Robert Tippmann (Managing Director, Climatekos gGmbH) has worked for more than 20 years in the field of environmental finance and low-carbon and climate-resilient development – including for a leading climate change services provider and previous assignments with international, bilateral and research organizations. Prior experiences include research assistance in the fields of economics and development as well as field work and field studies as part of first research, advisory and project assignments from 1996 to 2000. Robert worked for more than 9 years at climate change service provider EcoSecurities, a subsidiary of the financial services company J.P. Morgan at that time after being an Alternative Investment Market-listed company since 2005, most recently heading its consulting business. This includes his role as a Principal Advisor-Climate Investments to a the Global Mechanism of the UNCCD at the International Fund for Agriculture Development for over 4 years. He draws upon previous assignments with the UNFCCC secretariat, the GIZ, the Center for Development Research, the Rhineland Chamber of Agriculture and the Institute for Medium-Sized Businesses Research. He is co-founder of Climatekos, a climate action project and programme developer and environmental finance solutions and advisory services provider, and serves as Chairman of the German Emissions Trading Association (BVEK).

Laura Bentz studies Geographical Development Studies at the Freie Universität of Berlin. She is currently writing her master’s thesis, which will examine sustainability standards and corporate commitments with regard to improving smallholder livelihoods in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures under the guise of the concept of climate justice. She also works at Climatekos as a student employee with a focus on climate adaptation as well as mitigation strategies and their implementation in the context of smallholder livelihoods. She has already gained experience with supply chains and their impacts in the context of a short study on coffee and corresponding supply chains of German green coffee importers in East Africa. The focus here was on investigating impacts on land use and local livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Hans GEISSLHOFER (Senior Expert, Space2Live, Caritas) is an “Diploma-Engineer in Regional Planning” Expert from Technical University in Vienna (1976)

He has worked for more than 40 years in Austrian and German Development Cooperation programs in Central and Western Africa, as well as an UNDP Associate Expert in Guinea Bissau, GIS-Mapping and Environment Management Expert in Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Romania and India for private Austrian and German companies or foundations.

From 1977 to 1979 he was in charge of regional planning courses in the Pan African Institute for Development in Douala, Cameroon.

From 1981 to 1986 he was project manager within the international association ENDA – Dakar for promotion of small-scale village technologies produced by local craftsmen.

From 1986 to 1990 he was co-founder and project manager in EWA                       (Entwicklungs-Werkstatt Austria) in Salzburg.

From 1990 to 1994 he was Coordinator for Austrian development projects in the Sahel Region based in Dakar, Senegal

Since 1995 to now, he worked as a free lance consultant for Western Africa, Southern India and Eastern Romania on water management and environment protection. From 20010 to 2011 he was in charge for event management and conferences on appropriate village water supply and climate change related conferences organized by MISEREOR all over Germany

He is retired since 2011 but engaged furthermore as short-term consultant for Senegal, Chad, Uganda and India for several German and Austrian organizations in environment protection and mapping training courses online or offline.  This includes also carbon stock measurements by GPS investigations and satellite photos imagery treatment for awareness raising about forest and wetlands protection in Africa.

Male aged 49. He is a Roman Catholic Priest Pursuing a PhD in Development Studies (Nkumba University, Uganda), has a Master’s Degree in Development Studies (UMU, Uganda), Master’s Degree in Divinity (USML, USA), Bachelors Degree in Theological Studies (USML, USA), Bachelors Degree in Social and Philosophical Studies (MUK, Uganda). He has 13 years of experience as the Director for Social Services Development Justice and Peace (Caritas) of The Registered Trustees of Kasana Luweero Diocese, serves on various Boards i.e. Chairman Centenary Bank-Wobulenzi Branch (DAC), Chairman Health Board-Kasana Luweero Diocese, Chairman Board-Bethany Land Institute (BLI), Chairman-KISA Cooperative Society, Diocesan Representative of Bishop Asili Hospital Board, Founder of COVE Alliance and Chaplain Kampala University Luweero Campus.

Betty Namagala is a female Ugandan aged 45 years and has worked with rural communities for 18 years at different levels and different positions i.e. as a Field staff, as a coordinator and as a programs officer. Ms. Betty has an education background of a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies and a Diploma in Agriculture and Animal Production. She has a long serving experience in coordination of sustainable Agriculture Programs/ livelihood program, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Programs, and Social Development Projects. Secondly she has great experience in participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation of community projects.
Since 2018 up to to date she is Deputy and Programs Officer of Caritas Kasanaensis
On management level, she is in charge of coordinating and supervising the institutional projects and programmes and ensures that all activities are following their time frames in accordance with the implementation plans. In addition, she is responsible for the reporting of the area supervisors to produce an institutional report. Likewise, she is responsible for organising and coordinating institutional events such as dialogues, annual general meetings and gatherings. On behalf of the Director of Caritas Kasanaensis, she represents the organisation to various national and international stakeholders.
On operational level she serves as a Project Manager for Global Climate Change Alliance Plus and Global Environment Facility projects coordinated by FAO. This EU and GEF funded initiatives in Uganda have the purpose of “Scaling up Agriculture Adaptation to Climate Change in Uganda while strengthening the inclusive, gender responsive and climate smart resilience of rural population’s agricultural production system in the cattle corridor” and “Integrating climate resilience into agricultural and pastoral production in Uganda, through a Farmer/Agro-pastoralist Field School Approach” respectively. She is also a member of two programme implementation consortia founded by the ILD, which coordinate countrywide interventions together with other non-profit organisations. On the one hand, they are steering village based climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives, and on the other hand, they are establishing smallholder cooperatives to promote joint marketing and support peasant farmers in securing their land rights.
Before 2018 she worked in different positions within rural development like Assistant Programs Officer, Coordinator Nakaseke District and as Field Officer