Climate Classroom @COP28 – Tackling Plastic Pollution

Mr. Alexander MEJIA is a career international civil servant working at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) since 2004. He has been based in Geneva since 2012 as the Director of UNITAR’s Division for People and Social Inclusion. Within the Division, he leads UNITAR’s Social Development Programme (SDP). Prior to these posts in Switzerland, Mr. Mejia served for three years as Director of UNITAR’s Hiroshima Office in Japan, and for four years as Director of UNITAR’s CIFAL training center in Atlanta, USA. In his current capacity, he also serves as Director of UNITAR’s global network of 31 CIFAL training centers and is also responsible for UNITAR’s Nigeria Project Office.

Leo Ezechukwu NWOFA obtained his Masters in Industrial Engineering in 2007 and another Masters in Electrical Electronic Engineering from KU Leuven, Belgium in 2009. He then took an R&D job in Photovoltaics (Solar cells) where he published 3 scientific papers (PVSEC) and contributed to the creation of EU photovoltaic road maps. In 2012, he dived into polymer chemistry within TotalEnergies Refining and Chemicals Europe, where he gained vast expertise in plastics and plastic end-of-life management. In late 2016, he initiated and led the TotalEnergies UNITAR Recycling Network (TURN) plastic recycling in Nigeria, a sustainable circular economy project that brought various stakeholders together with a mission to reduce climate impact, enlighten, empower, and induce behavioral change across the sustainable value chains.

Ihuoma NJEMANZE has over twelve years of experience in programme management and the successful implementation of donor-funded projects at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). She is part of the Nigeria Project Office (NPO) which was launched in 2006 in Port Harcourt and has spearheaded numerous projects focused on technical skills development for youth, capacity building for civil service administration, and livelihood training for women and girls affected by oil mining and pollution in the Niger Delta region. She is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Humanitarian Studies and Social Development and holds a first degree in Geography from the University of Port Harcourt as well as a Professional Master’s Degree in Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies. Ihuoma currently serves as the UNITAR Project Coordinator on the TotalEnergies UNITAR Plastic Waste Recycling Pilot Project (TURN).