Meet Our Speakers

Animesh Kumar is the Head of the UNDRR Office in Bonn that serves as the organisation’s global facility for climate action, comprehensive risk management and disaster data. Part of the UNDRR HQ’s Risk Knowledge Branch, the Bonn Office works with multiple partners and mechanisms, leading global efforts on climate negotiations and processes (including losses and damages) and alliances, disaster-related statistics, Sendai Framework and SDG Monitoring, and more recently, the monitoring and evaluation of Early Warnings for All.

Before joining this position, Animesh served as the Deputy Head of the UNDRR Regional Offices in Asia-Pacific (Bangkok) and Africa (Nairobi). In these capacities, he led regional policy and coordination on disaster risk reduction, including through intergovernmental and stakeholder mechanisms, besides bolstering joint UN efforts on resilience. He is credited for over 50 UNDRR publications in these two positions and was granted the UNDG Silver Award in 2016 in Africa.

Animesh started his career teaching quantitative methods to graduate students, and worked as a researcher in various climate change adaptation projects. He subsequently joined the UN World Food Programme in the Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping (VAM) Unit. During 2009-2013 he was seconded by the UN to the Government of Ethiopia as the Programme Advisor for DRR and Climate Change. Managing a multi-agency funded programme, he developed the risk assessment model for the country, coordinating the development of tools for risk mitigation, early warning system, and contingency planning, resulting in localized risk profiles in over 250 districts in the country.

A geographer, Animesh holds an MPhil and PhD in adaptation and sustainability. He also holds several certificates in Project Management, Leadership Development and Change Management.