The CDM Executive Board supervises the CDM and consists of 10 members and 10 alternates. Together with support staff from the UNFCCC Secretariat, they meet approximately six times a year to decide on new policies and methodologies; to review and register new projects; and issue credits. Board members have considerable power and influence.

Given the current state of the carbon market and the CDM’s uncertain future, 2012 will be challenging for CDM Executive Board members. As usual, their agenda is bursting and their list of management tasks is long. In addition, the CDM policy dialogue is being carried out. Needless to say, pressure is high.

At the COP-17 in Durban, seven new CDM Executive Board members were elected. Two prominent figures in the CDM world who have previously served on the Board were reelected: Mr Miguez from Brazil and Mr Sealy from Barbados. At the first Board meeting in 2012, a new chair and vice chair will be elected from the 10 members. With last year’s chair Martin Hession coming from an Annex 1 country (UK), CDM rules require that the next chair is a representative of a Non-Annex 1 country. According to the protocol of the CDM, usually the member serving as the vice chair gets elected as the chair for the subsequent period. So, chances are that Chinese member Mr Maosheng Duan will chair the CDM Executive Board in 2012. However, rumor has it that there might be an exception in the ‘protocol’ this year because Mr Duan might choose to keep a less neutral role throughout this crucial year. CDM Watch’s bet is on Hugh Sealy (from Barbados) who has proven many times to be an excellent and fair negotiator.

As always, we’ll keep a close eye on the work of the Board members throughout this challenging year and look forward to providing support and input. Dear ladies and gentlemen, show us what you can do!

Members representing Non-Annex 1 countries

Mr Maosheng Duan, member       

China

Mr Duan, who was vice chair in 2012, is associate professor at the Institute of Energy, Environment and Economics at Tsinghua University. Given that the vast majority of CDM projects in the pipeline are located in China, the role of the Chinese member, and transparency about potential conflicts of interest, is crucial.

Mr Jose Domingos Miguez, new member

Brazil

Mr Miguez is the longest serving member on the Board (who took a small break in 2011). He is well known in the CDM world. He has strong views on the importance of additionality. He currently works at the Ministry of Science and Technology of Brazil and has also worked for Petrobras, the Brazil’s largest energy provider. He is also a negotiator on the Brazilian delegation to the UNFCCC.

New nomination are pending for alternate members from Non-Annex 1 countries. Ms June Hughes from St. Kitts and Mr Paulo Manso from Costa Rica will serve as interim members. Mr Manso is also known in the carbon market world as Director of the consultancy and project developer NORDTECO.

Members from small island developing states (SIDS)

Mr Hugh Sealy, new member       

Barbados

Mr Sealy is a prominent figure in the CDM world and has served previously on the CDM Board. Mr Sealy is an environmental scientist and associate professor at St George University in Grenada. He has 25 years’ experience in sustainable development consultancy. Mr Sealy is also leading UNFCCC negotiations on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

Mr Amjad Abdulla, alternate member

Maldives

Mr Abdulla is Director General at the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water of Maldives and has been working in the Ministry since 1990 in various positions. He is the lead negotiator from the Maldives to the UNFCCC.

Members form the Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC)

Mr Antonio Huerta-Goldman, new member                             

Mexico 

Mr Huerta-Goldman will replace Mr Daniel Ortega Pacheco (Ecuador) who served on the Board last year and will serve for one year on the Board. We hope that Mr Huerta-Goldman will follow in Mr Pacheco’s footsteps and focus on the CDM’s sustainable development mandate.

Mr Eduardo Calvo, new alternate member             

Peru

Mr Calvo is an environmental scientist from Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia and an associate professor at the National University of St. Marcus. He previously worked as Chair of IPCC Working Group II and as an advisor to several Peruvian ministries. He will replace Mr José Miguel Leiva (Guatemala) who served on the Board last year.

Members From Africa

Mr Victor Kabengele, member     

Democratic Republic of Congo    

Mr Kabengele works in the DR Congo’s Ministry of Environment. He has also worked as a project coordinator for the Ministry of Environment and as DRC’s focal point for the Forest Investment Programme sponsored by the World Bank and for the REDD+ Partnership.

Ms Fatou Gaye, alternate member            

The Gambia

Ms Gaye is responsible for national and international correspondence regarding UNFCCC negotiations and the DNA’s contact person for Gambia under the Ministry of Forestry and the Environment. Ms Gaye is a former member of the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee (JISC) and was a project coordinator for the Ministry of Agriculture.

From the Asia Pacific Region

Mr Shafqat Kakakhel, member    

Pakistan              

Mr Kakakhel was UNEP’s deputy director for nine years. He is now a member of the National Task Force on Climate Change. He was member of the EB Board from 2010 to 2011.

Mr Hussein Badarin, alternate member    

Jordan

Mr Badarin is Director of the Monitoring & Assessment Directorate and head of the Jordanian DNA. He previously served as a member of the CDM Executive Board from 2008 to 2009.

Members representing Annex 1 countries

Mr Martin Cames, new member  

Germany             

Mr. Cames works for the Oeko Institute, an independent research and consultancy institute working for a sustainable future. Mr Cames is also a negotiator on the German delegation to the UNFCCC.

Mr Kazunari Kainou, member

Japan

Mr Kainou is researcher at the Japanese Research Institute for Economy, Trade and Industry and lecturer at the University of Tokyo. He worked also for the Japanese Ministry of Economy and as professor at the University of Osaka.

Ms Pauline Kennedy, new alternate member          

Australia

Ms Kennedy works in the Australian Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and has participated as moderator in several workshops on climate mitigation policy.

Mr Peer Stiansen, alternate member

Norway

Mr Stiansen is the Norwegian negotiator for the UNFCCC. He works as senior advisor for the Ministry of Environment and has also been a programme officer in the Climate Change Secretariat.

Members from Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Mr Martin Hession, member

UK

Mr Hession chaired the Board last year and has been instrumental in the launch of the CDM policy dialogue. Although an Irish citizen, he works for the Department of Energy Climate Change United Kingdom. He is a prominent UNFCCC negotiator.

Mr Thomas Bernheim, alternate member

Belgium

Mr Bernheim works at the Directorate General for Climate Action at the European Commission. He worked as a desk officer at the Belgian Federal Planning Bureau and in the unit responsible for sustainable development and economic analysis for DG Environment.

Members From Eastern Europe

Ms Diana Harutyunyan, member 

Armenia              

Ms Harutyunyan currently works for the Ministry of Nature Protection of the Republic of Armenia as Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Programme Coordinator and also for UNDP Armenia. She provided technical assistance to the Armenian DNA for eight years and was vice chair of CDM Afforestation/Reforestation Working Group till 2009. She is also a UNFCCC negotiator.

Ms Natalie Kushko, new alternate member

Ukraine

Ms Kushko works as an adviser to the Head National Environmental Investment Agency and previously worked as Ukraine Country Coordinator for EcoSecurities and for USAID as Eurasia Coordinator.