UMass Boston

View of campus from the water from a cruise boat.
Agenda

Day 1: June 30, 2025

8 a.m.

Breakfast Available


8:55 – 9:15 a.m.

Words of Welcome

  • Éliana Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer, CIFOR-ICRAF
  • His Eminence, Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, Chancellor PASS/PASS
  • Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Council, PASS
  • Joachim von Braun, President, PAS

9:15 – 10:00 a.m.

Opening Addresses – Local, National, Continental Levels

  • Hon. H.E. Wilber Ottichilo, Governor, Vihiga County, and Chair Environment, Forestry and Climate change committee
  • Jacqueline Kado, Executive Director, NASAC

10:05 – 11:05 a.m.

Challenges and Best Practices for Resilience - Mayors and Local Leaders

Moderator: Éliane Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer, CIFOR-ICRAF

Panelists:

  • Hon. H.E. Wilber Ottichilo, Governor, Vihiga County, and Chair Environment, Forestry and Climate change committee
  • Hon. Annie Kapandula Kalamatila, Mayor, Lufwanyama
  • Hon. Samuel Assefa, Director, California Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
  • Hon. Lillian Seenoi-Barr, Mayor, Derry City and Strabane District Council
  • Philip Osana, Chief Operating Officer, CIFOR-ICRAF

11:05 – 11:25 a.m.

Coffee break


11:25 a.m. – 12:25 p.m.

Innovative Financing Resiliency in Africa: Cities and Subregions

Moderator: Ousmane Badiane, Executive Chairperson, AKADEMIYA2063

Panelists:

  • Eric Kacou, Co-founder & CEO of Entrepreneurial Solutions Partners (ESPartners)
  • Yves Mariko, Chief Economist, Africa Energy Transition Services
  • Eric Naivasha, Head of Sustainable Finance, KCB Bank Group
  • Robert Sangori, Initiative Coordinator, Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor (BCRUP)

12:25 – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch Session: A Whole of Government Approach to Climate Resilience (followed by moderated Q&A)


1:15 – 12:15 p.m.

Scientific and Policy Innovations for Building Resilience

Moderator: Mohamed Hassan, PAS

Panelists:

  • George Wamukoya, Team Leader, African Group of Negotiators Experts Support
  • Kofi Kisiedu Acquaye, Africa Regional Coordinator, Young Professionals for Agricultural Development
  • Steven Were Omamo, Director for Africa, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
  • Mary Njenga, Bioenergy Research Scientist, CIFOR-ICRAF
  • Dorothy Amwata, Professor and Dean, School of Agriculture and Environment Sciences (SAES), Muranga University of Technology (MUT)

2:20 – 3:20 p.m.

Weather Disasters, Recovery and Preparation

Moderator: Phosiso Sola, Senior Scientist, CIFOR-ICRAF

Panelists:

  • Aster Gebrekirstos, Senior Scientist-Climate change, Climate Change, Energy and Low-Carbon Development, CIFOR-ICRAF
  • Mamadou Dian Balde, Regional Director for East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
  • Japheth Muli, Programme Manager, African Climate Foundation
  • Sebataolo Rahlao, Executive Manager, Oceanographic Research Institute, South African Association for Marine Biological Research
  • Rui Alberto Oliveira, Lead, Preparedness & Response, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

3:25 – 4:25 p.m.

Societal Transformation - Building Resilience with All Stakeholders in Multi-level Governance

Moderator: Daya Reddy, Member, PAS

Panelists:

  • Agnes Kalibata, former president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), served as Rwanda's minister of agriculture and animal resources and was the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the UN Food Systems Summit
  • Catrine Shroff, CEO, Mwangaza Light/Green Churches Kenya
  • Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Director of Legal Division, UNEP
  • Debela Tesfaye, REDD Investment Coordinator, Oromia
  • Quanying Ren, Early Warning for Environment Coordinator, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

4:30 – 5:20 p.m.

Interactive Consultation on MAST Solutions led by Youth (incl. Coffee Break) (MAST – Mitigation, Adaptation, Societal Transformation)

Introduction: Joachim von Braun, President, PAS & Calisto Ochieng, Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Fundraising, World Scouting

Facilitators:

