Trade House event at COP28: Decarbonizing ocean-based sectors through trade, investment, and technology policies

Jan joined UNCTAD in 2003 and is Chief of the organization’s Trade Logistics Branch since 2016. The Branch implements research and technical assistance programmes in international transport and trade facilitation.

Previously, Jan worked six years for the UN ECLAC in Santiago de Chile, and two years for the IMO in London and Santiago.

Prior to this, he held part time positions as assistant professor, import-export agent, and seafarer. Jan has studied in Germany, UK, and Spain, and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Hamburg.

Chantal Line Carpentier joined DITC, UNCTAD after serving as Chief, UNCTAD New York Office of the Secretary-General, since 2014. She brings to the Branch over 25 years of work experience in International Trade, and Environmental and Agro-Economics.

Prior to working with UNCTAD, she supported the Commission on Sustainable Development and served as Major Groups (of non-State actors) Coordinator for the UN Rio+20 Conference and the SDGs negotiations at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), and supported the sustainable consumption and production and sustainable agriculture negotiations. As Head of the North American Free Trade Agreement Commission for Environmental Cooperations, she lead work on the nexus of environment, economy, and trade. She also served as Agro-environmental policy analyst for Winrock International, and post-Doctoral fellow/Brazil office manager for the International Food Policy Research Institute.

She obtained a PhD. in Agro-Environmental Economics from Virginia Technology and MSc. and BSc. from McGill University. She has an extensive list of publications on sustainable agriculture, trade and environment, sustainable consumption and production, financing for sustainable development, stakeholder engagement, global value chains, micro, small and medium enterprises, and economic empowerment of women.

Dr. Didacus Jules assumed the post of Director General of the OECS in May 2014. He is responsible for driving the regional integration thrust towards a single economic and social space involving ten Eastern Caribbean States.

Dr. Didacus Jules had extensive regional and international experience. He served as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Examinations Council (2008-2014) leading a thorough modernization of the Council.  Dr. Jules has also served as Vice President Human Resources Cable and Wireless Saint Lucia (2005-2008); Permanent Secretary for Education & Human Resource Development Saint Lucia (1997-2008) as well as Permanent Secretary for Education and Chief Education Officer in revolutionary Grenada from 1981-1983.

Dr. Didacus Jules has provided consultancy services to national governments, regional and international organisations in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe and North America. He has also served on many private sectors, educational, and philanthropic boards.  Dr. Didacus Jules holds a BA (Hons) from the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, an MSc in Curriculum & Instruction and a PhD in Educational Policy and Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a MBA from the University of the West Indies Cave Hill.

Dr Kim Friedman is a Senior Fishery Resources Officer with the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Kim leads the Resilience Team, the FishFinder program and is the Fisheries and Aquaculture Divisions focal point for Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), CITES and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Mr. Roel Hoenders is Head of the Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency team in the Marine Environment Division of the IMO Secretariat. He is responsible for IMO’s regulatory agenda on the reduction of atmospheric pollution from ships in line with MARPOL Annex VI and the implementation of IMO’s Initial Strategy on reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from ships.

Roel holds a law degree, with specializations in international environmental and maritime law, complemented by postgraduate studies in environmental sciences and business sustainability.

Prior to joining the IMO Secretariat, Mr. Hoenders worked as legal expert and policy officer on defining EU clean air and renewable energy policies in the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission and on promoting sustainable shipping in the environment department of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). In earlier functions at the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO) and DHL Netherlands he advised on corporate climate and sustainability strategies.

Frédéric Degret is a Naval and Maritime engineer and expert in Blue Economy and Environmental Regeneration.

He is Chief Executive Officer of NOAH Regen, an international group offering ocean states a comprehensive solution to: fast-track their ecological transition, including tools for valuing their natural resources, unlocking new sources of income (such as carbon credits), attracting private funds, and tracing blended finance projects for maximum impact.

