2023 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development: Side Event Architecting Financing for the Energy Transition in Asia and the Pacific – Lessons from Indonesia’s and Viet Nam’s Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs)

Mr. Arrmanatha C. Nasir is the Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations. Prior to his latest appointment, Mr. Nasir was his country’s ambassador to France, Andorra, Monaco and to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), from April 2019 to October 2021.

From 2014 to 2019, he served as Spokesperson for Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Between 2008 and 2012, he held the position of Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations in New York, where he was responsible for economics and development issues in the General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and the Economic and Social Council, negotiating for the “Group of 77” developing countries and China on a number of resolutions. From 2010 to 2011, he served as Advisor on economic issues and least developed countries to the President of the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly.

Among other positions within the Government of Indonesia, Mr. Nasir was Deputy Director for Agriculture and Commodities at the Directorate General of Multilateral Affairs, from 2005 to 2008. Born in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1971, Mr. Nasir earned a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Indonesia; a Master of Business Administration from Leicester University in the United Kingdom; and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Buckingham, also in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Dang Hoang Giang is the Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the United Nations. Before his latest appointment, Mr. Dang was his country’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, beginning in March 2021, and also served as Chairman of the Viet Nam National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Between 2012 and 2016, he was Deputy Chief and then Chief of Cabinet in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and was appointed as Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs.

From 2010 to 2012, Mr. Dang was Assistant Director-General in the Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was appointed as Assistant to the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and later Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Dang began his career in 2000 at the Department of International Law and Treaties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2005 to 2007 and again in 2009, he was assigned to the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to the United Nations in New York. In his second term there, in 2009, he was assigned First Secretary and Political Coordinator of Viet Nam at the United Nations Security Council.

Mr. Hamza Ali Malik is currently the Director of Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division (MPFD) at UNESCAP. He leads the team responsible for analyzing economic conditions and emerging development challenges in Asia and the Pacific economies and assesses potential policy options and financing strategies that can support them in their pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Before joining the UNESCAP in 2014, Hamza worked as the Director of Monetary Policy Department at the central bank of Pakistan (SBP). He graduated from McMaster University with a Ph.D. in economics in 2002.

Vinay Chawla is a senior advisor on climate finance to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. Vinay's work focuses on climate negotiations, developing finance mechanisms to accelerate the energy transition, and implementation of Just Energy Partnerships (JETP) with key partner countries. 

Vinay's past work experience spans finance, technology, climate, and strategic communications. He spent the last two decades working and living across the Middle East and South Asia leading large teams, implementing billion-dollar plus budgets, and building public-private partnerships from the ground up.

Ms. Karen Fang is Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Finance at Bank of America. She is a member of Bank of America’s Management Committee, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee, and the firm wide Asian Leadership Council. Formerly, she was the head of Global Fixed Income, Currencies & Commodities (FICC) Cross Asset Trading, and the head of Americas FICC Sales & Solutions prior to that.

Prior to joining Bank of America, Karen was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs where she was responsible for the Pension, Endowment and Foundation Cross Asset Solutions Group. Previously, she held senior positions in derivatives structuring, including at Merrill Lynch in Tokyo and Deutsche Bank in London.

Karen was named one of Fortune’s “40 under 40”and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF). She is a member of the WEF Expert Network. Karen is a recipient of the 2022 Crain’s Most Notable Women on Wall Street Award, the 2021 American Banker Most Powerful Women Standout Award, the 2021 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award, and Business Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business Award in 2020. Previously, She was chosen by Investment Dealers’ Digest as one of the “40 under 40” bankers and is also a recipient of the Women’s Bond Club of New York’s Rising Star Award.

Karen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Tokyo..

Luong Quang Huy holds a PhD in environmental sciences at the University of East Anglia. He has researched on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change for years with focus on developing countries in South East Asia. His research and policy advisory works include greenhouse gas emission reduction, international negotiations, carbon markets and sustainable development for the Government of Vietnam. Currently he holds the position of Director of the Division of GHG emission reduction and ozone layer protection, Department of Climate Change, Vietnam Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. He is also the lead of  technical teams to develop newly issued policies on GHG emission reduction, climate change strategy and Vietnam NDC.  

Ms. Ait Sahlia holds a position as Deputy Head of the Energy Department at Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Prior to her current position, Manelle was Head of Energy and Digital for Africa and the Middle-East at Proparco, the subsidiary of AFD in charge of the private sector. Manelle has been with the AFD Group since 2005, where she covered Energy from both the public perspective as an Energy Project Manager at AFD and the private sector perspective as an Investment Officer at Proparco. Manelle was also seconded at the World Bank in the Climate Finance Department as a Carbon Finance Specialist.

Ms. Subathirai Sivakumaran is Chief of Financing for Development Section, Macroeconomic Policy and Financing for Development Division at UNESCAP, and seeks to accelerate the flow of sustainable finance within the Asia Pacific region, both by sovereigns and by private issuers and investors. Additionally, the Financing for Development section seeks to inform and influence governments and regulators to drive the appropriate enabling frameworks to achieve greater financing for development in the region.