The rivers committee

Expertise
He is a lawyer specialised in maritime law and a consultant working on behalf public and private clients, on questions relating to port and navigation infrastructures, and to the environment and coast.

The IIDM
The Ibero-American Martime Law Institute (IIDM) was founded in 1995 in view to developing and harmonising maritime law in South America. It is composed of different government and port authorities, companies, legal practices and specialists on navigation from more than 20 countries.

Voies Navigables de France maintains, operates and develops the largest European network of waterways: 6 700 km of rivers, canals and rivers channeled, 4 000 structures (locks, dams, canal-bridges,… ) and 40,000 hectares of fluvial public domain. The public establishment responds to three major societal stakes: create the conditions for the development of waterway transport; contribute to the development of territory and tourism; ensure the hydraulic management by guaranteeing the safety of the structures and the different uses of the water and by fighting against the floods and the water stress. It also promotes the development of hydropower and preserves biodiversity.

Expertise
Graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure of Paris and holder of a post-doctoral degree from the University of California in San Diego, one of the world’s leading research centres specialised in the Pacific, he is the author of several scientific publications and a book titled Physical Cultures, Rugby in Samoa published in 2014.He was Deputy Director of the Research and Education Department of the Quai Branly Museum from 2012 to 2018. Since the beginning of 2020, he has been working on the development of the internal organization of Klarna, a Swedish technical-financial company offering online factoring solutions.

Expertise
Daniel Dagenais has more than 25 years’ experience in the maritime industry (operator of bulk terminals, containerised and non-containerised goods). He holds a degree in specialised transport and logistics management from McGill University and a finishing studies diploma for acting managers from the HEC.

The APM
The Montreal Port Administration (APM) is an autonomous federal agency responsible for managing the Port of Montreal. It built and maintains the installations that it rents to private companies for tying off, and operates its maritime station and railway network.

Expertise
Civil engineer of mines, Ghislain de Marsily obtained his PhD at Paris VI in 1978 and has taught applied geology at the Mines de Paris, then at the University of Paris VI. His field of activity deals with phreatic waters, global water resources, their protection and management, the management of buried wastes, and sustainable development of which water is a fundamental item that affects climate change. He has written many scientific publications. Ghislain de Marsily is also a member of the Academy of Technologies, the French Academy of Agriculture and is a foreign member of the US Academy of Engineering.

The Academy of Sciences
Since it was founded in 1666, the Academy of Sciences has devoted itself to the development of sciences and advised government authorities regarding them.

Franck Galland is a former Director of Security for the Suez group, and since 2010 has headed Environmental Emergency & Security Services (ES)², an engineering consultancy he set up to support water and energy operators in business continuity, operational crisis management and infrastructure security.

An associate researcher at the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique since 2008, Franck Galland is the author of numerous books and publications, including “Guerre et eau. L’eau enjeu stratégique des conflits modernes” (2021). He is also a regular speaker at French and foreign defense and security institutes.

In 2019, he created the AQUA SÛRETÉ forum, which aims to provide a restricted framework for meetings and technical exchanges between French-speaking experts on issues of safety and business continuity of hydraulic structures.

An officer in the operational reserve since the end of his national service, currently holding the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, Franck Galland is assigned as a water expert at the Centre d’Expertises Techniques de l’Infrastructure de Défense (CETID).

For his professional and academic commitments, Franck Galland was made a Chevalier, then an Officier in the Ordre National du Mérite, as well as a Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques. He also holds the Croix de la Valeur Militaire, the Croix du Combattant Volontaire, the Croix du Combattant, the Médaille des services militaires volontaires (échelon or), as well as other French and foreign military decorations.

Expertise
Bernd Gundermann has more than 30 years’ experience as an architect and urbanist. In particular he was head architect for the Centre of Hanseatic Trade of Hamburg in the framework of the largest port transformation project in Europe (the Harbour City of Hamburg). He is the author of a large number of works on specific coastal developments relating to the effects of climate change. His philosophy is based on adapting urban actions to the natural environment and points towards innovative areas of exploration such as crossing bio-mimetics with indigenous spirituality. He received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2014, under the aegis of UNESCO.

Urbia Group – Think Beyond
Urbia Group brings together varied scientific disciplines, designers, economists, philosophers, political representatives and civil society, and operates as a consultancy in strategy, urban development and the design and construction of public and private projects.

Expertise
A doctor specialised in virology and research director at the Pasteur Institute, Mirdad Kazanki directed the Pasteur Institute of Bangui in the Central African Republic for 5 years. He then became head of the Pasteur Institute of Guyana in 2014, which he directed until September 2021. He has recently been appointed to the general direction of the Centre Pasteur of Cameroon. He is the author of more than a hundred publications in scientific and medical journals on the natural history of viruses, their origins and their transmissions and on public health problems linked to the monitoring and emergence of viral epidemics.

