
Peter Swarzenski
Peter Swarzenski holds a PhD in Chemical Oceanography and is Section head of the IAEA Radioecology Laboratory (REL) in Monaco. At REL Swarzenski oversees support provided to Member States to research diverse marine stressors, including deoxygenation, ocean acidification, contamination, harmful algal blooms, and marine plastics.
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Prior to joining IAEA, Swarzenski worked for 20+ years as a research oceanographer for the U.S. Geological Survey in Santa Cruz, California USA on marine biogeochemical processes. Recent projects addressed climate-change impacts to Pacific atolls, coastal groundwater, and Alaskan permafrost. Swarzenski applies a variety of tools in his research, including U/Th-series radiotracers and electrical geophysical methods, and has published ~200 papers.

Elizabeth-Rose Amidjogbe
Elizabeth-Rose Amidjogbe is a Legal Practitioner who has worked with non-profit organizations, private law firms, and government agencies. Before commencing her PhD at Australia National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), she served in various capacities, including as Legal Advisor to the Bureau of National Fisheries of the Republic of Liberia. In that capacity, she worked on a...
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broad range of topics including governance, development, conservation, management, and legislation development in the fisheries sector. She, also, played an integral role in negotiating the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between Liberia and the European Union.
Elizabeth-Rose has travelled throughout the West African region, the European Union, and the United States representing Liberia in international negotiations and meetings covering legal and regulatory schemes of fisheries management. She served as a panelist on the Integrated Approach to Fisheries and Food Security session in the inaugural Our Ocean conference held in Washington, DC. As an Advisor, she has guided the Government of Liberia through difficult decisions to find creative and diverse solutions to maritime matters.
Elizabeth-Rose obtained her Masters in Law in International Maritime Law from the IMO International Maritime Law Institute in Malta, E.U. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers-Newark School of Law in New Jersey, U.S.A., and a Bachelor’s degree from Adrian College in Michigan, U.S.A.
Research Interests:
Fisheries Governance, Maritime zones, Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Maritime sovereignty and delimitation, sustainable fisheries, illegal unregulated and unreported fishing activities (IUU), oceans governance, public international law, international maritime law, international fisheries law

Eric DesRoberts
Eric DesRoberts is the Senior Manager of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas Program, based in Washington, D.C. In this role, he works to empower citizen action, advance new science, and engage industry leadership to achieve the conservation goals and impact of the Trash Free Seas program. This includes working closely with the Trash Free Seas Alliance...
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a collaborative group of businesses, leading environmental organizations, and academics, to leverage the power of collaborative partnerships to develop systemic solutions to ocean trash issues. Prior to working at Ocean Conservancy, Mr. DesRoberts was a Project Manager with GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition where he conducted research aimed at developing practical solutions, resources and opportunities to integrate sustainability into product and packaging systems. Eric holds an MS in Resource Economics and Policy from the University of Maine where he studied the economic and environmental impacts from bioplastic production and integration into packaging.

Dr. Amadou Tall
Dr. Tall is leading a technical assistance assignment to the Programme for Regional Fisheries Governance in Western Africa (PESCAO) in Nigeria, funded by the European Union for the 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Member countries + Mauritania. The PESCAO aims to enhance the...
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contribution of fisheries resources to sustainable development, food security and poverty alleviation in West Africa, and Dr. Tall will join our session on Fisheries Development.
He is a veterinary doctor, bilingual both in French and English, a former FAO staff member (1990-1995) and first Director of the (INFOPÊCHE) from 1995-2008. He has serviced 30 coastal African countries, from Morocco to Mozambique, and is an international consultant on fish and fishery products. He is also a former consultant for the World Bank, AfDB, EU, the African Union and other institutions.

