Greening the Islands Awards

Amjad Abdula

Mr. Amjad Abdulla is the Head of Partnership at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Prior to his appointment at IRENA, he served as the Director General, Climate Change and multidisciplinary team leader at Ministry of Environment of the Maldives. He has also served in Climate, Renewable Energy and Environment portfolios at the Government of Maldives since1996 as well as other international organizations.

Mr. Abdulla has extensive experience in multilateral negotiations and has been the, Chief Negotiator for Small Islands (SIDS) from 2015-2018, Chair of Least Developed Countries(LDCs) from 2007-2008 and lead negotiator for the Maldives to the UNFCCC since 2001.

Mr. Abdulla has served at various Boards, Committees both locally and internationally, including: Bureau Member and Vice-Chair of Working Group III of IPCC AR6, Vice Chair WG II of IPCC for AR5, Member (Alt) of Green Climate Fund (GCF) board, , Member of Adaptation Committee), Member of CDM Executive Board, Member of the Adaptation Fund Board), Chair and Vice-Chair of SBSTA), a member of Enforcement Branch of Kyoto Compliance Committee under UNFCCC.

Mr. Abdulla is also the author and contributing author to several reports of high international and national significance including the reports of IPCC.

Amani Alfarra

Dr. Amani Alfarra is a water officer at FAO in the Land and Water Division. Dr. Alfarra has more than 20 years of substantive expertise in natural resources management, focused on river basin/ Transboundary River and coastal zone management. My specialized fields include water-based strategies and actions for climate change adaptation, including applying Nature-Based Solutions. During COP24, her NBS publication “NBS for agricultural water management and food security” was successfully launched and recognized by UNDESA. The publication focuses on enhancing the availability and quality of water for productive purposes and human consumption using NBS, an integrated approach for sustainable natural resources management with a focus on investments. NBS has become the third pillar of adaptation to climate change.
Dr. Alfarra has extensive experience in working with managerial and policy issues in the field of natural resources management at the country, regional and global levels.

Godfrey Baldacchino

Professor of Sociology, Founding Editor, Island Studies Journal; President, International Small Islands Studies Association. Researcher and author/editor of many texts dealing with islands and archipelagos.

Joseph Borg

Joseph Borg is the president of INSULEUR (the Insular Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the European Union).  He was born on the 3^rd December 1960.  He studied philosophy and theology at the Sacred Heart Seminary, Victoria, Gozo, and obtained a Litentiate from the Lateran University in Rome in 1984.  Throughout the years Mr Borg has held a number of executive positions, including director with Francis X Borg Co. Ltd., and managing director of the same firm, the family owned furniture manufacturing company.

Joseph also served as a director on the board of the Malta Development Corporation from 1989 to 1992. He was involved in the Gozo Committee of the Malta Federation of Industries, from 1988 to 1992 as its secretary, and then as its Chairman from 1992 to 1993. In this post he also served on the Council of the Malta Federation of Industries.  Mr Borg was also a director of Bank of Valletta plc.

Joseph Borg was also chairman of Gozo Channel Co. Ltd. from July 2005 to July 2008, and is presently a board member on the newly set up Gozo Regional Development Authority. He has also been a member of the council and secretary of the Gozo Business Chamber from 1999 to 2005. He was again elected to the Council of the same Chamber in January 2010.  Since January 2012 he has also held the post Vice-President of the same Chamber. From October 2018 be became President of the Gozo Business Chamber and also President of INSULEUR from December 2018. Mr Borg serves in a number of voluntary organisations in Gozo amongst others as director of the OASI Foundation (Foundation for Drug and Alcohol rehabilitation) since its inception. He is also a member of the Fondazione Centesimus Annus pro Pontifice since 2009.

Manuel Butler

Executive Director of UNWTO since June 2018. CEO of TURESPAÑA twice (2012-2013 and 2016-2018). President of the European Travel Commission (ETC) in 2013. PhD in Naval Engineering, Master’s degree in senior management (PADE) by IESE Business School and post-graduate degree in corporate finance (London Business School).

Experience in Western Europe, North and Latin America, working in management positions (public and private sectors). Tourism counsellor at Spanish embassies of the UK and Germany and Consulate in Miami, U.S.A.

Kate Brown

Kate Brown is the Executive Director of the Global Island Partnership, a platform that enables island leaders and their supporters to take action to build resilient and sustainable island communities. Kate is a passionate advocate for islands. She is a valued and trusted international partnership and collaboration leader, with a unique ability to connect dots for issues and people. Kate has extensive experience in all island regions globally, and brings an extensive network of island leaders, blue sky thinkers and people dedicated to supporting islands.

Kate has experience working inside government, non-profits and intergovernmentally as well as a keen sense of the most important elements of the international policy setting space relevant to islands as well as what is needed for implementation to happen. A strategic thinker who is able to present clear ideas and set up the right conditions for collaboration to thrive. Kate is originally from New Zealand.

Edita Dranseikaite

Edita Dranseikaite joined the European Commission in 2005 and is currently responsible for coordination of the Clean Energy for the EU Islands Initiative in the Directorate General for Energy. Before that, she worked as programme manager in the Directorate General for Regional Policy and Urban Development and a policy officer in the international team of Directorate General for Environment.

