Nicolas Maennling ​leads the Regional Cooperation Programme for the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources in the Andean Region for Germany’s development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The programme works with governments, civil society and the private sector to promote socio-environmental standards along the mineral value chain, increase community participation in decision making processes, and encourage technology transfer policies and practices in the mining sector. Nicolas is a development economist with experience in the public and private sectors. His focus lies on designing strategies and tools to maximize the benefits and minimize the negative externalities of extractive industry.