aid delivery, primarily in the island countries of the Pacific. He notably worked with AusAID, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and the Government of Tuvalu, and has contributed to several policy documents on economic and social development in the South Pacific. During 1999-2000, he headed the Pacific SURF based in Fiji. garry.wiseman@undp.org

ernesto bautista

Pacific Regional Governance Advisor AndProject Manager

Ernesto Bautista provides overall leadership and guidance to the Governance Team in the UNDP Pacific Center, and ensures that the Pacific Governance Program responds to the priorities of the countries in the region. He coordinates the overall implementation of the Pacific Governance Program and provides advisory support to governments, development partners, and UNDP Country Offices in the design, monitoring and evaluation of decentralization and local governance, anti-corruption and democratic governance processes, in the identification of strategic entry points for policy engagement and partnership with governments and various development partners. Prior to rejoining the UNDP, he worked as a consultant and served as Governance Adviser in Cambodia, as Deputy Coordinator - UNDP Regional Governance Program for Asia based in Pakistan and as Assistant Resident Representative and Head of Governance Unit with UNDP Philippines. Ernesto brings a wide range of expertise honed by more than 20 years of experience working with various government and non-government institutions. He served in various capacities in the Philippine government in charge of national economic planning, aid management and coordination, agriculture credit policy and development finance. He worked with the International Rice Research Institute where he conducted research on the impact of agricultural technology on rural institutions, labor markets, and institutional change. ernesto.bautista@undp.org

Nurina Widagdo

Governance Programme Specialist

Nurina joined the UNDP Pacific Centre in June 2008 and brings with her 15 years of experience as a development worker. Prior to joining the Pacific Centre, she was the Assistant Resident Representative/Governance Unit Head, in the UNDP Indonesia Country Office, her home country, where she managed a USD 15 million annual portfolio on decentralization and local governance; elections and parliamentary support; and human rights, legal, and justice sector reform.  Nurina has a thorough experience in the non-governmental organization sector, having worked in Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China, Burma, Thailand, Philippines, and USA.  She was the Regional Director for East Asia at Oxfam America in 2003-2005.
Nurina received her MA degree in International Studies from the University of Oregon, USA in 1992. Her expertise and experience has since then evolved around governance  in multi-country, multi-level, and multi-sector issues from global governance in development finance, to the Mekong River governance involving a regional institution, multi-country governments and communities, to building stronger people voice and representation through elections and in parliaments. nurina.widagdo@undp.org

Suki Beavers, B.A., B.A.(Hons.), LL.B., LL.M. Pacific Regional Human Rights Specialist

Ms Beavers brings more than 15 years of experience working on human rights, women’s rights and rights-based development issues, at the national, regional and international levels. Prior to joining the UNDP Sub-Regional Pacific Centre, Ms Beavers has held managerial positions with NGOs in Canada and Papua New Guinea. Ms Beavers has significant experience with the UN human rights system, particularly the UN Commission on Human Rights, providing technical support to various Governments on a range of human rights issues, as well as training, mentoring and capacity building related to both advocacy and policy development, with local, national, regional and international NGOs engaging with human rights mechanisms. In the Pacific, Ms Beavers has worked as Legal Officer for the Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (PNGTUC), providing technical support, capacity building and advocacy in the areas of workers rights, human rights and women’s rights.
She also brings expertise in the areas of anti-corruption and good governance, having served as both Manager and Technical Advisor with Transparency International, Papua New Guinea Inc. Prior to her development and international human rights work, Ms Beavers’ law practice in Canada focused on union-side labour, employment and human rights issues.suki.beavers@undp.org

cHARMAINE rODRIGUES

Legislative Strengthening Expert

Charmaine Rodrigues joins the UNDP with a mix of private, public and community sector experience. Charmaine most recently worked with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an international human rights NGO working to promote human rights amongst the 53 member states of the Commonwealth. As CHRI's Right to Information Programme Coordinator, Charmaine worked with government officials, parliamentarians, the media and NGOs to promote the legal entrenchment and practical implementation of access to information as a means of promoting more accountable and participatory governance. While at CHRI, Charmaine expanded the organisation's work into the Pacific, targeting Papua New Guinea , Solomon Islands and Fiji in the first instance. In 2005, Charmaine co-organised a Workshop for Pacific Parliamentarians on Freedom of Information, with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and in 2006, she was commissioned to develop a Model Information Disclosure Toolkit for Pacific Governments. She has also worked with officials at the Forum Secretariat to support local efforts to promote the right to information regionally. Before joining CHRI, Charmaine worked with the Australian Agency for International Development, primarily on the Solomon Islands Programme (AusAID). At AusAID, Charmaine worked mainly on institutional strengthening and governance issues. She is a qualified lawyer and briefly practiced as a solicitor in Melbourne , Australia. charmaine.rodrigues@undp.org

