Sri Lanka

Economist

Notable contributions:

Voices & Views - Getting Results in Global Education: Funding Models, Future Goals, and Fun

Johan van Geijn has a unique track record as a specialist in international corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the world of sports, particularly in football and international development cooperation. With more than 25 years of experience – heading the international programs at the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) since 1998 to build local capacity through football in developing countries and low-income countries. More than 20,000 young volunteer coaches have been able to improve themselves in their local environment through programs developed by Johan.
As founder of the WorldCoaches program, Johan has proven many times how sport can serve as a means for social development. Using football as a catalyst for social cohesion, for the position of girls and women in society, for awareness of communicable diseases, drugs and addictions or clean water.
With the international challenges surrounding migration and refugees, using football as an initiator for programs to tackle youth unemployment in these countries. A range of thematic social challenges where Johan has been able to let football contribute to the approach and often to the solution.

Fiorina Mugione is a highly accomplished professional with a wealth of experience in development cooperation. Her previous role as Chief of Entrepreneurship at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development involved policy advice, training, mentorship, and coaching to entrepreneurs, women leaders, and young diplomats. In addition to her coaching and consulting work at GDSI and other firms, Fiorina is a Board of the Organisation of of Women in International Trade (OWIT) working on women's economic empowerment. As a Board Member of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), focusing on education and entrepreneurship, she actively supports initiatives that empower individuals and communities. Furthermore, as a Board member of Accelerate Africa, she plays a strategic role in driving the organization's mission of fostering economic growth and development in Africa. She also regularly work as expert advisor and Master Coach. She currently serves as an Ambassador for the European Union Capacity4Development program, where she contributes to promoting sustainable development through capacity building.

Kasun Ramanayake is a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) professional with over six years
of extensive experience in Sri Lanka. He is recognized for his expertise in designing and implementing MEAL
frameworks, capacity building, and policy evaluation across diverse national and international projects. As a coleader
of EvalYouth Sri Lanka, Kasun plays a pivotal role in promoting youth engagement in evaluation, aligned with
global initiatives such as #EvalYouth and #Eval4Action. A life member of the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association
(APEA) and the Sri Lanka Evaluation Association (SLEA), Kasun has consistently contributed to advancing evaluation
practices. Since 2019, he has excelled as an independent evaluator and capacity development consultant, supporting
various organizations in achieving their development goals. His dedication to empowering youth in evaluation
underscores his commitment to driving sustainable change through evidence-based decision-making.