Having previously worked as a consultant for political coalitions (UE, Commonwealth of Nations) for Climate action plans and structuring Blue sustainable economic growth, as of January 2023 he has also been appointed UNWTO Secretary-General's Special Advisor on Ocean and Climate Action.

Charles Bud Darr is the Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group.

An experienced global maritime leader in the areas of policy, government, and related law, Bud Darr is Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs of MSC Group which operates in 155 countries.

Having served in the US Navy, Merchant Marine, and Coast Guard, as well as being an accomplished ocean yacht racer, Bud’s longstanding connection with the sea and ships is both personal and professional. Bud began his education in Submarine Nuclear Engineering and later obtained his formal undergraduate education at the US Merchant Marine Academy, where he was trained as a Deck Officer. During his service with the US Coast Guard, he studied law at the George Washington University Law School. He most recently led the Maritime Policy efforts of the Cruise Lines International Association prior to joining the MSC Group in 2017.

Today, Bud is engaged across MSC’s Cargo and Passenger divisions, developing the company’s central Government Affairs function, based at the Group’s headquarters in Geneva. He is closely involved in MSC’s response to developments in environmental public policy and regulation and other industry wide issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, maritime security, safety at sea, and international shipping policy.

He serves on the Boards for the UK Chamber of Shipping, BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping, Liberian Shipowners’ Council, and Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel.

Valeria Ramundo Orlando is a partner and co-founder at Greensquare Ventures. With more than 20 years of experience at the nexus of finance, government and development, Valeria has been recognized as an authority in blended finance for natural capital. She has a strong track record in designing financial products and vehicles that fund natural resource initiatives to scale by blending private capital, public funding, bilateral/multilateral finance and philanthropy. She has also worked with governments around the world to craft public policy on green and social equities and sustainable development products.

Greensquare Ventures is a financial intermediary and advisory that structures fixed income products and blended finance vehicles in emerging and frontier markets and offers end-to-end advisory, financing and investment solutions to institutional investors and issuers. In her role as partner, Valeria leads the company’s strategy, fundraising and pipeline activities.

Before founding Greensquare Ventures, Valeria led a non-profit’s Blended Finance Team where she successfully signed pioneering agreements with multiple emerging economies to design blended finance vehicles for natural resource management.

Prior to that role, Valeria was the treasurer of a multinational organization and she created and managed a USD$1 billion portfolio investing in environmental, social and governance (ESG) structured projects, even in the presence of strict regulatory processes. Valeria has also worked on municipal and state bond issuances for the State of California and the City of New York, and was a director of a private equity firm with a range of investments in energy markets and community-level economic development.

Valeria earned an AB from Bryn Mawr College and a Master in Public Policy and Finance from the University of Southern California. Since 1995 she has been elected/nominated to a number of boards promoting education and advancement opportunities for women. Valeria’s fondest memories are of growing up in Mozambique, where she learned to free dive with turtles and appreciate the importance of conservation and sustainability. To this day, she supports turtle conservation extensively.

Cosmin Chivu works with the International Ocean Institute with responsibility for project implementation, and holds expertise on Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, Ocean Governance, maritime trade, environmental sustainability, policy development, with specific interest in fostering sustainable growth in Ocean-based sectors.

Based on this, he can contribute to the panel's objective of identifying strategies for decarbonization, policy development, and technology solutions to accelerate the renewable energy transition, particularly in developing countries, while also recognizing the incentives required to balance social, economic, and environmental impacts.

In this respect and on behalf of the International Ocean Institute, since 2018 he has:

• Lectured within the Institute’s programmes on Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction and other aspects of contemporary sustainable Ocean Governance,
• Organized and facilitated webinars on current Ocean challenges, fostering global awareness on issues of current importance with regard to contemporary Ocean governance,
• Represented the IOI in international meetings at the UN and UNCTAD, assisting on the hybridization of meetings and events,
• Developed and implemented functional and technical applications to address evolving needs while promoting sustainability,
• Is responsible for the day-to-day project coordination, planning, and execution across the international network of the IOI.