Dr. Jale Samuwai

I am currently the climate finance regional advisor for Oxfam in the Pacific. I hold a PhD in Climate Change, specifically in the area of climate finance from the University of the South Pacific; the Pacific regional university that is based in Suva, Fiji Islands. I am the first individual from the Pacific to attain such specialised qualification. I also hold a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Information systems. Prior to joining Oxfam, I was working as an academic and a researcher at the University of the South Pacific for the past 8 years. I have published 8 journal articles in international peer reviewed journals and have also published 3 technical reports on climate finance in the Asia Pacific Small Island Developing States. I am also currently engaged in a number of short term external climate finance consultancy providing technical support to a number of Pacific island countries. The core of my work and research revolves around climate and disaster risk financing in developing countries specifically the Pacific Small Island developing states (SIDS). I am particularly interested in looking at the effectiveness of climate finance from a community perspective especially those that are considered to be most vulnerable and marginalised. I am also interested in exploring the loss and damage financial mechanisms that could be of relevance to SIDS and other developing countries. I consider myself a ‘pracademic’- a person who is both an academic and an active practitioner in my subject area and is a proponent for action research because I strongly believe that research in climate change needs to be relevant and practical if we were to effectively address this global problem.