Ecosystem services

Programme Manager. Resilience and Climate Change.
Delegation of the European Union to Zimbabwe

Alexandre Castellano.

Born in France on 16 May 1975.

Nationality: French and Italian

Education: MSc in Biology in Italy and MSc in Public Health Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Position: from 2020 to date - DG ECHO Head of Office - Pretoria - South Africa - for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region.

Previous positions: from 2000 to 2012 working with various NGOs dealing with emergencies and innovation technologies in seven African countries – from 2013 to 2016 policy officer with ECHO in the head quarter dealing with Food Assistance, Nutrition, Cash-Based Transfers and Innovations. From 2016 to 2020, ECHO Technical Assistant for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region.

Key interest: Innovative Technologies applied to humanitarian response.

Created in 2016, CCIF Cyprus supports education and research for social inclusion of all citizens, including youth with fewer opportunities, disabilities and immigrants. Our purpose is to provide an enabling space to people from inauspicious environments and equip them with necessary digital skills to access today’s labour market, while increasing their chances at an equal treatment. At CCIF Cyprus, we try to fuel the dialogue between local communities to address the different fears many have, as we deem it a necessary step to build an inclusive and peaceful society. We have made it our goal to help communities understand that despite the difference in the manifested speech one might hold, the underlying values and feelings are not only equally valid, but also very often the same, in an attempt to connect groups with – and help them relate to – each other.

We are heavily involved in the integration process of immigrants in Pafos, offering them several times a week Greek, English, computer literacy classes, as well as drama classes and sport, so that they can develop their skills and capacity of expression. CCIF Cyprus helped immigrants and refugees learn languages to be better positioned not only to find work, but also to better communicate with their Cypriot counterparts for which sometimes different or foreign can seem rather threatening.

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.

I am a biologist (M.Sc. & PhD) and have been working with nature conservation, environment and climate change in Latin America and Africa for 30 years. I have been involved in numerous projects supporting circular, low carbon and climate resilient societies. They include capacity building of environmental authorities (Bolivia, Lesotho), climate smart coffee production (Uganda), greening of agricultural value chains (Tanzania, Kenya), watershed management (Kenya, Bolivia, Botswana), solar and wind farm development (Bolivia, Taiwan), management of non-timber forest products (Ecuador) as well as programming, reviews and evaluations (Peru, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Thailand, Malawi).

An important part of my work the last 10 years has been implementation of learning programmes and study tours with participants from Danida partner countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The programmes focus on mainstreaming environmental sustainability across sectors, and include Green Growth, Climate Change, Natural Resources Management and Disaster Risk Reduction.

Privately I am engaged in many related activities: I have a small organic farm, I am a local board member of the Danish Society for Nature Conversation, I am active with “greening” activities (e.g. energy and waste issues) in my village, and I have been appointed member of a "Committee on the sustainable and circular municipality", tasked with providing advice for our municipal council.