In this section
In this sectionFind below the team members and their functions in the GPA Coordination Unit. If you need any support, feel free to send us an email at energy.gpa@unops.org. We will find the best person to help you.
Aimee Jenks
About
Aimee works as the Strategy and Partnerships Lead of the Global Platform for Action on Humanitarian Energy (GPA) Coordination Unit. Her responsibilities include leading the collective work under GPA Working Area on Technical Expertise, Training and Capacity Building and supporting wider GPA Knowledge Management for the partnership network. This includes project management of the Energy Delivery Models training programme which equips humanitarian staff with the analysis and design skills to develop sustainable energy programmes, support to humanitarian partners and clusters on integrating sustainable energy into their institutional and operational work, webinar series development and delivery, support to the Humanitarian Energy Exchange Network and ad hoc technical support to partners on new project development. She is undertaking an MSc in International Development from the University of Edinburgh and holds a Bachelors in Energy Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Aimee Jenks
Job Title
GPA Coordination Unit Strategy and Partnerships Lead
Carine Buma
About
Carine Buma joined the GPA-UNITAR team in September 2024 as a Clean Cooking Associate. She brings extensive experience in climate change, renewable energy, and clean cooking access. In her current role, Carine supports activities under the clean cooking workstream, conducting research and analysis on clean cooking transition pathways and developing tools to assist staff in implementing clean cooking projects. She also contributes to writing reports, policy briefs, and building advocacy on cross-cutting themes such as gender inclusion and "leave no one behind." In her previous role at ICLEI Africa, Carine gained valuable experience in leading the implementation of clean cooking, renewable energy initiatives and developing climate and energy action strategies across multiple countries in Africa. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Fort Hare and is passionate about promoting sustainable energy solutions in underserved communities.
Elif Gül Demir
About
Elif is working on the coordination and capacity-building areas of the GPA. Elif is leading the SAFE/Humanitarian Energy Exchange Network which is the central platform for coordination and collaboration between humanitarian and development agencies working on sustainable energy projects in displacement settings. Before joining the GPA, Elif worked for Energy for Refugees to fund, design, and install a solar PV system for the Moria refugee camp in Greece.
Elif holds a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering at Bilkent University in Turkey and a master's degree in Complex Systems Engineering and Management at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Elif wrote her thesis on the potential of community-based approaches for governing solar mini-grids in refugee camps through a case study of the Kigeme refugee camp in Rwanda to examine how energy access is provided within the camp and how humanitarian organizations, local government, funders, and private sector actors interact with each other.
Iwona Bisaga
About
Dr Iwona Bisaga is the Global Clean Cooking Lead at the Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA) and Norwegian Capacity (NORCAP). She has over 12 years of experience in the energy access sector. She has worked across academia, private and non-profit sectors, with expertise in areas spanning off-grid electrification, access to clean and modern cooking solutions, and integrated approaches to energy access planning. She was the Humanitarian Lead at the Modern Energy Cooking Services Programme (MECS) where she also managed research on access to clean cooking in Rwanda and in institutional settings. Previously, she was the Global Research Manager at Bbboxx- a provider of off-grid solar and clean cooking solutions in Africa and Asia. She completed her PhD in Energy at University College London (UCL) and she also holds an MSc in Development Administration and Planning from the same institution.
Joelle Hangi
About
Joelle Hangi joined the GPA team in September 2022. Her background is in research on displacement and communication. Her work focuses on supporting the Transforming Energy Access Project to emphasize the work of the GPA- INCLUDE Program. She also supports the Roadmaps for Energy Access in Displacement Settings (READS) program. Before joining the GPA, Joelle worked in different research capacities with UNHCR Africa Office, Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre, University of Geneva’s Human Rights Department, among other humanitarian organizations.
Katherine Patterson
About
Katie joined the GPA Coordination Unit at UNITAR in September 2024 as the Knowledge Management Lead, supporting the stakeholder coordination and knowledge management activities of the GPA. Her responsibilities include onboarding new partners, supporting the Human Energy Exchange Network (HEEN), supporting ongoing outreach and advocacy processes, and organizing knowledge-sharing and capacity-building activities in collaborating with GPA partners.
Katie holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and International Affairs from Gettysburg College in the US and a master’s in International Energy Transitions from Sciences Po in France. Before joining the GPA, Katie worked as an energy sector research analyst and communications specialist in Myanmar and Egypt.
Mariana Soto
About
Mariana joined the GPA-UNITAR team in May 2023, she holds a bachelor's degree in International Business from Tecnlógico de Monterrey in Mexico, a master's degree in International Development with a major in Mobilities, Spaces & Cities from the Geneva Graduate Institute and exchange studies at the American University in Washington D.C., before joining the GPA, Mariana worked at the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the UN and WTO in Geneva.
Mariana Soto
Job Title
Communications
Mark Gibson
About
Mark is the Operational Lead of the Coordination Unit for the Global Platform for Action (GPA) on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings at UNITAR. Mark joined the GPA in August 2018 and has been managing the GPA’s work on decarbonising the humanitarian response, including the development of standard lease and power purchase agreements and de-risking long term agreements. Prior to joining the GPA, Mark spent 18 months with UNHCR Tanzania where, among other things, he developed the Energy and Environmental Strategy for the countries three refugee camps. Before which, Mark spent 20 years providing private sector support to a broad spectrum of projects in Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Mark holds a degree in Environmental Studies and masters degrees in Environmental Law and Marine Resource Management.
Philip Sandwell
About
Dr Philip Sandwell is a Research Associate at the GPA Coordination Unit providing support on data analysis, research, and sustainable energy policymaking in situations of displacement. His responsibilities include assessing energy access for households, businesses and community facilities in displacement settings, and quantifying the cost and GHG emissions savings from decarbonising the humanitarian response via sustainable energy solutions.
Prior to joining the GPA Coordination Unit Philip was a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London. His work focused on techno-economic modelling and optimisation of community-scale electricity systems, typically solar minigrids, in rural areas of developing countries and refugee camps. He holds a PhD in Physics and MSci in Theoretical Physics, both from Imperial College London.
Yanal ALMADANAT
About
Yanal is the Decarbonisation Lead of the Coordination Unit for the Global Platform for Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings (GPA) at UNITAR.
He is a NORCAP Energy Expert, and his work is focused on streamlining sustainable energy in humanitarian organizations, collaborating with the GPA’s Steering Group, and coordinating all activities related to the Decarbonising Humanitarian Energy Multi-Partner Trust Fund (DHE MPTF) including monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
Before joining the GPA, Yanal worked with NRC on decarbonization of offices as well as training & capacity building of staff in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. Before that, he worked with UNHCR for eight years on energy access, electrification, and clean cooking fuel alternatives for refugee camps in Jordan, Bangladesh, and Brazil. His experience also includes working in the private sector in the Middle East. Yanal holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Power & Machines Engineering from Yarmouk University in Jordan.
