- This event has passed.
COP26 – Insights from the United Nations 26th Climate Change Conference
December 2, 2021 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am
What is COP, who attends and how are matters discussed?
What are the outcomes of this year’s meetings?
What has been Green School’s involvement in the COP meetings over the years?
What can we, as a community and as individuals, do to continue to meet and address the challenges associated with climate change?
Join Jessica Farmer, in a conversation with fellow Green School Community Members, Melati Wijsen and Leslie Beckman, alongside Ellen Maynes from IFC and Christian Lohberger from Astra Solar in PNG, to explore this year’s conference.
Jessica Farmer joined International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 2014 in New Delhi, India, as Principal
Investment Officer heading InfraVentures for the Asia region, prior to her move to Yangon as IFC’s
Infrastructure Sector Lead for Myanmar, in addition to continuing to lead InfraVentures for Asia.
Previously, Jessica worked for 14 years at the Export-Import Bank of the United States, based out of
Washington, DC, where she worked in a variety of capacities from workouts and restructurings to project
finance underwriting. She ultimately headed Ex-Im Bank’s Asset Management Division, with $60 billion of
assets under management.
Leslie Beckman celebrates 25 years of marketing experience leading results-driven initiatives with industries ranging from cybersecurity, healthcare, export, non-profit, education, consumer retail, and currently data analytics. She has lived and worked in multiple US locations, Australia, Singapore, China, and Indonesia. This diversity in professional and geographical experience provides inspirational idea-generation to her work. She has been awarded by World Marketing Congress, CMO Asia & Marketing Singapore, a featured speaker at the CMO Asia Summit and World B2B Marketing Chief Congress, attended COP26 Glasgow and is quoted in multiple publications. Leslie holds 2 Master’s degrees and a black belt in Lean Six Sigma. She currently lives a dream life in Bali with her husband, 3 kids, a dog, a kitten, and 5 chickens and continues to travel vigorously to feed her insatiable curiosity of anthropology and adventure.
Melati Wijsen is a 20-year-old full time changemaker. She has founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags with her younger sister and has been leading the movement driven by youth since 2013 at the age of 12. She has also started the people movement One Island One Voice and the social enterprise, Mountain Mamas. Melati has given two global TED talks before she turned 21 and has spoken on world stages such as the UN and has also been selected as FORBES top ten most inspiring women in the country. She graduated from high school one year early and has since been honored by TIME as part of the annual list of most influential teens in the world along with CNN Heroes Young Wonders and FORBES 30 under 30. Recently, Melati has co-chaired the World Economic Forum GPAP committee, sat on the inaugural Expert Advisory Panel for the Earthshot Prize, and has had her film, Bigger Than Us, premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival 2021. Today, Melati has launched her new company, YOUTHTOPIA, which is all about youth empowerment through short and meaningful peer-to-peer programs and providing them the tools they need to be changemakers. Melati believes that young people can accelerate change and her vision is to make YOUTHTOPIA the go-to platform for young people to learn about frontline skills.
Ellen Maynes is an Operations Officer for the IFC Gender and Economic Inclusion Group who leads projects to close employment gaps between men and women in Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji. Recently Ellen has led research to demonstrate the business case for the private sector to invest in gender equality on topics including Respectful Workplaces, Tackling Childcare, and Gender and Microfinance in Myanmar. Before joining IFC, Ellen spent more than 20 years working across the private and not-for-profit sectors in the Asia Pacific and Europe.
Christian Lohberger is the CEO and co-founder of Astra Solar Ltd and the President and founder of the Solar Energy Association of PNG. SEAP is an IPA registered industry group that supports the growth of the renewable energy sector in PNG.
He is also a director of Lohberger Engineering Ltd. We are one of PNGs oldest engineering firms and specialize in backup power and water supply. We have decades of experience in supply, system design, and maintenance of water pumps and Diesel generators.