Meet Our Board of Directors
Jony Mainaly
Jony Mainaly is a lawyer based in Kathmandu and brings over ten years of experience in the field of law and policy. Her research-based experience spans environmental, climate change, employment, and tax law. Currently, she serves as a senior manager at UK Property Accountants, a UK based firm specializing in, but not limited to, property accounting and tax planning and finance. In the past and partly currently she works to promote climate justice, environmental conservation and sustainable development in Nepal and beyond through research, advocacy, litigation and advisory services. Ms. Mainaly through her research acumen has authored several academic papers, book chapters and research reports in the field of environmental and climate justice. She has recently submitted a book chapter on “Different Dimensions of Environmental Justice in Nepal: Reflection on Legal, Policy and Judicial Arrangements” for Environmental Justice in Nepal: Origins, Struggles and Prospects, Routledge Press (forthcoming) 2024. Ms. Mainaly was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship to complete her LL.M with an Environmental Law Certificate from Duke University School of Law (2013-14). She also served as a member of Environmental Law Committee of Nepal Bar Association for two terms (2015-17 & 2017-19).
Rojee Suwal
Ms. Rojee brings over 15 years of experience in agriculture, food-based nutrition, and community
development. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and a master’s degree in Natural Resources
Management, with a specialization in Agrobiodiversity Management. She has diverse work experience in
program design and implementation, action research, and evidence-based policy advocacy on food
security, nutrition, economic empowerment, climate-resilience, gender, and inclusive livelihood
development. Her professional career includes leadership roles with LI-BIRD and Helen Keller Intl. She
has a strong track record in business development and project management, including supporting
grantee selection, co-designing agriculture and nutrition work plans across all seven provinces of Nepal,
and strengthening local NGOs through a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) approach. She has
provided thought leadership in nutrition-sensitive agriculture programming for USAID’s Feed the Future
implementing partners and other multisectoral nutrition program stakeholders, including private sector
entities. In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Department of
Food Technology and Quality Control, and Training Directorates at federal and provincial levels, she has
contributed to policy and strategy reforms, frameworks, and the development of information,
education, and communication (IEC) materials. Her work has emphasized farm-to-fork approaches, food
environments, large-scale food fortification, and agroecological transition for building sustainable and
resilient food systems.
Swikriti Timsina
Swikriti Timsina currently serves as the National Lead of the World’s Youth for Climate Justice – Nepal Front. A law student and committed climate enthusiast, she has contributed to the written submissions of Nepal in the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion. Her work with the People’s Forum for Human Rights further deepened her interest in human rights, with a particular focus on the intersection of human rights and climate justice.
Binod Chapagain, PhD
Binod Chapagain brings over 25 years of extensive experience in global development monitoring, evaluation, research, and technical advisory services. For more than a decade, he has held progressive international responsibilities focused on natural resources, climate change, rural livelihoods, human migration, and labor standards. His expertise in includes working directly with community forest user groups, protected areas, and national parks to promote nature-positive development and climate change adaptation to managing and leading national and international organizations.
In the rural economy sector, Binod has demonstrated strong expertise in eco-tourism, sustainable agriculture, and the management of timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). His work emphasizes income generation while integrating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) principles and compliance with international labor standards. He has designed complex Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks and provided technical backstopping to governments and development partners in the design and implementation of multi-sectoral programs within the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sectors.
Since 2024, Binod has served as a Technical Advisor for three UNDP’s Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded programs in Cambodia: Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM), Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program (ERIP), and Advancing Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). His broader professional experience includes managing portfolios supported by major international development partners, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), USAID/BHA, FCDO (UK), DFAT (Australia), the European Union, SDC (Switzerland), and Sida (Sweden).
Having worked in more than 20 countries across Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific, Binod provides expert technical services to governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector, while also offering strategic leadership to national and international development initiatives.