Isikeli Valemei holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management & Public Administration, and Marine Affairs from the University of the South Pacific. Isikeli primarily provides administrative backstopping and monitoring of programme implementation to the Regional CPR initiatives and support to policy advice to UNDP Country offices in the region. Prior to being recruited as a Young Professional with the UNDP Pacific Centre, Isikeli was employed with the Ministry of Fisheries & Forests for four years assisting in the planning, management, and implementation of the Pearl Oyster Project. isikeli.valemai@undp.org

Jean-Luc Stalon

Senior regional Crisis Prevention and recovery Advisor

Jean-Luc will be responsible for the overall operation of the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Team including the disaster risk management at the Pacific Centre. He has 15 years of experience in crisis and conflict issues and has worked in Rwanda , Democratic Republic of Congo, Kosovo , Somalia , Cote d'Ivoire , and the Bureau of Crisis Prevention and Recovery in Geneva . His main focus has been crisis prevention and recovery with a major emphasis on disarmament, demobilistion and reintegration of ex-combatants and security sector reform. Prior to rejoining the UNDP, he served as the head of the disarmament programme within the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Cote d'Ivoire . Jean-Luc Stalon also contributed to several policy documents and studies and is the author of a book on “Constructing Democracy in a Divided Society in Rwanda” (published by L'Harmattan in 2002) and has authored an article on “Peace Diplomacy taking Shape in Africa,” published by the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS) in June 2007. He is a PhD candidate for the French Institute for Political Science on the topic Security and Political Stability in Sub Saharan Africa. jeanluc.stalon@undp.org

VACANT

Conflict Prevention and Recovery Specialist

 

David Abbott

Macroeconomic and Poverty Reduction Advisor, MDG Team Leader

David has 30 years developing country experience in Africa, Asia, and particularly the Pacific Islands. His main areas of interest are in macroeconomic policy, poverty analysis and the economic development of small island states. He has recently been engaged in an extensive assessment of hardship and poverty in the Pacific Islands under an ADB regional technical assistance and is the author (with Steve Pollard) of “Hardship and Poverty in the Pacific” published by the ADB in its Pacific Studies series. David will be leading the activities of the Centre's Thematic Group for Macroeconomic and Poverty Analysis for the development of pro-poor policies, the achievement of the MDGs in the Pacific islands and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods and entrepreneurship. david.abbott@undp.org

Carol Flore-Smereczniak

Pacific Regional MDG Specialist

Carol has more than ten years experience in the development field, and has worked for UNDP and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in the Indian Ocean region and for the UN Resident Coordinator System in Mauritius/Seychelles. Her main interests are in human rights, gender issues, HIV/AIDS and UN coordination issues. As a trained resource person for Common Country Assessment (CCA)/UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), Carol has supported the Armenia UN Country Team to develop their UNDAF, and Seychelles to articulate their first CCA around the MDGs. As MDG Focal point for the last five years, she has led the preparation of several national MDG Reports, conceptualized various tools for advocacy campaigns, supported capacity building for MDG monitoring and reinforced integration of MDGs in national plans. Carol joins the Centre to support Pacific Island Countries in advocacy efforts to achieve, track and report on the MDGs, as well as integrate MDGs in national planning processes.carol.flore@undp.org

Jeff Liew

Pacific Regional Sustainable Livelihoods Specialist

He will provide policy advice and capacity building in the development of inclusive financial sectors, strengthening the growth and competitiveness of small and medium enterprises, alternative livelihoods creation especially in rural areas and will lead the Centre’s work in facilitating pro-poor private sector investments. Jeff has strong participatory and commercial background and comes with over 20 years of development work in the Indian Ocean, Caribbean and, substantively, the Pacific and is a recognised practitioner on livelihoods issues facing small island development states. jeff.liew@undp.org

