Initiative Governing Committee (IGC) Members
The Initiative Governing Committee is comprised of G20 Member states, other countries and international agencies.
CORDAP is Chaired by Dr. Osama Faqeeha, Deputy Minister of Environment, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saudi Arabia, and Vice-Chaired by Jennifer Koss, Director, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, United States.
The Initiative Governing Committee (IGC) comprises participating members who oversee CORDAP and approve its strategic plans, operating procedures, rules and procedures of the research programs, and accreditation of participating institutions.
The Committee will also approve fund allocations to research projects recommended by the Scientific and Advisory Committee. A number of subcommittees will support the IGC.

Mr. Francisco Firpo Lacoste
Technical Advisor
Secretariat of Environmental Policy on Natural Resources
Argentina
Prof. Selina Stead
Chief Executive Officer
Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS)
Australia
Ana Paula Leite Prates
Director
Ocean and Coastal Management Department at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change
Brazil
Mr. Fariz Ahmadov
Senior Policy Advisor
International Oceans Policy, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada
Mr. Antoine Pebayle
Charge de Mission
French Initiative for Coral Reef (IFRECOR)
France
Mr. Markus Knigge
Executive Director
Blue Action Fund
Ms. Cecilia Torres
Programme Coordinator
Blue Action Fund
Germany
Ms. Anna Popova
International Relations Officer
International Ocean Governance, Law of the Sea and Arctic Policy Unit
European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries (DG MARE)
European Union
Ms. Rajasree Ray
Head of the Climate Change Finance Unit
Ministry of Finance
India
Dr. Hendra Siry
Secretary of Directorate General of Marine Spatial Management
Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries
Indonesia
Mr. Naomi Inoue
Assistant Manager
Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan
Mr. Satoshi Kichise
Biodiversity Policy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau
Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan
Japan
Ms. Shafiya Naeem
Director General at Maldives Marine Research Institute
Ms. Lisama Sabry
Senior Conservation Officer at Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology
Republic of Maldives
Dr. Osama Faqeeha
(Chair)
Deputy Minister for Environment
Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture
Saudi Arabia
Mr. Yadira Gomez
Regional Director
National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP)
Mr. Jose Feliciano Gonzalez Jimenez
General Director
National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP)
Mexico
Dr. Toufiek Samaai
Specialist Scientist
Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries
South Africa
Dr. Mahir Kanyılmaz
Head of Fisheries Resources Management and Fisheries Infrastructure
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Mrs. Gulden Oncirak Yavuz
European Union Assistant Specialist
Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Turkey
Dr. Ebrahim Abdulla Al Jamali
Director of Marine Research Centre
UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
Dr. Majd Mohammed Al Herbawi
Director of Animal Development & Health Department
UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Ms. Kate Goforth
Species Conservation Policy Advisor
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
United Kingdom
Ms. Jennifer Koss
(Vice Chair)
Director
NOAA-Coral Reef Conservation Program
United States of America
Dr. Pinsak Suraswadi
Director General
Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR)
Dr. Thamasak Yeemin
Head, Marine Biodiversity Research Group, Marine Biodiversity Research Group (MBRG)
Ramkhamhaeng University (RU)
Thailand
Members to date
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
European Union
France
Germany
India
Indonesia
Japan
Maldives
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
South Africa
Thailand
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Argentina
Mr. Francisco Firpo Lacoste
Technical Advisor
Secretariat of Environmental Policy on Natural Resources
Australia
Dr. Britta Schaffelke
Manager, International Projects and Initiatives
Australian Institute of Marine Sciences
Australia
Brazil
Ana Paula Leite Prates
Director
Ocean and Coastal Management Department at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil
Canada
Ms. Amanda Kettler
International Oceans Policy Analyst
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
European Union
Bénédicte Caremier
Senior Expert
European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries
France
Mr. Antoine Pebayle
Charge de Mission
French Initiative for Coral Reef (IFRECOR)
Germany
India
Ms. Rajasree Ray
Head of the Climate Change Finance Unit
Ministry of Finance
India
Indonesia
Dr. Hendra Siry
Secretary of Directorate General of Marine Spatial Management
Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries
Japan
Mr. Hiroki Sato
Senior Coordinator for Biodiversity
Senior Analyst for Ecosystem, Biodiversity Policy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau at Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan
Mr. Jun Nagao
Biodiversity Policy Division, Nature Conservation Bureau
Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan
Japan
Maldives
Ms. Shafiya Naeem
Director General
Maldives Marine Research Institute
Ms. Lisama Sabry
Senior Conservation Officer
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology
Mexico
Mr. Yadira Gomez
Regional Director
National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP)
Mr. Jose Feliciano Gonzalez Jimenez
General Director of Institutional Strengthening & International Affairs
National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP)
Saudi Arabia
Dr. Osama Faqeeha
(Chair)
Deputy Minister for Environment
Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture
South Africa
Dr. Toufiek Samaai
Specialist Scientist
Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries
Turkey
Dr. Mahir Kanyılmaz
Head of Fisheries Resources Management and Fisheries Infrastructure
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Mrs. Gulden Oncirak Yavuz
European Union Assistant Specialist
Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
United Arab Emirates
Dr. Ebrahim Abdulla Al Jamali
Director of Marine Research Centre
UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
Dr. Majd Mohammed Al Herbawi
Director of Animal Development & Health Department
UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
United Kingdom
Mr. Murray Fyfe
Species Conservation Policy Advisor
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
United States of America
Ms. Jennifer Koss
(Vice Chair)
Director
NOAA-Coral Reef Conservation Program
Chairs
CHAIR
Dr. Osama Faqeeha
Deputy Minister of
Environment
Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture
Saudi Arabia
VICE-CHAIR
Jennifer Koss
Director
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program
United States
Advisory Members
to the IGC
Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC)
Dr. R. Scott Winters
CEO of Coral Restoration Foundation and Co-chairman of the Coral Restoration Consortium
Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR)
Mr. Yabanex Batista
Deputy Head, UN Global Team
Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF)
Dr. Theresa Fyffe
Executive Director of Projects & Partnerships
Ms. Margot Andersen
External Relations Head
International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI)
Mr. Francis Staub
Coordinator
International Coral Reef Society (ICRS)
Prof. Christian Voolstra
President of ICRS and Professor & Head of SequAna Core Facility at University of Konstanz
Observer | Japanese Coral Reef Society (JCRS)
Dr. Atsushi Watanabe
Senior Research Fellow
The Commonwealth Secretariat
Dr. Daniel Wilde
Head of Oceans
Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation
Dr. Alexandra Dempsey
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Mirpuri Foundation
Ms. Ana Agostinho
Advisor
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
Ms. Sinikinesh Jimma
Chief, Marine & International Waters Unit
Mr. Gabriel Grimsditch
Programme Management Officer
Monitoring & Evaluation Lead
Mr. Aidan McKean
Associate Programme Management Officer
Marine & International Waters Unit
Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)
Mr. Nitin Jain
Senior Director of Programs
Ms. Adele Cadario
Global Program Lead – Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions
XPRIZE
Mr. David Babson
Executive Vice President, Climate & Energy
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