Glenn Finau is an Indigenous Fijian and accounting scholar. His research examines the role of accounting and other calculative technologies in efforts to (dis)empower Indigenous communities’ management of natural resources. He is currently developing a methodology to assess Non-Economic Loss and Damage for Fiji’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

Johanna Gusman is a legal scholar and Regional Advisor for Human Rights and Development at the Pacific Community. She worked with Pacific governments on submissions to the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change, and sits on the Pacific Island Forum’s subcommittee on sea-level rise and international law.

John Handmer is an Emeritus Professor with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, and at ANU in Canberra, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Australian Social Science Academy, and works on justice in community safety and resilience for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation.

Rebecca Monson’s academic and applied policy work focuses on questions of law, society and environment in Australia and the Pacific. It includes the prize-winning book ’Gender, Property and Politics in the Pacific’ (Cambridge 2023) and Solomon Islands climate relocation guidelines, praised by Human Rights Watch as ‘the most rights-respecting in the world’.

Session Chair: Dr. Prerna Singh is Program Director of the Climate Adaptation Learning Lab (CALL) at Transitions Research and TLS Lead at the Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA). She specializes in locally led adaptation, urban resilience, and knowledge co-production, ensuring adaptation solutions are community-driven, sustainable, and scalable across informal settlements. Co-Chair 1: Jesse DeMaria-Kinney is the Head of Secretariat at the Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) with 15 years of experience at the science-policy-practice interface across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He specializes in climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, and Research for Impact, including multi-stakeholder process design and facilitation. Co-Chair 2: Dr. Bárcena is a researcher at IIED’s Human Settlements Group, focusing on urban risk, adaptation politics, and governance in low- and middle-income cities. His work examines how power, politics, and knowledge production shape adaptation pathways, emphasizing transdisciplinary research that bridges science, policy, and practice.

Dr. Neeraj Shankar is a consultant at Tonkin + Taylor with over six years of experience in disaster management and climate adaptation. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Auckland, specializing in post-disaster reconstruction. His work focuses on climate resilience (including adaptation and Loss and Damage) in SIDS.

Cushla is Beca's Business Director for Climate Risk and Resilience and a Technical Fellow of Climate Risk & Adaptation with over 20 years of experience in assessing the current and potential future impacts of climate change across NZ, Australia and the Pacific. Wayne King is the Director of Climate Change Office Cook Islands located in the Office of the Prime Minister, on Rarotonga, Cook Islands. He has been involved in climate change negotiations and issues since 1990. Wayne has worked at SPREP in Samoa, and at ADB in Manila in climate change policy and programmes.

Rebecca Monson’s academic and applied policy work focuses on questions of law, society and environment in Australia and the Pacific. It includes the prize-winning book ’Gender, Property and Politics in the Pacific’ (Cambridge 2023) and Solomon Islands climate relocation guidelines, praised by Human Rights Watch as ‘the most rights-respecting in the world’. Glenn Finau is an Indigenous Fijian and accounting scholar. His research examines the role of accounting and other calculative technologies in efforts to (dis)empower Indigenous communities’ management of natural resources. He is currently developing a methodology to assess Non-Economic Loss and Damage for Fiji’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. Johanna Gusman is a legal scholar and Regional Advisor for Human Rights and Development at the Pacific Community. She worked with Pacific governments on submissions to the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change, and sits on the Pacific Island Forum’s subcommittee on sea-level rise and international law. John Handmer is an Emeritus Professor with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, and at ANU in Canberra, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Australian Social Science Academy, and works on justice in community safety and resilience for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation.