GNDR is pleased to announce that Emmanuel Seck, Executive Director of ENDA Energie – a Senegalese NGO and GNDR member organisation working with communities to build resilient futures – has been elected as the new chair of our global board.
As an environmentalist and knowledge management expert, Emmanuel has considerable experience in leading programmes on adaptation to climate change, climate finance, sustainable land management, and disaster risk management. He is a member of the UNFCCC Expert Group on Action and Support (ASEG) of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) Executive Committee and a former member of the Board of Directors of Climate Action Network International (CAN International) as well as the UNCCD CSO International Panel.
Having served on the board as the West and Central Africa Representative, Emmanuel will immediately take up the role after the board met and voted on 12 September. Two vice-chairs were also elected, Tolekan Ismailova, GNDR regional representative for Central Asia and Director of the Kyrgyzstani human rights movement, Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan, and Baimba Sisay, regional representative for Southern Africa and Executive Director of EGAN, a CSO who support at-risk populations in Mozambique.
Emmanuel says: “As the new chair, I express my gratitude to the board, the secretariat, the members and all GNDR partners. It is a pleasure being part of the world’s biggest network of civil society organisations who work together to build the resilience of at-risk communities. I believe we are at the crossroads of many challenges including frequent and intense disasters, and that GNDR will continue to be a bridge for synergies, a platform for collaboration, and a strength for amplifying community voices.”
Emmanuel follows in the footsteps of Graciela Salaberri, who, following a period as regional representative for South America, and subsequently vice chair of the global board, was elected chair in 2021.
Graciela oversaw a vital period in GNDR’s history that saw the development and launch of our innovative 2020-2025 Strategy: Local Leadership for Global Impact.
On standing down, Graciela said: “GNDR is a collective creation that has sought to privilege the actions and support of its members – civil society organisations that have chosen to work together for disaster risk reduction in our regions, countries and communities.
“The Sendai Framework explicitly recognises that civil society is a key actor in building resilience when emergencies and disasters are faced. As members, we will continue to strive to bring local knowledge together, to facilitate exchange among each other, to share knowledge and to gather evidence that demonstrates how knowledge-sharing from different perspectives can drive effective solutions and increase community resilience.
“From whatever position we hold, we are committed and we stand for a GNDR led by its members, in which all of us collaborate to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable.”
GNDR extends our warmest thanks to Graciela for her contributions to the network in her many roles, and we look forward to all our future collaborations.