Before joining the Commission, Edita Dranseikaite worked as chief adviser in the Government Chancellery of Lithuania, and was a team member of the Chief Negotiator for Lithuania’s Accession to the EU. She also was teaching European integration and politics at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University. She holds a Master of European Studies degree from the Vilnius University, Lithuania.

Georges Kremlis

Georges Kremlis started his career in the European Commission on 1.1.1981, as a Member of the Legal Service.

He is currently Honorary Director and Active Senior in the Directorate-General for the Environment. He has joined DG ENV in 1995 and has served since then as the Head of the Legal, the Governance and the Cohesion Units.
Before joining the Commission, but also during parts of his career he has exercised several high-level functions in Greece.

He is visiting Professor in a number of European Universities and is the author of a very large number of various publications, in English, French and Greek, and in particular of a four volumes Commentary, Article by Article, of the EU and EC Treaties, under the Nice Treaty (in Greek)”.

Michela Miletto

Michela Miletto is the Deputy Coordinator of the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) since 2008. She acted as Coordinator/Director a.i. from 2013 to 2015, and in 2019-2020 (ongoing).

She leads the gender portfolio of UNESCO WWAP, supporting Member States to develop gender-responsive and evidence-based water policies, strategies and programs.

Michela has worked for thirty years in the assessment of water resources and ecosystems, and in the development of renewable resources. Prior to joining UNESCO, she extensively worked for several international organizations in Latin America, Eastern Africa, USA, and Europe.

Sai Navoti

Mr. Navoti is the Chief, SIDS Unit, UNDESA. The Unit monitors and report on the implementation of the SAMOA Pathway and the SDG in SIDS, facilitate and service inter-governmental negotiations. Sai served as Lead Negotiator for the G77 & China (2013) and Lead Climate Negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in 2012. He was also the Senior Legal Advisor with the International Seabed Authority. Sai served Fiji as a Military Officer, State Solicitor and a Diplomat; he held various international appointments including President of the Assembly (12th Session) of the ISA, Vice President (1st & 2nd) Review Conference of the UN Fish-stock Agreement and Rapporteur of the UNCITRAL’s Working Group on International Arbitration. Represented Fiji in international negotiations; drafted the national report and presented Fiji’s first UPR – Human Rights Council, 2010. Sai holds a BA(Politic), LLB and MSc degrees and 2 post graduate diplomas.

Eddy Paris

Eddy PARIS is the representative of the Government of Aruba, one of the 6 overseas countries and territories related to the Kingdom of the Netherlands (NL), and to the European Union.

The different Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are united within their dedicated association: OCTA (Overseas Countries and Territories Association), of which Eddy PARIS is currently the President of the Executive Committee.

With multiple experiences in the hotel industry, Eddy PARIS masters budget forecasting, banking management, business coaching, sales and hotel management and has strong business development skills.

He graduated from the EU Business School, where he obtained a master’s degree in International Business and Finance.

Giovanni Ruggieri

Giovanni Ruggieri, graduated with honors in Economics from the University of Palermo he spent a semester of study at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK. He achieved the title of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Tourism Sciences at the University of Palermo. Adjunct Professor in Applied economics he is adjunct professor of Tourism Economics and Tourism Systems and Hospitality Management. He is the author of several articles on tourism published in international scientific journals and concerning the economic impact issues, the birth and development of tourist destinations and the growth of tourism economies in the island territories. He is member of Unesco Management Plan working Group for Sicily Unesco Foundation. President of the Observatory on Tourism for Islands Economies and chairman of the Scientific Committee made up of professors and international experts. Research topics, with particular attention to island realities, concern: the tourism economy, innovation.

Giuseppe Sciacca

Mr Giuseppe Sciacca has been working for the CPMR General Secretariat since 2006. He is an expert in EU policies (notably Energy Transition and climate Change, Transports, Cohesion Policy) and has excellent skills in team management and drafting political and technical reports. In July 2017, Giuseppe was appointed Executive Secretary of the CPMR Islands Geographical Commission.

In this role, he manages the daily activities of a network of 20 island regional governments (advocacy initiatives, communication campaigns, organisation of conferences, webinars, workshops). Giuseppe has a long experience and he is very well versed in designing and implementing EU projects/contracts. He is currently working as CPMR project manager of a H2020 Decarbonising Energy Systems of Geographic Islands project.

Konstantina Toli

With background in Environmental Sciences and Strategic Management, Ms. Toli is a Senior Programme Officer in the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) Secretariat. Since 2009, she is leading since 2009 the Non Conventional Water Resources and Urban Water Management Agenda in the Mediterranean.

She has hands-on experience in more than 32 Mediterranean islands, where water scarcity, climate variability and energy challenges jeopardise their sustainable development. Given the current and future challenges due to migration, Konstantina is heavily involved in the development of a multifaced strategy, linking migration with water and employment.

Popular Jury

This year the GTI Awards will introduce the possibility for island stakeholders to influence the final decision voting through the GTI app.