Paul Whitaker
Paul Whitaker is the Director of Strategy at Kongsberg Satellite Services, commonly referred to as KSAT.
KSAT is well-known for its focus on rapid delivery of information from a large portfolio of satellite sources; services they have been providing to regulators and global companies for over twenty years. KSAT is able to monitor the...
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maritime environment anywhere in the world, using an unprecedented number of commercial satellites – both radar and optical.
Mr. Whitaker holds Masters Degrees in Hydrology as well as Business Administration. He spent ten years as a management consultant before joining KSAT, and is now charged with a range of business development activities around the world.

Linnéa Engström
Linnéa Engström is a MEP from the Swedish Greens. She is a first vice chair of the fisheries committee and substitute member in committees ENVI and FEMM. She has a masters degree in political science with a great interest in Russia, development, gender and security policy. Before becoming a member of the European parliament, Mrs Engström worked as a gender coordinator and with...
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development support directed towards Russia, Belarus, Georgia and Eastern Europe. Her great interest and knowledge in development issues brought her close to African green partners mainly in West Africa. Mrs Engström was the rapporteur on the Sustainable management of EU external fishing fleet, which addresses the external dimension of the Common fisheries reform, issues of great importance to the long-term sustainability and fairness of EU-fisheries agreements, joint ventures and charter agreements with third countries. Mrs Engström also drafted the first report in the EU-system on gender and climate justice, which was voted though parliament in January 2018.

Gonçalo Carneiro
Mr Gonçalo Carneiro is an analyst at the marine spatial planning unit of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM). He is currently the lead author of the strategic environmental assessment of the most recent proposal for the Swedish national marine plan. Gonçalo has previously conducted a review of marine planning experiences in other parts of...
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the world, and has been involved in the development of the field in the past decade. In his presentation, Gonçalo will outline the key features of the Swedish marine spatial planning process and of the latest national marine plan.

Jessica Donovan-Allen
Jessica Donovan-Allen leads Conservation International’s work in Liberia, home to some of West Africa’s last intact forests. Jessica manages private sector engagement, conservation incentives for local communities, protected area and community forest planning and management, and capacity development, among other responsibilities...
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Jessica’s career at Conservation International began with an internship nearly 20 years ago, and has since taken her to the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Guinea, as well as Liberia. Today, Jessica oversees Conservation International’s work on sustainable landscapes, linking the conservation of essential natural capital to Liberia’s economic development needs both in terrestrial forest and agricultural areas, as well as along Liberia’s extensive coastline.
An American by birth who was raised in Massachusetts, Jessica has been a resident of Liberia for nearly 15 years. She lives in Monrovia with her two daughters.

Michael O’Brien-Onyeka
Michael O’Brien-Onyeka is Senior Vice President for the Africa Field Division at Conservation International (CI). In this role, he is leading a refreshed CI Africa strategy focused on sustaining the nature that Africans rely on to thrive, building on CI’s successes across Africa, and leveraging the Gaborone Declaration...
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for Sustainability in Africa (GDSA) to drive a new sustainable development paradigm across the continent.
Michael joined CI in November 2015 and brings to the organization more than 20 years of leadership experience in Africa, Europe and the Middle East with global environmental, human rights and development organizations. He has a track record of success in developing strategic initiatives, fostering high-level partnerships, managing groundbreaking campaigns and programs, and building strong, effective teams.
Prior to joining CI, Michael worked at Greenpeace as the organization’s executive director for Africa for four years. With Amnesty International in the United Kingdom, he led a global campaign against torture and worked on building consensus around a global arms trade treaty. Michael has also held positions with The African Child Policy Forum in Ethiopia, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Iraq and Oxfam Great Britain.
Michael has dual Nigerian and British citizenship and is based in Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a degree in sociology and a masters in international law and diplomacy. He is currently studying for his MBA with the University of Liverpool.