The Centre Pasteur of Cameroon (CPC) was inaugurated in 1959. As a public administrative institution of the Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon with financial autonomy, the CPC is a member of the International Pasteur Institute Network (PIIN). It contributes to the fight against disease and the promotion of health through the care of Cameroonian patients and the prevention of international health risks through the surveillance of endemic and epidemic diseases, scientific research and the training of medical personnel.

Runa Khan is the founder of the NGO Friendship, an international social organization established in 2002, and Friendship International, which operates from five European countries.

Runa Khan has received the Green Award (2016), the IsDB Social Entrepreneur Award (2008), the Rolex Award for Entrepreneurship (2006), the Ashoka Scholarship and the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur award.
She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Global Dignity, a member of the Advisory Board of the British Asian Trust Bangladesh, Honorary Chair of the One Sustainable Health Forum Approach, and an Honorary Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Bangladesh.

Friendship works for the most vulnerable and remote communities in Bangladesh to save lives, reduce poverty, adapt to the climate, and build self-reliance, bringing direct services to 7.5 million people annually.

Expertise

Anoulak Kittikhoun was a researcher at the Ralph Bunch Institute for International Studies and taught International Relations at Brooklyn College of New York. He also worked for the Laotian representation and the United Nations Secretariat in New York. For the past 5 years, he joined the Mekong River Commission where he is in charge of strategic policy, international cooperation, partnerships, communication and monitoring and evaluation.

On November, 25, 2021, the MRC Council of Ministers welcomed the appointment of Dr Anoulak Kittikhoun as the 3^rd Riparian CEO of the MRC Secretariat for the 2022–2024 tenure.

His training and experience make him a recognised expert in water governance and diplomacy.

MRC

In 1995, the Mekong River Commission, succeeds the Mekong River Commission dedicated to the exploitation of the hydropower potential of the Greater Mekong sub-region, founded in 1957 by Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam under the aegis of the United Nations. Its role is to ensure integrated and concerted management of the water and related resources of the basin, for the well-being of the populations. China and Myanmar joined the commission in 1996 as observers.

Expertise: Kabiné Komara has held different posts with the government and with the African Development Bank relating to economic development and international funding. Mr Komara became the Prime Minister of Guinea in December 2008. In March 2010, he became an International Strategy and Investment Consultant for multinational corporations, international institutions and governments. He was the High Commissioner of the OMVS from 2013 to 2017.

The International Action Council was established in 1983 as an independent international organization to mobilize the experience, energy and international contacts of former heads of state or government. The Council aims at fostering international co-operation and action in three priority areas: peace and security; world economic revitalization; universal ethical standards

Expertise
In partnership with hydropower plants (Companhia Energética de São Paulo (CESP) and Neoenergia), Sergio Makrakis evaluates the impacts of hydropower plants on fish. In particular, he was in charge of evaluating the longest fish pass downstream of the Iguaçu falls, and of analysing hydropower feasibility studies on the Mekong River with respect to fish migrations. He has developed partnerships with universities (Department of Hydraulic Energy and Hydrology of the University of Valladolid) and participated in the LIFE Segura Riverlink project sponsored by the European Union.

Western Paraná – Unioeste
The University of the State of Western Paraná is a Brazilian public university founded in 1988. Its head office is located in the city of Cascavel.

Benoit Miribel chairs the Sustainable Health for All Foundation, launched in June 2020 in Lyon and now under the aegis of the Institut Pasteur (Paris).
He has been a member of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) since May 2021.
He was President of the French Centre for Funds and Foundations (CFF) (2015-2022) of which he is now Honorary President.
He was previously Chief Executive Officer of the Mérieux Foundation (2007-2017) and then Director of Public Health at Institut Mérieux (2018-2020).
Since June 2013, he has been Honorary President of Action Against Hunger (ACF), an association that he chaired (2010/2013) and directed (2003/2006) after having been geographical manager for Southeast Asia/Southern Africa and the Balkans, then Director of Communication and Development.
He was Director General of the Bioforce Institute (1997/2002) and began his professional activity in the Development Department of Lyon Airport (1988/1992).
He chairs the Human Logistics Platform

Expertise

Jacqueline Nyirakamana has more than ten years of experience in the management and cooperation of transboundary water resources. In particular, she has worked at the Ministry of Natural Resources and then as Rwanda’s representative at Lake Kivu ad Ruzizi/Rusizi River Basin. She is now a specialist in cross-border cooperation at the Rwandan Ministry of the Environment.

