Climate Finance Evidence Series: Lessons on Financing Forest Management

Vladislav (Vlad) Arnaoudov is a Bulgarian national who has been working in the field of climate change and climate finance over the past 18 years. He is bringing onboard extensive experience in the field of result management and M&E, project and program development and management, policy design as well as the origination and implementation of low carbon and increased resilience projects for private and public sector entities. Vlad started his career in Japan as part of the climate finance consulting team of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd. Originally, his work focused on methodology development and result management for projects under the Kyoto Protocol CDM, while later on he also started working on policy design and sectoral approaches for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In 2016, he moved to Deloitte where he set up and led the Japan climate finance advisory practice. Three years later, Vlad joined the Green Climate Fund where he led the monitoring and evaluation team of the GCF Secretariat. As part of that, he was actively involved in the development and implementation of the new Integrated Result Management Framework, as well as the Evaluation Policy. 

Ms. Jessica Kyle (ICF) is an expert in global program evaluation design, implementation, and management, with a focus on climate change, environment, and international development programs. She has led dozens of multi-country evaluations, including for the CIF, GEF, GCF, World Bank, UK FCDO, and USAID. Jessica has also supported the CIF E&L Initiative with analytical work to update and implement concepts of transformational change in climate action through the platform of the Transformational Change Learning Partnership (TCLP). Jessica is serving as the Team Leader for the independent evaluation of the PPCR. 

Anupam Anand is an Evaluation officer at the GEF. He has more than 15 years of combined experience in evaluation, international development, academic research, and teaching. Anupam has led evaluations on biodiversity, SFM and REDD+, land degradation, fragility and conflict, and illegal wildlife trade. He uses a blend of innovative approaches such as satellite data, GIS, machine learning, drones, and field-based methods to enhance evaluative evidence. Before GEF, he was a Remote Sensing Scientist at the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF), working on multiple NASA funded projects, including field campaigns for future satellite missions. Anupam has also worked for the Climate GP World Bank, conducting climate risk and vulnerability assessments. He has published several scientific articles and book chapters. Anupam holds a Ph.D. in ecological applications of lidar remote sensing from the University of Maryland. 

Martin Prowse is Evaluation Specialist in the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Martin has led a number of corporate evaluations including on GCF’s investments in Least Developed Countries. In addition, he has completed a range of impact evaluations of GCF projects including on forest landscapes in Madagascar. He currently leads the IEU’s evidence reviews and learning work. Martin has published widely in environmental and development journals, including on forest governance. Martin is an editor of the European Journal of Development Research and started his career at the Overseas Development Institute, London.

Yéwon Kim oversees the results-based management of Green Climate Fund's (GCF) projects and programmes as a Data Management Officer, ensuring data-driven insights and capturing knowledge from project implementation. Her monitoring and evaluation efforts focus on the forestry and agriculture sectors, addressing loss and damage, and enhancing countries' readiness for climate finance and action. She has contributed to updating the GCF Results Management Frameworks to provide robust evidence of climate results and capacity-building support to countries. One of her recent accomplishments is the GCF Knowledge Bank, which features knowledge and results from the GCF Readiness and Preparatory Support for countries and direct access entities. 

David McCauley is an experienced sustainable finance and policy expert focusing on strategies and investments to improve environmental management and address climate change. He was formerly Director of Climate Programs at the Asian Development Bank and Senior Vice President for Policy, Climate and Partnerships at World Wildlife Fund. Dr. McCauley currently advises widely on sustainable development financing, including for the Global Environment Facility, Santiago Network for Loss and Damage and at the Climate Investment Funds, as Co-Chair of its Independent Expert Group on Nature, People and Climate.