Secretariat

Executive Secretary

Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry 

Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry
Executive secretary

Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry heads the Secretariat of the Basel Convention since September 2007. A specialist in international environmental law and policy, she has worked on issues related to the Basel Convention since 1988, when she joined the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi to assist in the negotiation process of the Convention. 2008 thus marked her personal 20th anniversary with the Basel Convention.

Serving in the International Affairs Division of the Swiss Agency of Environment, and subsequently as Head of Section on Environmental Affairs in the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1999, Katharina Kummer Peiry participated in various environmental negotiation processes and chaired negotiating groups on legal and institutional issues. In 2000, she founded a consulting firm specializing in international environmental policy and law, with which she worked until 2007. From 1999 to 2007, she also taught international environmental law at the Master level at the University of Berne (Switzerland).

Katharina Kummer Peiry holds a PhD in International Law from the University of London (United Kingdom) and a Master of Law from the University of Zurich (Switzerland), as well as a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Mediation from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). She has authored, and contributed to, numerous academic publications on international environmental law, international chemicals and waste management and other environmental issues. 1995 saw the publication of her book International Management of Hazardous Wastes: The Basel Convention and Related Legal Rules. It is still considered by many as the standard work on the Basel Convention.

Ms. Katharina Kummer Peiry

Basel Convention team     

Ms. Tatiana Terekhova 

Ms. Tatiana Terekhova
Programme Officer

Ms. Tatiana Terekhova joined the Secretariat in November 2010 to support the capacity-building activities for the implementation of the Basel Convention. In particular she coordinates the E-waste Africa programme. Previously Tatiana worked on capacity-building issues for sound management of chemicals and waste in UNEP and UNITAR.
Ms. Carla Valle-Klann 

Ms. Carla Valle-Klann
National Reporting Officer

Ms. Carla Valle-Klann is the Programme Officer responsible for all topics related to National Reporting. This includes liaison with Parties, management of the systems supporting National Reporting and training.
Ms. Juliette Voinov Kohler 

Ms. Juliette Voinov Kohler
Policy and Legal Advisor

Ms. Voinov Kohler serves the Secretariat as the Policy and Legal Advisor. She covers legal matters with policy implications, including the Implementation and Compliance Committee, the Protocol on Liability and Compensation, legal technical assistance, enforcement and illegal traffic, as well as international cooperation.
Mr. Dadan Wardhana 

Mr. Dadan Wardhana
Programme Officer

Mr. Wardhana serves the Secretariat as Programme Officer for projects, developing and managing Basel Convention implementation and capacity building programmes and providing technical support and advice to Parties and Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating Centres.
Ms. Francesca Cenni 

Ms. Francesca Cenni
Programme Officer

Ms. Francesca Cenni is Programme Officer for projects in the Implementation and Capacity Building Unit. She facilitates projects and focuses on capacity building for the implementation of the Convention through the Basel Convention Regional and Coordinating Centres and partner agencies.
Mr. Matthias Kern 

Mr. Matthias Kern
Chief, Implementation and Capacity Building Unit

Mr. Kern heads the Implementation and Capacity Building Unit, which is responsible for the Secretariat’s activities on facilitating programmes, projects and partnerships for the implementation of the Convention.
 

Ms. Lorraine Deakin-Metzger
Personal Assistant

Ms. Deakin-Metzger, as Personal Assistant, is responsible for organizing and planning the work of the Executive Secretary’s Office, managing communications, commitments and appointments of the Executive Secretary. She is also responsible for the liaison and co-ordination of the Expanded Bureau meetings.
Mr. Nelson Sabogal 

Mr. Nelson Sabogal
Chief, Convention Services and Governance Unit

Mr. Sabogal heads the Convention Services and Governance Unit, which covers the core functions of the Secretariat (institutional and meeting support) as well as assistance to the institutions of the Convention in carrying out their functions. He is also responsible for policy issues and institutional relations.
Mr. Ibrahim Shafii 

Mr. Ibrahim Shafii
Chief, Programme Support Unit

Mr. Shafii heads the Programme Support Unit which is responsible for strategic issues, including the New Strategic Framework, Ban Amendment, and the Nairobi Declaration on e-waste. The Unit is also responsible for the development of the technical guidelines and national reporting.

Joint Conventions Services Staff     

Ms. Adelina Gashi 

Ms. Adelina Gashi
Programme Assistant

Ms. Gashi is Programme Assistant providing programme support. She is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Ms. Yvonne Ewang 

Ms. Yvonne Ewang
Associate Legal Officer

Ms. Ewang is serving as Associate Legal Officer. She addresses legal matters and provides legal advice. She is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Mr. Christophe Marchat 

Mr. Christophe Marchat
Information Assistant

Mr. Marchat is the Information Assistant assisting in public awareness and outreach functions and providing desktop publishing services. He is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Ms. Marzena Jankowska 

Ms. Marzena Jankowska
Chief, Administrative Unit

Ms. Jankowska heads the Administrative Unit. She coordinates and supervises the provision of administrative and financial services to the Secretariat. She is responsible for budgeting the Basel Convention’s programmes and providing financial information, coordinates actions related to personnel, office administration and maintenance. She is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Mr. Innocent Kalumba 

Mr. Innocent Kalumba
Finance and Budget Assistant

Mr. Kalumba is Finance and Budget Assistant and assists with all budgetary and financial issues. He is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Ms. Antonia Dougan 

Ms. Antonia Dougan
Programme Assistant

Ms. Dougan is Programme Assistant providing programme support and conference services. She is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Mr. Alejandro Montero 

Mr. Alejandro Montero
Associate Programme Officer for Computer Systems

Mr. Montero is Associate Programme Officer for Computer Systems. He manages the website technically and services the IT needs. He is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Ms. Nalini Basavaraj 

Ms. Nalini Basavaraj
Information Officer

Ms. Basavaraj is the Information Officer and covers public awareness and outreach issues and is responsible for the production and dissemination of audio-visual and printed information products about the Convention. She is also involved in the clearing-house mechanism activities. She is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Mr. Ariel Dayao 

Mr. Ariel Dayao
Documents Assistant

Mr. Dayao serves as Documents Assistant, managing the production of meeting documents. He is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.
Ms. Bella Lawson 

Ms. Bella Lawson
Administrative Assistant

Ms. Lawson is Administrative Assistant providing programme support and conference services. She is a member of the Joint Services of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.