Susanna Pykälä, Advisor for Climate Action

Strengthening 15 partner organisations in East Africa to contribute to SDG 13 by promoting gender-sensitive climate action, reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing adaptive capacity.

Susanna Pykälä studied Environmental Management. She has been working as climate change specialist, advisor and consultant in East Africa for INGOs and UN agencies since 2012.

• The advisory assignment supports horizont3000 partner organizations in East Africa to enhance their technical and institutional capacity for planning and implementing gender-sensitive climate action and environmental protection measures. The advisor collaborates with various partners across the region, promoting an integrated approach to organizational development and climate resilience.
• Central to the assignment is the strengthening of internal systems that enable effective environmental mainstreaming and sustainable project implementation. The advisor conducts training sessions tailored to the partners' needs, such as grant proposal development and planning tools based on outcomes of environmental and climate change self-assessments. These assessments serve as a foundation for identifying key capacity gaps and formulating targeted support strategies.
• The advisor also facilitates exchange and collaboration through a regional Community of Practice (CoP) on Climate Action. By fostering networking and peer learning among partners, the assignment helps create a shared knowledge base and encourages innovation in addressing the impacts of climate change. This collaborative space allows for continuous reflection and feedback, ensuring that capacity development efforts remain responsive and contextually relevant.
• Through this work, the advisor contributes to the improved resilience and adaptive capacity of partner organizations and the communities they serve, while advancing organizational learning and cross-sectoral engagement in climate-related initiatives.
• SDG targets: 13.1; 13.3; 16.6; 17.9