Sebastian Troëng
As Executive Vice President, Dr. Sebastian Troëng leads the delivery of conservation solutions across CI’s field programs, including the Africa Field Division, Americas Field Division, Asia-Pacific Field Division, Center for Oceans and Global Program Support teams. As the head of the Americas Field Division...
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he also manages the organization’s marine and terrestrial conservation programs and investments in North, Central and South America. With a focus on Amazonia conservation, freshwater protection, marine conservation and sustainable development, the Americans Field Division pursues CI’s mission with a staff of over 200 and an annual budget of US$ 35 million.
Previously, Dr. Troëng served as Senior Vice President a nd directed CI’s Betty and Gordon Moore Center for Science and Oceans, the organization’s global science engine for conservation and development insights. He has worked on ocean health and development issues for over 25 years — including in Costa Rica, Panama, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Fiji, Australia, Greece, the U.K. and the United States — and has published extensively on marine conservation and the economic benefit of ecosystems.
Dr. Troëng holds a Ph.D. in animal ecology from Lund University in Sweden and a master’s degree in marine environmental protection from University in Wales.

Duncan Copeland
Duncan Copeland is the Executive Director of Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT), a Norwegian not-for-profit that provides fisheries intelligence analytical support to developing coastal States. He has worked on development and fisheries...
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issues for nearly 20 years in roles as fisheries management and enforcement adviser to Governments, and as lead on oceans campaigns for NGOs. With a career focus on IUU fishing and fisheries crime in Africa in particular, Duncan’s experience in this field has seen him work closely with all relevant stakeholders, from community to Ministerial level, and across all relevant enforcement agencies. Duncan has been with TMT since the organisation’s establishment in 2013, and lived here in Liberia from 2011-2014.

Dr. Fredrik Moberg
Dr. Fredrik Moberg is an experienced marine systems ecologist and science communicator with more than twenty years experience from scientific research and popular science communication in Sweden and abroad. His CV includes a wide range of moderator jobs, lectures, reports...
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government inquiries, book chapters, newsletters, web pages, newspaper articles and radio spots. Fredrik holds a PhD in natural resources management from Department of Systems Ecology at Stockholm University. His thesis dealt with biological diversity, ecosystem services and resilience of the tropical coastal zone, with a special emphasis on coral reefs. Today he works as a scientist and senior communications advisor at the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. He is also the Director of Albaeco, an independent organisation communicating the latest in sustainability science with a focus on nature’s importance to society and its economy. The clients Fredrik has worked with over the years include Sida, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish government, UN Environment, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Julius Francis
Julius Francis currently work for the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), which is a regional professional, non-governmental, membership organization, based and registered in Zanzibar, Tanzania. He has been involved in different aspects of...
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research, capacity building for MPA, ICM and MSP and management of coastal and marine environments in region for several years. His interest is in linking the knowledge that emerges from research to the management and governance issues. Recently, he has been playing a key role in setting up a regional platform for interactions between scientists and decision-makers under the auspices of the Nairobi Convention.

Jennifer Howard, PhD
Jennifer is the Marine Climate Change Director at Conservation International (CI). Her work focuses on establishing mechanisms to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems to protect vulnerable coastal communities from the threats of climate change. In this role, she helped to found the Global Mangrove Alliance and represents CI on its Strategy Team where she works on comprehensive mangrove restoration and conservation strategies to mitigate and adapt to...
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climate change, enhance biodiversity, and increase human wellbeing for the most vulnerable coastal communities. She sits on the scientific advisory board for the International Partnership for Blue Carbon. She also manages the Blue Carbon Initiative, a global program on coastal carbon science and marine policy working to mitigate climate change through the restoration and sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems. Jennifer also leads CI’s work on marine debris where she is developing CI marine debris strategy, represents CI on as a member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance, and provides technical support to our teams on the ground all over the world. Prior to her current position, she was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow where she served two years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service’s Science and Technology Division. While at NOAA, Jennifer co-lead and coordinated the development of the Ocean and Marine Resources in a Changing Climate Technical Input Report to the National Climate Assessment and coordinated the Interagency Working Group for Ocean Acidification. Before starting her fellowship at NOAA, Jennifer was conducting her postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland. She received her PhD from Texas A&M and completed the Heller Research Fellowship at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.

