Sebastian Unger

Head of Ocean Governance Research Group, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS)

Sebastian Unger is head of the Ocean Governance Research Group at IASS (Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies) Potsdam, Germany, with over fifteen years of experience in international ocean policy. His research focuses on key challenges for ocean sustainability and opportunities for transformative change. Before joining IASS, Unger served at the OSPAR Commission and the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). He provides expert advice to different governments and international organizations. He is Senior Fellow at TMG Think Tank for Sustainability and co-founder of the Marine Regions Forum.

SPEAKERS & MODERATORS

SPEAKER

Bennet Atsu Foli

Oceanographer, University of Ghana Regional Marine Centre

SPEAKER

Jerome Aucan

Head of the Pacific Community Center for Ocean Science, The Pacific Community (SPC), Fiji/New Caledonia

SPEAKER

Burkard Baschek

Director, German Ocean Museum, Stralsund, Germany

SPEAKER

Claudia C. Baron-Aguilar

Ph.D. student, University of South Florida (USF) & Member of the Wayuu indigenous community

SPEAKER

Silvia Chacon-Barrantes

Coordinator, National Tsunami Monitoring System (SINAMOT)
Professor, National University of Costa Rica

SPEAKEr

Cameron Diver

Deputy Director-General, The Pacific Community (SPC)

SPEAKER

‘Ofa Fa’anunu

Director, Tonga Meteorological Service

SPEAKER

Anna-Katharina Hornidge

Director, German Development Institute/Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), Germany

SPEAKER

Bruce Howe

Research Professor, Ocean and Resources Engineering, University of Hawai’i at Manoa

MODERATOR

Monika Jones

International TV and Conference Host, Germany

SPEAKER

Geoff Kilgour

Senior Volcanologist, GNS Science, New Zealand

SPEAKER

Arlene Laing

Coordinating Director, Caribbean Meteorological Organization, Headquarters Unit

SPEAKER

Debra Lekanoff

Washington State Representative (Position 1, 40th Legislative District), USA

SPEAKER

Albert Martis

Second Vice President, WMO, and Co-Chair Joint WMO-IOC Collaborative Board

CO-MODERATOR

Mere Nailatikau

Communication Consultant, Storyteller and Development Professional, Fiji

SPEAKER

Anne Parge

Policy Officer, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Bonn

SPEAKER

Simone Pennafirme

Manager, Marine Life Center, Secretariat for Environment of the City Hall of Rio de Janeiro

SPEAKER

Irina Rafliana

Ph.D. Researcher, German Development Institute (DIE) & BRIN Indonesia

MODERATOR

Amelia Rigsby

TV Producer and Host, FBCTV

SPEAKER

Jacqueline Yamileth Rivera Ayala

Civil engineer and vulcanological monitoring coordinator, Hazards Monitoring Center, DOA, MARN

SPEAKER

Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch

Director at Pacifico risk communications agency and consultant in risk communications and behavioral science

SPEAKER

Vladimir Ryabinin

Executive Secretary, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO

SPEAKER

Raul Salazar

Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Secretariat for the Americas, Panama

SPEAKER

Ria Sen

Lead Preparedness Officer, Global Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, World Food Programme

SPEAKER

Shulqwilum

Member, Chemainus First Nation

SPEAKER

Iliesa Tora

Media consultant and journalist. President, the Pacific Environment Journalists

SPEAKER

Sebastian Unger

Head of Ocean Governance Research Group, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam, Germany

SPEAKER

Christa von Hillebrandt-Andrade

Deputy Director, International Tsunami Information Center, Caribbean Office, Puerto Rico