Lars Soeftestad

Current

Member, Mgmt. Committee at EU project "Tara Dornelor"
Chairperson at Forum South
CEO at Supras Consult (Sole Proprietorship)

Chairperson at CBNRM Networking
Coordinator at CBNRM Net

see less...

2 more...

Past

Consultant at Intl. Fund for Agr. Dev. (IFAD)
Anthropologist at World Bank
Asst. Professor at University of Zurich

Consultant at Swedish Intl. Dev. Cooperation Agency (Sida)
Consultant at Norwegian Agency for Dev. Cooperation (Norad)

see less...

2 more...

Education

Universität Zürich
Universitetet i Oslo
University of California, Los Angeles

1 more...

Recommended

3 people have recommended Lars

Connections

78 connections

Industry

International Trade and Development

Websites

Lars Soeftestad’s Summary

Anthropologist with 25 years of experience in operations and policy work for, among others, GTZ, IFAD, IFC, ILO, Norad, Sida, UNDP, UNOPS, and World Bank; in Europe (Bulgaria, Hungary, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia), Middle East (Yemen), South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Viet Nam), and Sub-Saharan Africa (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria).
Focus on project management (incl. preparation, appraisal, implementation, supervision and evaluation), social and institutional analysis/development, knowledge management, strategic communication, and capacity-building.
Substantial experience with World Bank policies and projects in several areas and sectors, incl. coastal zone management, education, fisheries, minorities / indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement, and social funds.
Vision: Analysis, management, production, dissemination and use of relevant knowledge, with local people, for local people and by local people, towards addressing local needs and perceived problems at local, regional and global levels, with the aim of fostering public participation and community empowerment, and through this contribute to social and environmental sustainable development.
Language skills in Bengali, English, French, and German. Citizenship: Norway.

Lars Soeftestad’s Specialties:

Biodiversity conservation, capacity building, community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), conflict management, democratization, GIS, ICT and development (ICT4D), inter-disciplinary collaboration, knowledge management, land management, land rights, legal reform, networking, participation / participatory approaches, poverty analysis, social analysis / assessment, social entrepreneurship, stakeholder analysis, research methodologies, strategic communication, and Web 2.0.

Lars Soeftestad’s Experience

Member, Mgmt. Committee

EU project "Tara Dornelor"

(International Trade and Development industry)

March 2009 — Present (9 months)

This project, funded by the EU, addresses training and capacity building as well as institution buiding in connection with promoting ecotourism in and around a large national park in northern Romania. Also addressed is PPPs.
Chairperson

Forum South

(Partnership; 1-10 employees; International Trade and Development industry)

March 2006 — Present (3 years 9 months)

A resource network for institutions, organizations, and inviduals in the Agder region in southern Norway that works on development and aid and north-south relations.
CEO
Supras Consult (Sole Proprietorship)

(Sole Proprietorship; 1-10 employees; SC; International Trade and Development industry)

February 2000 — Present (9 years 10 months)

We provide advisory and research services in a number of areas and sectors, including: Capacity building, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and development, institutional analysis, knowledge mgmt., natural resource mgmt., networking, participatory approaches, social analysis (incl. social assessment and stakeholder analysis), and strategic communication. There is a focus on social and cultural aspects of natural resource mgmt., specifically as regards coastal zone mgmt., fisheries, pastoralism, rangelands and wetlands. Among the issues we address in NRM are: Biodiversity conservation, common property resource mgmt. (CPRs), community-based natural resource mgmt. (CBNRM), conflict mgmt., and legal reform. It is fundamental to our way of operating to collaborate closely with all relevant stakeholders in civil society, private sector, and public sector. There is presently an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Supras is incorporated in Norway.
Chairperson

CBNRM Networking

(Non-Profit; International Trade and Development industry)

2000 — Present (9 years )
Coordinator

CBNRM Net

(Non-Profit; 1-10 employees; International Trade and Development industry)

1988 — Present (21 years )

Community-Based Natural Resource Mgmt. Network (CBNRM Net) provides -- through use of ICTs, including its website www.cbnrm.net -- powerful and applied tools for communities, NGOs and institutions, aimed at networking and knowledge management of the field of community-based natural resource management globally.
Consultant

Intl. Fund for Agr. Dev. (IFAD)

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; International Trade and Development industry)

September 2007 — October 2007 (2 months)

IFADs project portfolio in Yemen: supervision missions
Anthropologist

World Bank

(Government Agency; 10,001 or more employees; WB; International Trade and Development industry)

April 1993 — December 1999 (6 years 9 months)
Asst. Professor

University of Zurich

(Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; UniZH; Research industry)

April 1990 — April 1993 (3 years 1 month)

Teaching (beginner & advanced level) and research, in ecological anthropology, economic anthropology, human rights, and ethnicity / indigenous peoples.
Consultant

Swedish Intl. Dev. Cooperation Agency (Sida)

(Government Agency; 501-1000 employees; International Trade and Development industry)

January 1985 — December 1988 (4 years )

Project management, incl. appraisals and evaluations, in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, on water resources management, land settlement and involuntary resettlement.
Consultant

Norwegian Agency for Dev. Cooperation (Norad)

(Government Agency; 501-1000 employees; International Trade and Development industry)

March 1983 — June 1986 (3 years 4 months)

Evaluation of Norad-supported projects in Bangladesh

Additional Information

Lars Soeftestad’s Websites:

Lars Soeftestad’s Interests:

Fly fishing, Hiking, High mountain skiing.

Lars Soeftestad’s Groups:

American Anthropological Org., Community-Based Natural Resource Mgmt. Network, Development Executive Group, Humanitarian Practice Network, International Association for Impact Assessment, Interdisciplinary Reseach Network on Environmental Communication, International Federation for Information Processing's Working Group 9.4 'Social implications of Computers in Developing Countries', International Association for the Study of Commons, IUCN's Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, incl. the Working Groups on Culture and Conservation, Collaborative Management, Environment and Security, and Sustainable Livelihoods, Norwegian Association for Development Research, Society for International Development, ZoomInfo.