Climate and Environmental Justice: Island Perspectives

Jacqueline (“Jackie”) A. Marati is the eldest of the eight children of former Speaker Joaquin C. Arriola and former Senator Elizabeth P. Arriola. She attended Cathedral Grade School and graduated salutatorian from the Academy of Our Lady of Guam in 1972. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at Vassar College in 1976, where she was student government secretary from 1975-1976 and class president from 1977-1986.

Marati began her career at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City as a Credit Officer and Management Trainee. She moved to San Francisco and after four years became Vice President of the Retail Banking Group at Wells Fargo Bank. She then co-founded EM & T Corporation, a telecommunications and office systems company in which she was director of Administration and Finance, Operations and Sales.

Fakri Karim’s professional experience in international development has grown from programme management to policy and strategy development at the regional and international level, advocating for sustainable development in Asia, Pacific and Africa. He has more than 25 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors, working closely with national and local government officials, rule of law institutions, international organizations and the private sector to improve policy, systems, and procedures.

Over the past 20 years, he has implemented programmes for UNDP, UNHCR, UNCDF and HDC, including in fragile contexts. His expertise lies in partnership building, programme management and resource mobilization, working closely with bilateral and multilateral donors to leverage seed funding into large-scale programmes. His thematic areas of specialization are local governance and local economic development, conservation and climate change adaptation, and post-crisis recovery.

From 2005 to 2010, he worked with UNDP in Indonesia managing a number of rehabilitation, reconstruction and development projects in Aceh, including design and execution of the strategic framework for the implementation of the Special Autonomy and Oil and Gas Fund to support local economic development in Aceh

From 2010 until 2019, he was a key member of UNCDF’s global advocacy and policy team on financing development at the sub-national level, playing a key role in advocating the role of local government in addressing climate change impacts. In this capacity, he managed and oversaw the initial launch of LoCAL in Bhutan and Cambodia and its further rollout in 13 other countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa. He was instrumental in forging partnerships with international and national institutions to establish an effective mechanism for municipalities and other local governments to finance climate change adaptation investments.

From 2019 to 2021, as the Sustainability Director of the Austindo Nusantara Jaya, one of the largest agrobusiness group in Indonesia, Fakri lead the development and execution of broad-based, company-wide strategic sustainability and conservation initiatives including formulating the sustainability vision and strategic direction for the company encompassing shareholders’ perspectives, communities, process, policies, business performance and managing the interface and partnerships with government agencies and departments, domestic and international, including RSPO, ISPO and other related institutions and stakeholders.

Currently Fakri is Director for Partnership Development at Janine Grant PTE.LTD, a management consulting company based in Singapore, at the same time serve as Advisory Board Member for several sustainable development programmes including Governance of Inclusive Green Growth in Cities Programme (DEALS) and ASEAN Green Smart Cities in Asia and Africa.

Ruth Santiago is a resident of the municipality of Salinas in southeastern Puerto Rico where she has worked with community and environmental groups, fisher’s associations and other organizations for over thirty years on projects ranging from a community newspaper, children’s services, a community school, ecotourism projects to rooftop solar energy pilot projects. Ruth has been involved in the establishment of broad alliances to prevent water pollution from landfills, power plant emissions and discharges and coal combustion residual waste. She is part of a civil society initiative to promote community-based solar projects and energy democracy called We Want Sun (queremossolpr.com). In addition to litigation in courts and administrative agencies, Ruth has co-organized environmental education projects, advised the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on watershed protection and land use issues. Most recently, Ruth has worked on cases related to energy projects and integrated resource plans. Ms. Santiago earned degrees from Lehigh University and Columbia Law School and has published articles on energy issues in Puerto Rico. Ruth Santiago serves on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Committee.

Structural Civil Engineer from the University of Chile. Awarded in 1979 by the international organization American Field Service to carry out his last school year in the United States, he lived with a local family with whom he maintains strong ties to date. He is an expert in methodologies, project evaluation, negotiation, public-private and social management, public policies, inter-ministerial committees, bills, Climate Change and Zero-Emission Mobility. Great ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, work tables, coordination with all kinds of authorities and agents, nationally and internationally. Proactive, practical; Goal oriented, teamwork, communicative, change promoter, empathetic, likes sports, outdoor life, singing and reading. Motivated by promoting plans, programs, projects and initiatives that promote sustainability and nature-based solutions.

He worked 3 years in the Municipality of Providencia, 16 in the Secretary of Transportation Planning – SECTRA. In the latter he created the Urban Planning and Transportation Unit. Later, he was part of the Civil Aeronautics Board, specializing in airport facilitation and mitigation of pollutant emissions. He has taught at various universities, in undergraduate and graduate degrees, and thesis guide professor in engineering and architecture careers. Today he is dedicated to the development of multidisciplinary projects of civil engineering, architecture, urban planning and the environment, and especially, in projects that favor cycling and walking. He is Project Manager of the consulting firm Urbanismo y Territorio Ltda., Over 11 years of activity he has led dozens of civil engineering projects and zero emission mobility throughout Chile, and based on that vast experience, he is a permanent guest in ministerial work tables for the development or improvement of regulations, manuals and design guides. He was a mobility advisor for the Rancagua Municipality for 7 years, helping it to become the best benchmark for bicycle and walking mobility in the country. He is also a Mentor of the Climate Reality Partnership Leadership Coprs, a global network of volunteers dedicated to combating Climate Change led by former Vice President of the United States and 2007 La Paz Novel Award Al Gore, in this position he performs leadership events such as exhibitions, column publications, active participation in advocacy groups such as the COP25 Scientists Committee convened by CR2, and participatory processes such as: the Climate Change Law Project, the Long-Term Climate Strategy, among others. Since 2019 he has been a member of the NGO Ciudadanos y Clima, based in Tierra del Fuego, dedicated to combating Climate Change by helping to promote agendas with proposals, holding events and working with regional networks with science, academia, the State, citizenship and native peoples. He possesses great experience and communication skills, which is why he is invited to speak, participate in panels, write columns, press articles, press releases, and participate in television or radio programs. He has been an ad honorem collaborator of many civil society groups and organizations, such as: Bicicultura, Bioenenergía, Activav-Valdivia, Ciudad Viva, among others.

Ilisapeci Masivesi currently works with Oxfam in the Pacific as the Project Manager and Capacity Building Adviser for the regional Pacific Climate Change Collaboration, Influencing and Learning Project (PACCCIL). She is also the incoming Climate Justice Lead for Oxfam in the Pacific. Ili has over 15 years of experience working in the Pacific and has deep expertise in disaster risk management, climate change, and environmental resource management. She had served as technical expert and trusted advisor to government agencies, NGOs, healthcare professionals, educational and non-profit institutions, and grassroots organizations.

Ili had served in the Fiji Government’s Department of Environment, The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) and Care Australia. She holds a Masters of Climate Change from the Australian National University and recently completed her Masters in Diplomacy and International Affairs from the University of the South Pacific.

Linda Siegele, JD LLM is an environmental lawyer and independent consultant. She has been involved in the United Nations climate change negotiating process since 2005 with a special focus on the issues of adaptation and loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change in developing countries. Linda is particularly familiar with the climate change concerns of small island developing states and least developed countries, having directly supported country delegations through the provision of relevant technical and strategic policy advice.