Turkey

Hur Hassnain (MDS, MBA) is an evaluation specialist, author, Treasurer and founding Board Member at the International Evaluation Academy. Currently he is working as the Senior Evaluation Expert at Meldea, the European Commission DG INTPA, DG NEAR, and FPI’s external service on Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Design supporting the headquarter units, and over a hundred EU Delegations around the world.

Hur has authored several internationally peer reviewed publications, including a book as lead author: Evaluation in Contexts of Fragility, Conflict and Violence published in 2021. It presents an interesting argument that “evaluation” – like development aid itself – can unintentionally exacerbate tensions in ways that can negatively affect people and institutions if care is not taken in designing and approaching it with caution and sensitivity.

Hur has over 20 years of experience of working in a variety of thematic areas including but not limited to gender equality, rural development, climate change, renewable energy, agriculture, women’s economic empowerment, education, and protection. He has lived and worked in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Hur has designed, commissioned, and conducted research and evaluations for projects funded by UN agencies, the European Commission, private donors and the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Norway.

Hur is a staunch advocate of the Latin proverb "rerum cognoscere causas", signifying the pursuit of understanding the causes of things – a guiding principle that underpins his work and philosophy.

Yıldırım Gündüç was awarded an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Hacettepe University in 2009. Following the completion of his Master's degree in Eurasian Studies at Middle East Technical University in 2012, Mr Gündüç commenced his professional career at Ankara City Council and subsequently took up a position at the Prime Ministry. From April 2011 to May 2024, Mr Gündüç had the privilege of working as an EU Affairs Expert at the Department of Project Implementation in the Directorate for EU Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2020 to 2021, he had the privilege of working as a National Expert at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy. He was actively involved in a number of capacity-building and grant projects that were closely related to civil society organisations and local authorities. Mr Gündüç has also published two books: EU Grant Schemes: 100 Questions & 100 and Management of EU Funded Technical Assistance Contracts and Grant Programs. In addition, he maintains a personal blog (www.yesilsehirler.com) where he shares best practices, inspiring examples and news from the EU that local authorities may find beneficial in relation to green and smart city issues.

Please use my second email for contact: christinaandersson0@gmail.com

Research Associate at the Katastrophenforschungsstelle (Disaster Research Unit), Freie Unverstität Berlin. Consultant and researcher on Urban Disaster Risk Governance. PhD in Development Planning at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit (DPU), University College London (UCL), MSc. in Urban Management at Technische Universität Berlin (TU-Berlin), and Designer at Universidad Católica de Temuco (UC-Temuco), Chile. Founder and Editor of the Journal of Latin American Studies on Disaster Risk Reduction REDER (https://www.revistareder.com)

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.

I have been working as a field inspector for the Norwegian Environment Agency since 2013. Some of my tasks are within the field of non-food consumer product safety with regard to chemical properties (RoHS, REACH, CLP, POPs), European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) and CITES.

I have a masters degree in archaeology and previously worked as an environmental crimes coordinator with the Oslo Police Department.