Roderic Evers

Pacific Regional Entrepreneurship Development Specialist

Roderic comes with both private sector and development experience and has worked for ILO and UNDP in the Pacific in the last 5 years. In his previous position as regional Business Development Adviser he was responsible for entrepreneurship capacity building and project development. His role at the Centre will focus on the development and institutionalization of financial literacy and entrepreneurship in the school curriculum and to put in place a certificated training programme for business advisers in the Pacific. Roderic will also provide on-demand policy advice and technical assistance in the area of entrepreneurship and private sector development. roderic.evers@undp.org

Ferdinand Strobel

HIV and AIDS Programme Specialist

Ferdinand will work as part of the MDG Achievement and Poverty Reduction team at the Pacific Centre.He was previously a consultant with UNAIDS in Bangkok , and prior to that, worked as the HIV and AIDS programme officer for the Thailand 's Country Office.  He was also a core member of the UN regional task force on mobility and HIV vulnerability reduction for South East Asia . Before joining UNDP, Ferdinand was a humanitarian worker in West, East and Central Africa with Medecins Sans Frontieres and Concern Worldwide. His background is development with a strong focus on rural livelihoods and his academic research focused on the ethnography of a traditional community of Northern Espiritu Santo Island , Vanuatu . ferdinand.strobel@undp.org

Mahezabeen Nisha Khan

MDG Programme Associate

Mahezabeen Khan has a BA in Literature and Language and Sociology. Her duties include conducting research in MDG for results based management in accordance with ATLAS requirements, support implementation, delivery and regular reporting of the MDG Team. Prior to joining the Pacific Centre, Mahezabeen worked with the Australian High Commission in Fiji as a Visa Officer and at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) as a Project Assistant.mahezabeen.khan@undp.org

sanjeev Lal, Programme Finance Associate

Sanjeev Lal has over 6 years of both private and public sector experience, focusing on finance and administration. He holds a BA in Accounting & Financial Management/Management & Public Admin istration from the University of the South Pacific. He started his career with Courts (Fiji) Limited as a Finance Supervisor in the Finance Section, after having worked there for 3 years, he moved to the National Fire Authority as their Accountant. During this time he also acted as their Board Secretary reporting to the Chief Executive and Board of Directors. After having spent 3 year at the National Fire Authority, he moved to the UNDP CO as their Finance (Treasury) Associate in September 2006. In May 2007, Sanjeev joined the UNDP Pacific Centre as their Programme Finance Associate in charge of operations. sanjeev.lal@undp.org

farzeen khan

ICT Support Associate

Farzeen Khan is the ICT Support Associate at the Pacific Centre.  She has seven years experience in the ICT industry. Farzeen is a Microsoft Certified Professional and is in the final year of completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computing Science at the University of the South Pacific.  She leads the provision of ICT services in the Centre including ICT management systems, daily technical support and information management infrastructure.  farzeen.khan@undp.org

Maryanne Fong

Finance/Procurement Assistant

Mary Anne Fong has over 10 years experience in Finance and Administration. She initially worked for 5 years with the Life Insurance Corporation of India where she was involved in designing and developing computer programs to mechanize the premium accounting jobs for the Corporation. She then moved to New Zealand and worked for Capital Life Assurance Limited and Reid’s Technology (NZ) Limited also in the Accounts area. On returning to Fiji, she worked for various companies including Mobil Oil Australia Limited, Placer Exploration Limited and Miles Johnson’s – Barristers and Solicitors. During the years 1998- 2002 she acted as Finance Officer for the College for Higher Education Studies, then moved on to join Uvea Trading Ltd, to set up their Fiji office. Before joining the PSRC, as Finance / Procurement Assistant, she worked for UNDP in the Finance section for 1 year. mary.fong@undp.org

VACANT

Programme Assistant

Shobhna Decloitre

Media, Communications and Advocacy Associate

Shobhna Decloitre is the Centre's Media, Communications and Advocacy Associate. She is responsible for creating awareness for the Centre and its activities using various communication tools locally and regionally. Shobhna brings with her eight years of experience from mainstream journalism and public relations. Prior to joining the Centre, she was the media officer for Fiji's national human rights institution. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Economics. shobhna.decloitre@undp.org.

Emi Drikibau

Receptionist/Clerk

Emi has more than 10 years experience in the secretarial/administration area of work. Before joining UNDP, Emi worked for various organizations including the Civil Service, National Bank of Fiji, Fiji Sugar Authority and Fiji Islands Revenue and Customs Authority. Emi joined the Pacific Centre in October 2005. With years of experience in secretarial/administration, Emi contributes in providing efficient customer service for the Centre. emi.drikibau@undp.org