Members of the Expert Panel of the Independent Complaints Mechanism (IKI ICM)

Lalanath de Silva  is a highly experienced environmental and human rights lawyer with a rare mix of working in international, public sector and non-profit organizations. He is currently Managing Director of Transparentem, a non-profit organization working on worker rights and environmental and climate justice. Before that, he completed a six-year non-renewable term as Head of the Independent Redress Mechanism of the Green Climate Fund established by the UNFCCC. As head of GCF’s IRM, he was also instrumental in building the Grievance Redress and Accountability Mechanisms (GRAM) partnership, which offers leadership, a learning and knowledge platform and a meeting space to an increasing number of GRAMs that are emerging in different spheres.

From 2012-2016 he served as a member of the Compliance Review Panel of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). During this period, as Director of the Environmental Democracy Practice and Director of the Access Initiative at the World Resources Institute, USA, he provided vision and leadership in helping civil society and government partners in over 50 countries advance reforms in environmental governance. Before, he has worked for the United Nations, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Environment and non-profit public interest law firms in Sri Lanka. A Sri Lankan and US national, he is also an accomplished musician and composer.

In the panel, he will focus on environmental and social safeguards-related complaints.

To the CV of Lalanath de Silva on LinkedIn

Philipp Koenig is a senior accountability and dispute resolution professional. He is currently the head of dispute resolution of the Complaints Mechanism of the European Investment Bank Group. Previously, he held positions with the German Development Bank KfW and the African Development Bank. Philipp is an accredited mediator and a former trainer of the Harvard Mediation Program. He facilitated multi-stakeholder processes in multiple regions and sectors addressing a variety of social and environmental disputes concerning resettlement, livelihood restoration, stakeholder-participation and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Philipp combines this work experience with a multidisciplinary background in law, business, public administration and governance which enables him to act as an effective bridge-builder across a variety of different perspectives. A German national, Philipp is fluent in English, French, Spanish and German.

In the panel, he will focus on dispute resolution processes.

To the CV of Philipp Koenig on LinkedIn