  • Innocent Antoine Houedji, Executive Director, Youth Initiative for Land in Africa
  • Kevin Lunzalu, Marine Project Officer, East African Wildlife Society
  • Sydner Kemunto, Drylands Restoration Steward, Global Landscapes Forum
  • Valerie Kplorm Nutako, Country Programme Coordinator, CDKN Ghana
    (SouthSouthNorth)
  • Collins Shava, Youth, Policy and Partnerships Officer, African Wildlife Foundation
  • Matthew Shane Van den Berg, MSc student and member of the Machine Learning for Ecology Research Group, African Institute of Mathematical Sciences South Africa
  • Milano Ferdinand Rasolofohery, MSc student and member of the Machine Learning for Ecology Research Group, African Institute of Mathematical Sciences South Africa
  • Samuel Kairu, CEO & Chair, Young Leaders Association
  • Vilita Peter, Leader & Editor, Interfaith Newspaper
  • Mary Mukyala, Story Teller, Beautiful Periods
  • Janet Mwangangi, Youth Leader, Aljaamia Tv
  • Emily Nyambura, Youth Leader, Peace League Africa
  • Lisper Gachara, Youth leader, Kenya Institute of Foreign Languages and Professional Studies
  • Daisy Agono, Assistant, Kenya Institute of Foreign Languages and Professional Studies
  • Angeline Awino, Youth Leader, Peace League Africa
  • Ivy Murugi, Junior Manager, Education and Impact, World Scouting
  • Allen Ottaro, Founder and Coordinator, CYNESA (Catholic Youth Network for
    Environmental Sustainability in Africa)

5:25 – 6:00 p.m.

Reporting back of calls to action by Youth leaders to plenary


6:00 p.m.

Depart for dinner


6:30 p.m.

Conference Dinner – Trademark Hotel


Day 2: July 1, 2025

8 a.m.

Breakfast Available


8:50 a.m.

Plan for the Day


9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Resilience to Climate Change, Extreme Weather Impacts & Water Systems

Moderator: Joseph Kamau, Lead, Global Health Program · Kenya Institute of Primate Research

Panelists:

  • Priscilla Wainaina, Scientist, Governance, Equity and Wellbeing, CIFOR-ICRAF
  • Ivy Murugi, Junior Manager, Education and Impact, World Scouting
  • Alexander Fenwick, WHH County Director, Somalia
  • Collins Shava, Youth, Policy and Partnerships Officer, African Wildlife Foundation
  • Thomas Rewe, Co-Chair, Green Bioeconomy Coalition of Africa, Working Group, and Associate Professor, Pwani University

10:05 – 11:05 a.m.

Land Use, Agriculture, Food System, Bioeconomy Resilience

Moderator: Kim Geheb, Senior Scientist, CIFOR-ICRAF

Panelists: Ousmane Badiane, Executive Chairperson, AKADEMIYA2063

  • Cheikh Mbow, Professor & Director General, Centre de Suivi Ecologuqie
  • Amos Amanubo, Africa Regional Coordinator, Global Landscapes Forum
  • Merid Getahun, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
  • Paul Nthakanio, Associate Professor, Genetics and Plant Breeding & Registrar Planning, Administration and Finance, University of Embu

11:05 – 11:25 a.m.

Coffee break


11:25 a.m. – 12:25 p.m.

Natured Based Solutions & Translational Research for Climate Resilient Sustainable Action

Moderator: Agnes Kalibata, former president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), served as Rwanda's minister of agriculture and animal resources and was the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the UN Food Systems Summit

Panelists:

  • Peter Minang, Director, Africa & Leader, Greening Tree Crop Landscapes,
    CIFOR-ICRAF
  • Bessy Kathambi, Lecturer, University of Nairobi
  • Valerie Nutako, Country Programme Coordinator, SouthSouthNorth
  • Matthew Shane Van den Berg, MSc student and member of the Machine Learning for Ecology Research Group, African Institute of Mathematical Sciences South Africa
  • Milano Ferdinand Rasolofohery, MSc student and member of the Machine Learnin

12:25 – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch


1:15 – 12:15 p.m.

Building Resilience for Climate Related Migration

Moderator: Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Council, PASS

Panelists:

  • Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Provost, College of Education, University of Ghana
  • Carola Suárez-Orozco, Professor in residence & Director, Immigration Initiative, Harvard University
  • Fonna Forman, Professor of Political Science and Founding
 Director of the Center on Global Justice at the University of California, San Diego
  • Romanus Opiyo, Programme Leader for Sustainable Urbanisation, Stockholm
    Environment Institute (SEI) Africa Center

2:20 – 3:20 p.m.

Open Discussion

Facilitators:

  • Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Council, PASS
  • Joachim von Braun, President, PAS

3:25 – 4:00 p.m.

Way forward with Call to Action and Closing Remarks

  • Éliane Ubalijoro, Chief Executive Officer, CIFOR-ICRAF
  • Mohamed Hassan, PAS
  • Archbishop Philip A. Anyolo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Nairobi
  • Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Council, PASS
  • Joachim von Braun, President, PAS