Achala C. Abeysinghe

Experience

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  Open University of Sri Lanka, Department of Legal Studies

  Jan 2002 - Jan 2004

  Lecturer in Environmental Law
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  International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

  Jan 2006 - Jan 2008

  Consultant, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), UK
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  The World Bank

  Jan 2008 - Dec 2008

  Robert S. McNamara Research Fellow
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  International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) UK

  Jan 2009 - Jan 2019

  • Head, Training and Support Program of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), UK • Leading and managing the global climate law, policy and governance team, a highly strategic flagship program of IIED, developing and managing strategic plans, defining a clear programmatic vision• Setting operational objectives and delivering results in line with targets in challenging environments ensuring smooth operation of the whole team• Line managing the staff members in the team and be responsible for consultants• Actively involving in strategic decision making of the whole institute• Delivering highly strategic capacity strengthening and trust building activities as Head of the Training and Support Program of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi) and lead IIED’s climate diplomacy program, national level climate policy implementation work• Leading the technical team developing the Myanmar’s National Climate change Policy• Increasing program funding by four-fold using high quality strategic design to secure new donors including UK, Sweden, Germany and the European Commission• Providing legal, technical and strategic advice to the Chair of the LDC Group, Mr. Giza Gaspar Martins, in 2015 including for the period of the Paris Agreement negotiations, continued on the same position to advise Mr. Tosi Mpanu Mpanu of Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Gebru Jember Endalew of the Republic of Ethiopia and Mr. Sonam P. Wangdi of the Royal Government of Bhutan• Developing and managing global and national technical and political strategy of the LDC Chair, fund raising and leading implementation of the strategy• Providing strategic advice to the LDC Chair on long term initiatives for the LDC group such as the LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR), LDC initiative for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (LDCREEI), LDC Universities Network, LDC Long Term Strategies on Low Carbon and Resilient Development (LTS) Show less • Head, Training and Support Program of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), UK• Leading and managing the global climate law, policy and governance team developing and managing strategic plans that define a clear programmatic vision, setting operational objectives and delivering results in line with targets in challenging environments• Developing the program to be a strategic and centrally focused one within the LDC Group. Designed a new country program strategy which reflected priorities for LDCs while responding to evolving country context and new organisational policies leading towards the adoption of the Paris Agreement• Providing legal, technical and strategy advice to the Chair of the LDC Group for the UN Climate Change negotiations, Mr. Prakash Mathema and Mr. K.C Paudel of Nepal, 2013-2014• Legal, technical and strategy advisor to the Special Climate Envoy of the Gambia, Mr. Pa Ousman Jarju• Leading IIED’s climate diplomacy program• Consultant, South East Asian Network on Climate Change, UNEP Show less • Legal, Technical and Strategic Advisor to the Chair of the LDC Group for the UN Climate Change negotiations, Mr. Pa Ousman Jarju of the Gambia- 2011-2012• Head, Training and Support Program of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), UK• Research development, fund raising, team and line management, institutional strategy advice and engagement• Developing, establishing and leading the IIED program on global climate law, policy and governance in 2010• Conducting research on National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPAs) of LDCs, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia Show less

  • Head, Global Climate Law, Policy and Governance

    Jan 2014 - Jan 2019

  • Team Leader and Principal Researcher, Global Climate Law, Policy and Governance

    Jan 2012 - Jan 2014

  • Team Leader and Researcher, Global Climate Law, Policy and Governance

    Jan 2009 - Jan 2012
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  UN Climate Change

  Jan 2010 - Jan 2019

  Legal, Technical and Strategic Advisor to the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group

  While at IIED, I was the chief legal, technical and strategic advisor to the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group, a group of 48 countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). From 2010 to 2019, I advised the Gambia, Nepal, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and the Royal Government of Bhutan respectively in their roles as the Chair of the LDC Group. From 2009 to 2019, I was also Head of Training and Support Program of the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi), supporting vulnerable developing countries in the UNFCCC negotiations. Show less

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  University of Strathclyde, UK

  Jan 2016 - Jan 2017

  Lecturer in Climate Change, Law & Policy (Post Graduate Programs)
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  Global Green Growth Institute

  Jul 2019 - Sept 2024

  As the Asia Director and Head of Programs at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), I was responsible for leading the development and implementation of GGGI programs across 16 member and partner countries in Asia: Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar (suspended), Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. I was also a member of GGGI's Senior Management team. GGGI's Asia operations represent the organization's largest regional program, with 64 active projects covering 34% of GGGI country operations. Key achievements in the region for 2022 include supporting micro-enterprises in Nepal, the Philippines, and Uzbekistan to foster grassroots entrepreneurship and link rural communities to markets throughout the agricultural value chain. Additionally, we provided technical assistance for India's 600MW Floating Solar project, the world's largest grid-connected project on a water body, generating 1,314 million electricity units annually, powering 550,000 homes, reducing 1.2 million tCO2eq emissions each year, and creating 5,500 direct green jobs.In Mongolia, our efforts have mobilized EUR 32.5 million for retrofitting residential buildings, resulting in energy savings, a GHG emissions reduction of over 4 million tCO2eq, and improved thermal comfort for 53,000 residents across 375 building blocks. We are increasingly focusing on waste-to-energy and circular economy initiatives in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Thailand. In Vietnam, we supported the issuance of the country's first onshore, internationally verified local currency green bond, valued at USD 75 million. Our assistance in developing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for Lao PDR and Nepal led to their commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Additionally, we supported Indonesia's G20 Presidency and continue to support to mobilize USD 1 billion for green investments and implement their energy transition mechanism. Show less

  • Director & Head of Programs for Asia Region

    Nov 2021 - Sept 2024

  • Country Representative

    Jul 2019 - Nov 2021
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  Green Climate Fund

  Sept 2024 - now

  Director-Investment Services