Dr. James Kairo
Dr. James Kairo is a Chief Scientist with Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), where he heads a small team of scientists dedicated to mangrove research. Dr. Kairo has vast working knowledge and experience on the conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable utilization of mangrove resources around the world; which has earned him several national and international awards.
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In 2010, Dr Kairo was awarded the Kenya’s Presidential Award of the ‘Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) for his contribution in the advancement of marine conservation in the country. In 2017 Kairo was nominated for the Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation for his unique work linking mangroves and climate change mitigation and adaptations Kairo is a member of the ‘international blue carbon scientific working group’ as well as a coordinating lead author (CLA) of the IPCC’s Special Report of Oceans and Cryosphere in the changing climate (SROCC).

Daniel Tarr
Daniel is the Director, for the Department of Marine Environmental Protection, Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA). He has moved his passion for fighting the impact of shipping on the environment to a remarkable level. In his efforts to have an integrated approach to mitigating the impact of shipping on the environment...
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he has along with other partners developed Policies and Guidelines in this direction. He is of the opinion that projects within the coastal zone that entail a shipping leg or tend to pollute the channels of shipping should undergo a maritime-sector specific environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA)besides the generic ESIA. He is one of the proponents that mitigating the effects of shipping on the environment involves merging International Maritime Organization (IMO) environment-related conventions with that of UN Environment’s Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). He works as the Director for the Department of Marine Environmental Protection at the Liberia Maritime Authority. Daniel aims to build and share the evidence base for such a sector-specific ESIA and synergies between IMO environment-related conventions and UN MEAs. He believes that this will go a long way for Liberia meeting the SDGs particularly goal 2, 13, 14, 16. He is particularly engaged with the Environmental Protection Agency, Forestry Development Authority, concessionaires, Conservational International and with the maritime industry.
Prior to joining ascending to the position of a Director, Daniel met the challenges of shipping on the environment as a Senior Communicator at the Monrovia Regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Center. He also made several voyages across the Atlantic aboard the M/V Harbel Cutlass and Harbel Tapper as Liberia International Ship and Corporate Registry Cadet. Daniel holds a Master in Maritime Affairs (Specializing in Marine Environmental and Ocean Management) from the World Maritime University, two Bachelor of Science degrees, one Marine Electrical/Electronics Engineering from the Regional Maritime University and another in Mathematics from the Cuttington University. He was given an Oil Spill Scholar Award by the American Petroleum Institute which enabled him to have actively participated in the 2017 International Oil Spill Conference in Long Beach, California. Daniel continues to render his services to other international organizations such as for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa, where he is the Focal Person for Liberia and Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition of the World Bank Group which he is a member of. He is also a member of the IMO Correspondence Group on Marine Plastics Litter.

Max Q. Mejia Jr.
Maximo Q. Mejia Jr. joined the World Maritime University (WMU) in 1998. He holds a BSc (US Naval Academy), MALD (Fletcher), MSc (WMU), and PhD (Lund). He went on leave from WMU to serve as Administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), 2013-2016.
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MARINA is the Philippines’ maritime administration, responsible for integrating the development and regulation of the industry. During his term, Dr. Mejia implemented a comprehensive reform of the country’s maritime training and certification system and other wide-ranging safety and industry promotion programs. Prof. Mejia returned to WMU in 2016, and currently serves as PhD Program Director and Head of Maritime Law and Policy.

