UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday appointed a Costa Rican diplomat (with Danish roots) to lead United Nations efforts to combat climate change.
Christiana Figueres will take the reins of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 1 July.
She replaces Yvo de Boer, who announced that he was stepping down to pursue new opportunities.
– Ms. Figueres is an international leader on strategies to address global climate change and brings to this position a passion for the issue, deep knowledge of the stakeholders and valuable hands-on experience with the public sector, non-profit sector and private sector, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, said in announcing the decision.
Her appointment as Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC comes five months after the Copenhagen Accord was reached at last December’s UN conference in the Danish capital.
Ms. Figueres is an international leader on strategies to address global climate change and brings to this position a passion for the issue, deep knowledge of the stakeholders and valuable hands-on experience with the public sector, non-profit sector and private sector.
Ms. Figueres has been involved in climate change negotiations since 1995, served as a negotiator of both the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol, and chaired numerous Conference of Parties decisions.
Ms. Figueres also served as Vice-President of the Bureau, UNFCCC from 2008 to 2009, and as a member of the Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism in 2007.
From 1995 to 2003, she was the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Development in the Americas (CSDA), a non-profit think thank for climate change policy and capacity-building.
From 1994 to 1996 she served with the United States Export Council for Renewable Energy as Director of the Technical Secretariat, Renewable Energy in the Americas (REIA).
Ms. Figueres has served on many boards of non-governmental organizations intimately involved in climate change issues, including the Winrock International and the Voluntary Carbon Standard.
She has advised private-sector companies playing a leadership role in climate mitigation, such as ENEL/ENDESA, C-Quest Capital and the Carbon Rating Agency.
MOR AF DANSK AFSTAMNING
Christiana Figueres was born 7. August 1956 in San José, Costa Rica into a family dedicated to public service. Her father, José Figueres Ferrer was President of Costa Rica three times: 1948-49, 1953–1958, and 1970-1974. José Figueres Ferrer is the leader of the 1948 Revolution and founder of modern democracy in Costa Rica.
He is most well known for having abolished the army in 1948 and established a broad system of checks and balances that are at the root of Costa Rica’s stable development to this day.
Active in her own right, Christiana’s mother, Karen Olsen Beck (som er født i USA af danske indvandrere) served as Costa Rican Ambassador to Israel in 1982 and was elected Member of Congress 1990-1994. The couple had four children.
Christiana’s older brother José Figueres Olsen, was also President of Costa Rica 1994-1998, and is credited with having initiated the country onto a path of Sustainable Development which continues to this day.
Younger brother Mariano Figueres Olsen is currently active in Costa Rican politics and manages the family firm, together with younger sister Kirsten Figueres Olsen.