Expertise
Graduated as an economist, Erik Orsenna was cultural advisor to François Mitterrand, former French President. He is the author of numerous novels (especially “Exposition colonial”, which won the  Goncourt prize in 1988) and reference works on globalisation (L’Avenir de l’eau, Voyage aux pays du Coton, Sur la route du papier). Erik Orsenna observes the impacts of economic, social, environmental and geopolitical upheavals, and shows us facets of the new, emerging world. He is also Ambassador of the international network of the Institut Pasteur.

The French Academy
An institution founded in 1635, the French Academy is responsible for defining the French language through the compilation of its dictionary which establishes the proper use of French.

Expertise

Research experience in the areas of water quality modeling, biotechnologies for wastewater treatment, water saving, phosphorus recovery, eco-efficiency and climate change, public participation.Researcher and leader of a number of EU funded international research projects. More than 80 research publications. External expert of the EU Commission and national ministries for project evaluation. Consultant of PM, Rambol, Grontmij, SHER and the World Bank for development and implementation of water related projects.

The UACEG

University of architecture, civil engineering and geodezy is a national research and higher education institution, situated in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Inside look at IFGR: interview of Irina Ribarova

Expertise

Dr Papa Abdoulaye Seck is a specialist in Agricultural Policy and Strategy. He is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Senegal, the African Academy of Sciences and the World Academy of Sciences, agricultural sciences section.

Before being appointed Ambassador of Senegal to the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization) and in Italy in September 2019, he was Minister of Agriculture and Rural Facilities. Before that, Dr Seck was Managing Director of Africa Rice, one of 15 International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR). He has been awarded many distinctions (United Nations prize for South-South cooperation, Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole de France, etc.) and is the author and co-author of more than 100 publications.

Hamed Diane Semega became High Commissioner on 19 June 2017. After receiving his MSc in Legal Studies from the University of Bamako, he began his career in the mining sector where he became Administrative Director and then consultant for several international companies, before entering the Malian government as Minister of Mines, Energy and Water (2002-2007) then of Equipment and Transport. He returned to the private sector in 2013 before taking up office as the High Commissioner of the OMVS on 19 June 2017. A Malian citizen, Hamed Diane Semega was born in Dakar, though his ancestry includes branches in Guinea and in Mauritania.

The OMVS

The Senegal River Development Organisation (OMVS) was founded in 1972 as the joint management body representing the countries sharing the Senegal basin: Mali, Mauritania, Guinea and Senegal. It has now become a case study for the integrated international management of river resources. Its headquarters are in Dakar.

Expertise
An economist, Alfredo Sese has worked on the topic of transport for more than 25 years. He has participated in the economic evaluation of using the Carcarañá river as a navigable waterway, and published many articles on transport and other economic problems in several specialised national reviews.

The BCR
The Rosario Commodity Exchange (BCR) is a public entity set up in 1884 in the city of Rosario (Province of Santa Fe in Argentina) located on the Rio Paraná. It is responsible in particular for determining the sale price of cereals on the commodity markets, and is now one of the major actors involved in strengthening the competiveness of the local market and integrating the city in international markets.

Expertise

Dr. Sun Yangbo is an experienced civil Engineer who has been served for the Yellow River Conservancy Commission for 25 years, specialized in hydrology, water resource planning，environment impact assessment, river basin planning, as well as field experience of hydraulic structure construction.  In recent years, Dr. Sun has been leading the international cooperation program in the Yellow River Basin in respect of integrated water resources management, environmental flow and climate change adaptation. He is also the acting secretary general of International Yellow River Forum and the co-leader of the Yellow River Water partnership.

The Yellow River Conservancy Commission

The Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC) is a government agency of Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China. YRCC takes responsibility of water administration of the Yellow River basin and the inland river basins in such province as Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu and Inner Mongolia.

Expertise

Graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Paris and the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University, Marie-Laure Vercambre was in charge of the Water for Life and Peace programme of Green Cross International (a non-governmental organisation that works globally to tackle all the challenges of security, the eradication of poverty and environmental degradation) for ten years. Since 2019, she has been the General Director of the French Water Partnership. She has an expertise in issues concerning the development, governance and management of cross-border river basins, and human rights.

The French Water Partnership (FWP)

The French Water Partnership is the only platform for all the French water stakeholders, public and private, operating at international level. For more than 10 years, the FWP has been advocating for water so that it becomes a real priority in sustainable development policies worldwide.  The FWP also stands as a facilitator for exchanges between the French and international water know-how. The FWP’s mission is also to showcase at a global level France’s expertise and approach to water management.

The FWP currently includes over two hundred members from the water sector.