Urias Goll
Mr. Urias Goll is an environmental, legal and natural resources practitioner. He has a Masters Degree in Environmental Economics and Management from the University of York in England and Bachelor of Law (LLB Hons) from the prestigious Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law (University of Liberia).
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Over the last 12 years, Mr. Goll worked as Administrative Coordinator for the National Climate Change Secretariat, a role that required him to coordinate the activities of the REDD+ Technical Working Group and co-authored the Liberia Preparation Proposal (R-PP) for REDD+ development in Liberia. He also served as head (manager) of the environmental and safety team at the National Oil Company of Liberia for 5 years before transitioning into the role as Deputy Executive Director (2 years) of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia. Before moving to the EPA, Mr. Goll completed two consultancy agreements with EPA including conducting capacity gaps and barriers for Nationally Agreed Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) in Liberia and co-authored the current National Climate Change Policy and Strategy of Liberia.
After his time at EPA, Mr. Goll has been consulting for the Government of Liberia on two World Bank-funded projects, Conservation International (CI), UNDP-Liberia and Fauna and Flora International (FFI) in the capacity as environmental and social safeguard consultant, legal reviewer for carbon rights in Liberia, developer of a climate change community based adaption manual, and community approach to natural resource management facilitator respectively.
He is versed in climate change policy and strategy formulation, community-based adaption, REDD+, environmental valuation, legal research and litigation, environmental and social impacts assessment (ESIA) and stakeholders (community) engagement, environmental reporting and analysis, benefit sharing mechanism for natural resources and is familiar with the GEF and GCF processes.

Dr. Ali Kamal-Deen
Dr. Kamal-Deen Ali (Navy Capt Rtd) has over 20 years of legal and ocean governance experience and has since 2005 been involved in ocean governance policy shaping and capacity building across the continent and regularly provides expertise in support of the work of the African Union, United Nations Economic Commission on Africa, UN Office in West Africa, INTERPOL, the United States Government...
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The Carter Centre, International Maritime Organization (IMO) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
He served in the expert teams that developed Annexes to the Africa Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in 2015 and the Blue Economy Handbook for Africa launched by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in 2016. In his capacity as the Executive Director of the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa, he is currently the lead consultant supporting the development of the National Integrated Maritime Strategy for Ghana. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Strong High Seas Project aimed at strengthening ocean governance for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the Southeast Atlantic and Southeast Pacific regions.
Kamal-Deen is a Senior Fellow of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, visiting lecturer of International Maritime Law Institute, Malta and an external examiner of the World Maritime University, Sweden. He is also on the IMO roster of consultants. He has published widely and his recent book “Maritime Security Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: Prospects and Challenges” (Brill/Martinus Nijhoff 2015) is rated as a significant contribution to global and regional knowledge. He holds a PhD, a Master of Law (LL.M) from the International Maritime Law Institute, Malta, and other academic qualifications.

Solomon N. Daryoue
The Division of Marine Fisheries and Environment (DMFE) of NAFAA conducts basic and applied assessment to support the management and conservation of marine fisheries and aquaculture resources and their habitats. As Director for Marine Fisheries and Environment, Mr. Daryoue oversees the large pelagic fishery, the trawl fishery, small scale fishery as well as environmental issues that affect fisheries.
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Prior to being Director of the DMFE, Mr. Daryoue served as an environmental officer within the Bureau of National Fisheries now NAFAA. There he coordinated and advised the BNF on better environmental management and conservation practices within the fisheries and aquaculture sector. He was also instrumental in the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and mitigation into fisheries policies and regulations. Previous to this position he was the Manager of the Fisheries Observer Program of BNF. There he coordinated issues relating to data collection, deployment of fisheries observer onboard commercial fishing vessels and monitoring control and surveillance operations.
Mr. Daryoue received his Master in Environmental Management and Development in 2015 from the Australian National University; a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management and Development in 2014 from the Australian National University; and a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 2008 from the African Methodist Episcopal University.

