Garry de la Pomerai (Global Task Force for Building Code): Moderator
From 1998 a USAR Technician, cofounding a UK USAR NGO, and for 14 years, training, responding to and
participating in Urban Search and Rescues in the aftermath of a variety of Earthquakes, Landslides and
Tsunamis globally.
Since 2005 developed as an independent DRR Consultant to various UN Agencies and INGO’s along with
advising Governments, developing a variety of strategies, identifying gaps and creating solutions.
Supporting the UNISDR Resilient Cities Programme and the UNESCO/INRULED, Education for Rural
development and sustainability, advocating a policy of prioritising Schools for DR education and to
ensure Safer Education facilities against ‘all’ hazards. Garry was a founder member of the UN ISDR Multi
the Global Alliance for Comprehensive School Safety (GADRRRES)
Garry is honorary Chairman of UN Global Task Force for Building Codes, with UNESCO(Paris) as
Secretariat , established by the UNCRD and the UN ISDR. Addressing Compliance challenges, New Build
Codes, Retrofit Standards and Emergency/ Transitional Shelter Standards.
Now strives to establish a holistic approach to vital water resource management through the use of
state of art technologies and understanding from within the UN. And promotes the ability to address air
pollution over cities, water pollution within rivers and lakes; and overcome the increasing threat of
saline contamination of productive lands by the use of proven magnetic enhancement technology.
Qunli Han Director, Director, Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, UNESCO
Director, Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences (SC/EES), Secretary, Man and the Biosphere (MAB)
Programme of UNESCO. Joined UNESCO in 1990, Mr Han worked on application of geographic
information in biosphere reserves in Kenya, Indonesia and China, contributed to the development of
East Asian Biosphere Reserve Network and the initiation of web-based MABnet. Moved to Jakarta in
1998, he served as Asia-Pacific regional officer for environmental sciences, including MAB and natural
World Heritage. He contributed the formulation and implementation of MAB regional agenda in
ecosystem management and research. Mr Han moved to UNESCO Tehran Office as Director and UNESCO
Representative in July 2007. In July 2011, he was appointed as the Director of Science Executive Office
and in July 2013 to the current post. Mr Han Qunli graduated from the University of Science and
Technology of China in 1980 (USTC) in computer sciences and did fellowship study in environmental
information systems in 1985-86 in Italy. He was a research staff in the Commission for Integrated Survey
of Natural Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) till the end of 1988. He participated CAS
research projects including CAS’ Integrated Survey of Natural Resources and Development Planning
during 1985-1987 in Xinjiang Autonomous Region and the Development of the Natural Resource
Information Systems of Loess Plateau Region under the 7th Five-Year National Development Plan of PR
China.
Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Senior Director of the Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice World
Bank
Ede Jorge Ijjász Vásquez is the Senior Director for the new Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global
He assumed this position on July 1, 2014.
Mr. Ijjász leads a team of technical experts deployed across the world, on development challenges in: (i)
social inclusion and sustainability; (ii) mainstreaming resilience in all dimensions development; (iii)
territorial and rural development; and (iv) urban planning, services and institutions.
Before this, he was Director for Sustainable Development of the Latin America and Caribbean Region
since November 2011, covering infrastructure, environment and climate change, social development,
agriculture and rural development, disaster risk management, and urban.
From 2007 to 2011, he was based in Beijing, managed the Sustainable Development Unit for China and
Mongolia. Earlier in his career, he led implementation of the Bank’s environment strategy, as well as
water and sanitation projects in Central Asia, the Caucuses and the Russian Federation.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Mr. Ijjasz was a Senior Associate with ICF Kaiser International where he
provided technical and policy advisory services to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on pollution
issues.
Mr. Ijjasz has a Ph.D. and a M.Sc. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in civil and
environmental engineering, with specialization in hydrology and water resources.
Takashi Sugito, Assistant Director General for Housing Bureau, Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan
Bachelor of Architecture 1984 at Kyoto University,
Started to work at Ministry of Construction (now reorganized to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism: MLIT) in 1985.
He has worked on writing/implementing building code (structural, fire safety etc.), implementing
government urban development project (he also worked as senior director of urban development
bureau of Okayama prefecture: with around 2 million population) and planning/implementing public
housing project.
After served as a director of urban development section in MLIT, he is now serving as Assistant Director
General in Housing Bureau of MLIT from 2014. His responsibility is on building code, urban development,
assuring houses quality (energy saving, barrier-free, environmental friendly, structural safety).
Dixit Amod Mani, General Secretary and Executive Director, National Society for Earthquake
Technology- Nepal
Dr. Amod Mani Dixit (Nepal) is a leading earthquake disaster management professional, involved in this
field for the past 20 years. A geologist by academic background, Dr. Dixit has demonstrated to the world,
especially to the nations that have tremendously suffered from earthquake disasters or hold a high risk
of earthquake disaster in near future that an individual desire can always make a change. He currently
leads a non-governmental organization in Nepal, which in these 20 years has demonstrated that a wellmanaged and dedicated organization is also possible in a resource lacking place like Nepal.
Dr. Dixit was recently awarded a Doctor of Engineering degree by Ehime University of Japan in
recognition of his research study in the field of earthquake disaster risk management focusing in Nepal.
He has a Bachelor-cum-Master degree from the Leningrad Mining University, Russia (1973), and also has
Master of Science degree from Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. His work experience includes
about 18 years of government service (Department of Mines and Geology, Nepal), 11 years of parallel
consulting service to an engineering consulting firm, and 20 years with National Society for Earthquake
Technology (NSET), a non-governmental organization established by himself and his team members back
in 1993.
Dr. Dixit has an authored/co-authored publication record of about 70 papers including national and
international conference proceedings, books and book chapters, and renowned international journals.
He and his organization NSET have not only contributed to Nepal and Nepalese community but also
have made a great name in the world in the field of earthquake disaster risk management.
Louis A. Gritzo, Vice President - Research FM Global
Dr. Louis Gritzo is vice president and manager of research with FM Global, one of the world’s largest
commercial property insurers. He oversees FM Global’s team of world-renowned scientists, with
expertise in fire, explosions, natural hazards and risk and reliability, who seek to understand property
hazards and identify solutions that can prevent loss at client facilities. Gritzo also oversees activities at
FM Global’s US$125-million, 1,600 acre, one-of-a-kind Research Campus in West Glocester, RI USA, the
world’s largest center for property loss prevention research.
Prior to joining FM Global in 2006, Gritzo was manager of fire science and technology at Sandia National
Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM, USA and was a member of its Advanced Concepts Group think tank.
He has served as chair of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Heat Transfer Division
Executive Committee and on the research advisory committee for the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA). He currently serves on the Governing Board of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM)
and, research advisory committee s for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) and
the Industrial Research Institute (IRI), as well as on several university advisory boards. Gritzo has a Ph.D.
in mechanical engineering, with a minor in applied mathematics, from Texas Tech University, USA.