Dr Andreas Obser is an internationally recognised expert in programme management, evaluation and governance with over 25 years of experience in developing and emerging countries. His focus is on the areas of climate, environment and energy, in which he has supported numerous projects and programmes at national and international level.
Dr Obser played a central role in the evaluation of environmental and climate programmes as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). He was responsible for the quality control of over 240 project evaluations and conducted strategic analyses on topics such as protected area planning, mobilisation of private investments and international climate negotiations.
In previous positions, Dr Obser led the ASEAN regional programme of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on forest policy and climate change mitigation. Here he developed regional strategies such as the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme and the ASEAN Ministerial Framework Strategy on Climate and Food Security (AFCC-FS). In addition, he evaluated climate infrastructure projects in China for KfW, advised the Vietnamese Ministry of International Trade (MOIT) on the establishment of a renewable energy agency and supported the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with projects in the areas of governance and climate protection.
In addition to his work in international development cooperation, Dr Obser has been active in leading academic roles. As part of the Priority Programme (SPP) ‘Global Environmental Change’ of the German Research Foundation (DFG), he was DFG project leader and member and speaker of the national steering committee. He held a deputy professorship for international politics at the University of Stuttgart, was a university assistant at the University of Potsdam and a guest lecturer at universities in Singapore, Thailand and South Africa.
Dr Obser completed his doctorate at the University of Leipzig on global governance structures and completed his studies in administrative sciences at the University of Konstanz. He is the author of numerous scientific studies and is regularly involved in international expert committees.