Inside look at IFGR: interview of Marie-Laure Vercambre

Expertise: a Pharmacy graduate, she is a farmer in the Drome, in the South East of France and President of the Chamber of Agriculture. She was elected president of ARVALIS in January 2018. Anne-Claire VIAL also sits on the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) and chairs the Soil and Civilizations think tank. Member of Irrigants de France, she has been involved for almost 20 years in the collective management of water.

ARVALIS – Institut du Vegetal

Arvalis – Institut du Végétal is an applied agricultural research organization dedicated to arable crops: cereals, maize, sorghum, potatoes, fodder crops, flax and tobacco. It was founded by farmers and dedicates its expertise to the creation of production systems that combine economic competitiveness, adaptation to changing markets conditions and environment protection. It considers technological innovation as a major tool to enable producers and agri-companies to respond to societal challenges.

ric Servat is a hydrologist by training. He has taken a keen interest in the relationship between global change and
water resources, first in Africa, particularly during his posting in Abidjan between 1987 and 1998, and then
also in the Mediterranean region.
He has extensive experience in high-level managerial and strategic leadership in the field of
research and has been involved in numerous national and international organisations.
As Director of Research at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and Associate Professor at the University
of Montpellier, he headed the HydroSciences Montpellier Laboratory between 2001 and 2014 and chaired the IRD Scientific Council
between 2008 and 2012.
After founding the Montpellier Institute for Water and the Environment (IM2E) in 2015, he is currently the
Director of the UNESCO International Centre on Water (ICIREWARD), recently established in Montpellier (2021).
At the same time, at the University of Montpellier, he was Director of the Observatory of Universe Sciences
(OSU) from 2015 to 2024.
He was Vice-President of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) between 2015 and 2019,
President of the IAHS International Commission on Surface Water between 2009 and 2013, President of the
French Committee for Hydrological Sciences from 2013 to 2020, and Vice-President of the French National Committee for Geodesy and
Geophysics from 2019 to 2023.

In January 2024, he was elected to the Montpellier Academy of Sciences and Letters. He is a Knight of the National Order of Merit and a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms.
He has coordinated and directed numerous international programmes, notably in partnership with
He has coordinated and directed numerous international programmes, notably in partnership with
UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme and its flagship programme “FRIEND
In July 2024, he was appointed President of the French National Committee of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme.
In January 2025, he was appointed to the OECD’s Water Governance Initiative
and in May 2025 he was appointed to the French Water Circle.
Keen to strengthen and develop links between the academic and socio-economic spheres, he was
Vice-President of the ‘Aqua-Valley’ water competitiveness cluster between 2012 and 2023, and is still a member
of its Board of Directors.
Highly involved in all aspects of education, he has also directed Master’s programmes in water sciences
and supervised or co-supervised 21 doctoral theses by students from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and France.

Marie Garnier has a degree in anthropology and has lived in Bamako since 2007. A teacher by profession, she is also the coordinator of the Karama association, which works to provide schooling for more than 260 children from fishing camps on the islands and shores of Bamako, Mali.

A specialist in education in West Africa, Marie has been conducting research for many years on active education and the transmission of local knowledge in Malian schools. She is developing a teaching approach centred on the child and the cultural context, in line with the realities on the ground.

Her work is part of a deeply committed approach to the environment and ecological education. She collaborates in particular with Roots and Shoots Mali, an international movement working to promote environmental education for young people. She designs and runs educational projects to raise awareness among children and communities about the challenges of protecting nature.

Marie is also very involved in community organisations, both in France and Mali. Her personal commitment has enabled her to gain solid experience in setting up participatory projects, particularly for the protection of the Niger River.

Emmanuelle Perrin is an architect and consultant specialising in climate change adaptation. Her work focuses on the resilience of territorial systems, integrating environmental, architectural and landscape dimensions into a systemic approach.

In 2019, she founded PERRIN architectures in Nice, France, an architectural and landscape design firm specialising in nature-based solutions. Her goal is to reduce the vulnerability of human settlements to climate hazards by promoting their integration into the local physical geography and strengthening the ecological functions of inhabited environments.

In 2025, she took over as director of RAW – Risk Architecture Workshop, an association co-founded in 2013, whose mission is to develop interdisciplinary approaches to reconnect human societies with natural dynamics, particularly in contexts exposed to natural risks.

At the same time, she teaches and is involved in professional networks such as EnvirobatBDM, where she leads projects aimed at designing spatial and systemic responses to the effects of climate change. A bit of an adventurer, Emmanuelle is passionate about mountains and outdoor sports.

A graduate in political communication and climate change, J. Vigneux, who is also a professional photographer, has participated in several humanitarian and environmental missions. Today, he is dedicated to protecting the St. Lawrence River, waterways and oceans by mobilising citizens, businesses and municipalities to take action to reduce single-use plastic waste.