19/3/2004

Short biographical sketches of members of the Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation

Mahmoud Abou Zeid

Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources of Egypt. Member of the Board of Governors and founder of the World Water Council. PhD in subterranean water. Former head of National Centre for Water Researches (1979-1997). Former head of the Technical Bureau of the Irrigation Minister (1973-1975). Chairman of the UNESCO Water Programme Council. Former member of the international committee that supervised the project to bring water from southern China to the North.

Michel Camdessus

Former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (1987-2000). Former Governor of the Bank of France (1984-1987). Former Chairman of the Paris Club (1978-1984). Former Chair of the World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure (“Camdessus Panel”).

Juanita Castaño

Former IUCN’s Special Advisor for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Former regional Director of IUCN (the World Conservation Union). Former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. Former representative of Colombia at the United Nations during UNCED process.

Uschi Eid

Parliamentary Secretary in the German Federal Ministry for Development Cooperation. Personal secretary of Chancellor Schröder of Germany for Africa. Former Member of Parliament of Germany (1984-1990; since 1994).

Angel Gurria

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs (1994-98) and of Finance (1998-2000) of Mexico. Former member of World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure (“Camdessus Panel”). Former President and CEO of Bancomext, Mexico’s export-import bank. He has written and lectured on international relations, economics, finance, debt and globalization.

Ryutaro Hashimoto

Former Prime Minister of Japan (1996-1998). Former Minister for administrative reforms (2000-2001). Former Minister of Trade and Industry (1994-1996). Former Minister of Finance (1989-1991). He resigned as Minister of Finance, taking responsibility for the ministry’s failure to deal with the scandals in the finance industry. Former Minister of Transport (1986-1987). Former Minister of Health and Welfare (1978-1979). Former member of parliament.

Ronnie Kasrils

Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. Leading expert on water and sanitation and active member of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council.

Olivia la O’Castillo

Director of Entrepreneurial Management Program, University of Asia and the Pacific, OA&P Ortigas Campus, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines. Member of the Board of Trustees of the Asia Pacific Roundtable for Cleaner Production. President Philippine Pollution Prevention Roundtable.

Eric Odada

Professor of geology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Professor Odada is an aquatic scientist, focusing on the understanding of sedimentary processes in large lakes and oceans. He is currently leading a consortium of scientists researching the African Great Lakes. He is also the Programme Director of the Pan-African Secretariat of START (global change SysTem for Analysis Research and Training), which fosters a regional approach to interdisciplinary global research. START is supporting several large-scale regional research projects in sub-Saharan Africa that focus on the impact of global environmental change on agricultural production, water and energy resources management and public health. He was a member of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel between 1998 and 2000.

Gérard Payen

Senior Executive-Vice-President at Suez. Former Chairman and CEO of Ondeo. Suez is very active in developing countries. Former member of World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure (“Camdessus Panel”). Payen is very committed to bring water to poor people and is interested in exploring methods to reach that goal, including through public-private partnerships.

Judith Rees

Deputy Director and Professor of Environmental and Resources Management at the London School of Economics. Until 1996 Chairperson of the Southern Customer Service Committee of OFWAT, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. Specialist in regulation of public-private partnerships and use of markets in water sector. Has acted as consultant to World Bank and other international organizations.

Christine Todd Whitman

Former Administrator Environmental Protection Agency of the United States. Prior to leading the EPA, Administrator Whitman served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey. As Governor she developed a strong environmental record. New Jersey’s waterways, coasts and ocean waters became significantly cleaner. She established a new watershed management.

Peter Woicke

Executive Vice-President of the International Finance Corporation and Managing Director of the World Bank. Former member of World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure (“Camdessus Panel”). Former Chairman JP Morgan Securities Asia. Instrumental in Equator Principle, an agreement by 14 international banks to adhere to IFC’s sustainable development rules.