Niels Holm‑Nielsen

Practice Manager

Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) 

Head of GFDRR. A Danish national, Niels joined the Bank in 2006 as a Junior Professional Officer in the Middle East and North Africa Region. He has since held several positions in Disaster Risk Management in the Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa Regions, including most recently as Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist and Global Lead for Resilience and Disaster Risk Management. He holds a M.Sc. in Political Science from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. 

Juan Pablo Bonilla

Sector Manager

Climate Change and Sustainable Development Sector

Inter-American Development Bank

Juan Pablo Bonilla is the Manager of the Interamerican Development Bank’s Climate Change and Sustainable Development Sector (CSD). Previously, he served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice President of the IDB. Dr. Bonilla has worked on environmental sustainability, climate change and energy for more than 20 years, leading the IDB's Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative, a major strategic step for integrating climate change and sustainability as a priority for the Bank. Before joining the IDB, he worked as Senior Specialist at the World Bank, and was a member of the United Nation's CDM Executive Board. In Colombia, after serving as the Executive Director of a new think tank Fundesarrollo, and as National Environmental Manager of ANDI, Dr. Bonilla launched new initiatives such as the National Climate Change Policy and the National Biotechnology Policy as principal advisor to the country's Vice President. Dr. Bonilla served as Deputy Minister of Environment, and acting Minister of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development. Dr. Bonilla obtained a B.A. in Civil Engineering from the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, and then received a M.Sc. in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering and a Ph.D. in Environmental and Energy Management from George Washington University.

Ana Campos Garcia 

Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist 

GFDRR, World Bank 

Ana Campos Garcia, Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist at GFDRR at the World Bank, based in Washington D.C. In this role, she plays a strategic role in leading and supporting teams working across resilience and disaster risk management in relation to territorial development, urban and coastal resilience, institutional and policy strengthening, disaster risk financing, modernization of hydromet systems, and emergency response and recovery. She holds a Master’s degree in Earthquake Engineering and more than 30 years of applied operational and analytical experience on disaster risk management in East Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean both in high- and low-income country contexts, including FCV. 

Maria Alejandra Escovar

Disaster Risk Management Specialist

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB

María Alejandra works as a Disaster Risk Management Specialist at IDB. She works with teams to identify and address disaster and climate change risks throughout infrastructure project cycles. She is a civil and environmental engineer with experience in consulting for environmental projects and disaster risk management. She holds a Master's degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Engineering and Environmental Management with an emphasis on research (Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia) and a Master's degree in Environment and Sustainable Development (University College London UCL).

Paula Restrepo Cadavid

Lead Urban Specialist

World Bank 

Paula Restrepo Cadavid is the Lead Urban specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Urban, Resilience and Land Management Global Practice of the World Bank. She has worked in areas related to urban economics, territorial development, resilient urban infrastructure, urban renewal, neighborhood upgrading and housing. She has experience in more than 35 countries, leading investment projects and policy dialogue in Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. She has a PhD in urban economics from the Ecole de Mines de Paris, a master’s in environmental and development economics from the Ecole Polytechnique and is an Environmental Engineer from the School of Engineering of Antioquia.

Francisca Pedrasa

President

Chilean Association of Structural Civil Engineers (AICE), Chile

Francisca Andrea Pedrasa Pizarro is a civil engineer specializing in structural and seismic engineering, with over 20 years of experience in project management and design for hospital, residential, and commercial buildings across Chile, Perú, and other South American countries. She graduated with highest honors from the University of Chile in 2005 and is a founding partner and director at Pedrasa Ingeniería Estructural SpA. Francisca has led structural projects in Chile and Perú and contributed to regulatory studies for the IDB and World Bank. She also served as Project Manager for an Inter-American Development Bank initiative at the Chilean Institute of Construction. Active in the professional community, she is Past President and current Director of AICE Chile, a member of ACHISINA, and serves on the Vulnerable Housing Committee for the Latin American Seismic Model Code. She holds professional licenses in Chile and Perú.

Luis Enrique Aycardi Fonseca

Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering

Colombian School of Engineering Julio Garavito, Colombia - TBC

Over 30 years of experience in structural engineering consulting. He has been a university professor at several universities in Colombia.  He worked for over 30 years at PCA (Proyectistas Civiles Asociados) in Bogotá and is currently the Technical Manager of AYCARDI ESTRUCTURAL, a leading structural consulting firm in Colombia. He has served on several occasions as a member of the Board of Directors of professional associations such as ACIES (Colombian Association of Structural Engineering), ACI (American Concrete Institute Colombian Section), and AIS - Colombian Association of Seismic Engineering, of which he was president from 2009 to 2013. His primary interests include seismic engineering and design, reinforced concrete, and structural masonry.

Keiko Sakoda 

Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist 

GFDRR, World Bank 

Keiko Sakoda is a Senior Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Specialist at the World Bank’s Global Unit for Climate and Disaster Risk Management. She leads a global initiative "Building Regulation for Resilience", which aims to foster resilient, green and inclusive built environments globally through regulatory and institutional reforms, alongside capacity building efforts. Before assuming current role, Keiko contributed to the DRM and Urban portfolio in South Asia region, bringing solid operational expertise in post-disaster and post-conflict reconstruction, disaster preparedness, climate change adaptation, and urban development. Prior to joining the World Bank, Keiko worked with UNHCR in South Sudan, UNDP and UN-Habitat in Indonesia, and JICA in Mongolia, where she gained diverse field experiences in climate and disaster resilience. Ms. Sakoda holds a Master's degree in Architectural Engineering from Kyoto Institute of Technology in Japan.