Members

12 donor countries are Members of the CREWS Initiative.  

France, the founding Member, launched CREWS at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris in 2015.  Since then, a growing membership and sustained financial support have seen our operational investments expand –geographically and in scope – year-on-year. Only Members have decision-making powers through the Steering Committee. They are represented by government nominees.  

CREWS is an example of what multilateralism should be about. It is a multilateralism of solidarity, which is reactive, and very much grasping the challenges of our time.

Jean Yves Le Drian, Former Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France 

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Australia
Austria
Cornelia Jäger
Alternate representative Angela Friedrich
Innovation and Technology Directorate
Canada
Francis Pigeon In December 2022, Francis was appointed as the Executive Director for Policy and Partnerships with Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) where he plays a key role in helping to advance the MSC’s objectives and priorities through engaging with a various set of internal and external partners, both within the Government of Canada and internationally.He sits on the Steering Committees of both the Climate Risk Early Warning Systems initiative and the Systematic Observation Financing Facility.

Prior to that, as the Director, Climate Finance he oversaw the delivering of Canada’s $2.65 and $5.3 billion climate finance commitments. He directed finance negotiations and policy, including the first Climate Finance Delivery Plan, and represented Canada in strategic international partnerships such as the Powering Past Coal Alliance and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. At COP27 in Egypt, he delivered Canada’s first ever national pavilion at a UN Climate Change Conference.

Prior to joining ECCC, Francis led on the alignment of International Assistance Envelope resources with foreign and international assistance priorities at Global Affairs Canada for close to a decade. He holds a Masters in International Relations and a Baccalaureate in Political Sciences and International Development.
Executive Director, Policy and Partnerships, Meteorological Service of Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Government of Canada

In December 2022, Francis was appointed as the Executive Director for Policy and Partnerships with Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) where he plays a key role in helping to advance the MSC’s objectives and priorities through engaging with a various set of internal and external partners, both within the Government of Canada and internationally.  He sits on the Steering Committees of both the Climate Risk Early Warning Systems initiative and the Systematic Observation Financing Facility.

Prior to that, as the Director, Climate Finance he oversaw the delivering of Canada’s $2.65 and $5.3 billion climate finance commitments. He directed finance negotiations and policy, including the first Climate Finance Delivery Plan, and represented Canada in strategic international partnerships such as the Powering Past Coal Alliance and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. At COP27 in Egypt, he delivered Canada’s first ever national pavilion at a UN Climate Change Conference.

Prior to joining ECCC, Francis led on the alignment of International Assistance Envelope resources with foreign and international assistance priorities at Global Affairs Canada for close to a decade. He holds a Masters in International Relations and a Baccalaureate in Political Sciences and International Development.

Alternate representative Heather Aucoin
Manager, International Relations, Meteorological Service of Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada / Government of Canada
Finland
Outi Myatt Hirvonen

Senior Adviser, Development Policy
Environment and Climate

France
Germany
Sebastian Lesch Sebastian Lesch has been heading the unit for climate policy in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development since August 2023.

His earlier career includes heading the agriculture and rural development unit of the BMZ from 2018 to 2023, which is responsible for a wide range of topics from agricultural trade and global supply chains, the Common European Agricultural Policy to concrete innovation in our project work with a wide range of partners worldwide.

Prior to this, Mr Lesch was Head of German-Egyptian Development Cooperation in Cairo for four years; from 2010 to 2014 he was Press Officer of the BMZ and before that Country Director for Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus.
Head of Division Climate Policy
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Luxembourg
Monaco
Carl Dudek With an international legal background from the Institute for Peace and Development of the Université Côte d’Azur, Carl DUDEK is currently a junior officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco. In particular, he implements the Principality’s international climate policy as the national focal point for the UNFCCC. Mr. DUDEK is also in charge of the international development of space affairs, in close collaboration with the Monaco Space Office.

Junior Officer at the MOFAC of Monaco

The Netherlands
Norway
Lars Andreas Lunde February 2024 - : Policy director, Section for Nature and Climate, Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
October 2021 – February 2024: Head of Section, Section for Nature and Climate, Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
October 2020 - October 2021: State Secretary Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (50 pct. position each ministry)
May 2018 - October 2020: Head of Section, Section for Climate, Forests and Green Economy, Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
October 2013 - January 2018: State Secretary Ministry of Climate and Environment
Education: 1989 - 1993: Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration: Post-graduate studies in economics
1984-1988: Norwegian Institute of Technology: M.Sc in Marine Technology

Policy director

Alternate representative Lars Nesset Romundstad
Advisor
Switzerland
Sergio Pérez A civil engineer by training, Sergio Pérez serves as Programme Officer in the Climate, DRR and Environment Section of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

He has over a decade of experience in disaster risk reduction, early warning systems, and climate change adaptation, working across operational programmes and international policy dialogue. At SDC, he manages partnerships with key global actors to strengthen climate and disaster resilience through international cooperation.

Programme Officer, Climate, DRR and Environment Section
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA

United Kingdom
Gerard Howe Gerard Howe has led the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development’s (FCDO) Department for Adaptation, Nature, and Resilience since 2022.

His Department holds responsibility for international policy, finance and programming for the UK government on adaptation, addressing climate risk, loss and damage, nature mainstreaming, sustainable agriculture, and water security. He is the Chair of the multi-donor Climate Risk and Early Warnings (CREWS) initiative, the co-Chair of Risk Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP) and holds the UK seat on the UNFCCC Fund for responding to Loss and Damage. Over 2021-22 he led the Scottish Government’s international climate work and delivery of COP26 in his hometown of Glasgow.

Previously, he led the Department for International Development’s central policy and programme objectives on the United Nations, on civil society, gender equality, disability inclusion and social protection. He has held advisory roles in country for the UK government in Rwanda, Tanzania, India and in Indonesia where he was the co-lead of the UK’s International Climate Change Unit. He has a career interest in the intersection of inclusion, climate change and development.

Head of Adaptation, Nature and Resilience Department, FCDO