DARLINGTON S. TUAGBEN (BSc. Honors, MSc.)
DARLINGTON S. TUAGBEN (BSc. Honors, MSc.)
Darlington Tuagben is an experienced and result oriented Conservation Biologist and Natural Resource Management specialist with over ten years of practical working experience in the fields of climate change, coastal and terrestrial biodiversity, environment and natural resources management and administration, among others...
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Darlington has expertise in Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), protected areas management, coastal and terrestrial biodiversity conservation, natural resource and environmental sustainability; community based natural resource management, climate change mitigation and adaptation and has special interest in mainstreaming gender in natural resource and climate change instruments.
Darlington formerly served as the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director respectively of the Liberia Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and has wealth of knowledge in the management and governance aspects of forest and related natural resources. Darlington has considerable experience in leading the development and implementation of strategy, policy, and legislation governing the forest and natural resources sectors of Liberia, incorporating key national and international stakeholders’ participation. He led the implementation of National Forestry Reform Law and other forestry related laws including the Community Rights Law, Community Rights Regulation, as well as the implementation of related forestry policies and guidelines. In addition to his governance and administrative skills, Darlington Tuagben is also a field researcher with special interest in ecological and socio-economic assessments and has participated in and conducted several field works including the conduct of preliminary assessments of footprint areas of Arcellor Mittal Liberia Mining Company and BHP Billiton Mining Company respectively in northern Nimba and Bong Counties. As a result of his passion for wildlife and environmental management, Darlington conducted his Master and Bachelor research studies respectively in the following topics: “The Vulnerability of the Coast of Liberia to Marine Oil Spills: Implications for Biodiversity and Renewable Natural Resources Utilization” and “Assessing the Relative Abundance and Distribution of Duikers (Cephalophus spp.) in the Bia Conservation Area in the Western Region of Ghana”. Darlington has also led a number of field works on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), biodiversity stock-taking, illegal wildlife trade assessments, climate change vulnerability, mangrove and landscape restoration, among others and is a member of several national and international professional bodies including the African Forest Forum, Tropical Biology Association, Society for Conservation Biology, etc.

Ms. Elisabeth Hårleman
Ms. Elisabeth Hårleman is an anthropologist from the Lund University in Sweden. Ms. Hårleman was born in Sweden, graduated from high school in 1991, and graduated from university in 1997.
Ms. Hårleman started her career with a Swedish NGO which brought her to Tanzania where she worked for seven years managing program addressing HIV/AIDS response.
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In 2009, Ms. Hårleman started work with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) as Program Manager for Democracy/Human Rights and Gender Equality in Afghanistan. Ms. Hårleman worked in this role for three and a half years.
After her assignment in Afghanistan, Ms. Hårleman was posted by Sida to South Sudan where she headed the Swedish section office in Juba.
After almost three years of service in Juba, South Sudan, Ms. Hårleman returned to Stockholm where she worked at Sida Headquarters as Advisor for Gender Equality at the Africa Department.
Since August 2016, Ms. Hårleman assumed the position with the Embassy of Sweden in Liberia as the Head of Development Cooperation. In this position, Ms. Hårleman in collaboration with the Ambassador has the delegated responsibility to oversee Swedish bilateral cooperation with Liberia, leading the development cooperation team at the Embassy.

Bethanie Carney Almroth
Dr. Carney Almroth is an associate professor of zoophysiology and ecotoxicology at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Her research focuses on the environmental effects of plastics and plastic-associated chemicals, using different species of fish for study. She also works broadly in environmental sciences in interdisciplinary projects, and interacts with society in transdisciplinary collaborations.

Caroline Abunge
Caroline A. Abunge is currently a Socio-ecological research scientist with Wildlife Conservation Society Marine program Kenya. She is a graduate in Sciences –Botany and Zoology from Allahabad University India formally known as the Oxford of the East. She has been working with coastal communities on various projects encouraging sustainability of coral reef fisheries through fish landing monitoring, seeking perceptions of resource users on different conservation options and active feedback of the research finding to various stakeholders. She works more in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. She also does analysis of the same.
BLUE OCEANS CONFERENCE
From March 18 – March 21
Monrovia, Liberia