Ms. Diann Black-Layne is the Director of the Department of Environment in Antigua and Barbuda and serves as the country's Ambassador for Climate Change. She has worked in environmental management for over 25 years and has been engaged in international climate policy since 2008.

Ms. Black-Layne was first elected as Co-Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) in 2012, becoming one of its inaugural leaders alongside a representative from Switzerland. She was re-elected to the role in 2024, continuing her longstanding contributions to global climate finance dialogue. Her leadership extends to previous service on the Transitional Committees that established both the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Loss and Damage Fund.

She has also served as a Board Member of both the GCF and the Adaptation Fund and has represented Antigua and Barbuda as the national focal point to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for over 15 years. As one of the lead finance negotiators for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Ms. Black-Layne is a passionate advocate for articulating and communicating the unique national circumstances of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the global climate discourse.

 

Mr. Zaheer Fakir is the Senior Advisor to the Energy and Sustainability Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. Previously, he was the Chief Policy Adviser International Relations for the Government of South Africa Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE). 

He is a South Africa national that has more than 30 years of experience in the world of international politics, finance and development and has been at the forefront of negotiations on several major multilateral outcomes most notably, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030, the Paris Agreement, Green Climate Fund and Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. 

Mr. Fakir has also served for several years as the finance coordinator for the Group of 77 and China (G77 & China) in the UNFCCC negotiations. He is a former Board member and Co-Chair of the Boards of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Climate Investment Funds, and the Adaptation Fund.

Mr. Petrus Muteyauli is the Head of Multilateral Environmental Agreements at the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism in Namibia. His professional background is in environmental and tourism economics, having served as a Chief Environmental and Tourism Economist. 

Throughout his career, he has played a key role in establishing and operationalizing the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia. He has also been instrumental in promoting synergies among the Rio Conventions and their associated financial mechanisms within the country. 

Currently, Petrus serves as a Board Member of the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia. He previously held positions as a member of the Adaptation Fund and as Rapporteur of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) under the UNFCCC. 

He is dedicated to addressing environmental challenges through an economic lens, striving to create a balance between environmental sustainability and economic growth.

Ms. Chandni Raina is an Advisor, Heading the Climate Change Finance Unit in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

She is responsible for issues concerning the financing of climate action domestically and in the multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral deliberations on climate finance.

She co-led the work of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group in the Indian Presidency of G20 and was India’s Lead on G20 Taskforce on a Global Mobilization against Climate Change (TF-CLIMA) in the Brazilian Presidency of G20.

She is India’s finance negotiator in the UNFCCC process.

Mr. Do Ik Kim is Director of Green Climate Policy Division at the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea. He is in charge of Korea’s international climate finance engagement, including cooperation with Multilateral Climate Funds.

He has over 14 years of working experience in the Ministry. Prior to this role, he served as Director of Supply Chain Institutionalization Division. His diverse range of professional experience also includes working at the Budget Office and Policy Coordination Bureau.

He graduated from Kyungbuk University with a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature. He also received a Master’s degree in Public Administration from University of Leeds.

Mr. Diego Pary Rodríguez is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the United Nations (UN). 

Born in Potosí, Bolivia, he completed his primary education in his hometown of Chajnacaya and his secondary education at “Colegio Pablo VI” in the town of Caiza "D." 

In 1996, he began his university studies at the Mayor, Real y Pontificia San Francisco Xavier University of Chuquisaca in Sucre, where he earned Bachelor’s degrees in Pedagogy and in Quechua–English Languages. He also earned a Law degree from NUR University in La Paz. He further complemented his education with studies in radio communication, higher education, and Indigenous peoples’ rights. He holds a Master’s degree in Higher Education, a Master’s degree in International Negotiations from the University of Barcelona, and a Master’s degree in International Law and Integration from Andina Simón Bolívar University. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and International Relations. 

His professional career began in 2002 in the departments of Chuquisaca, Potosí, and Tarija, where he trained municipal authorities and Indigenous leaders through social organizations and local governments at the 'Fundación Acción Cultural Loyola' (ACLO).

In 2005, he was appointed as a member of the advisory team of the Bolivian Indigenous Movement, responsible for structuring the proposal for the New Political Constitution of the State on behalf of Indigenous Organizations. Once the historic process of the refoundation of the Plurinational State of Bolivia began in 2006, he was appointed as an Advisor to the Constituent Assembly representing the Indigenous Movement.

In 2008, his expertise in education and experience in indigenous leadership led to his appointment as Coordinator of the Indigenous Intercultural University of Latin America and the Caribbean under the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC). That same year, he was designated Vice Minister of Higher Education in Bolivia’s Ministry of Education, where he spearheaded major reforms in the country’s education system, including: the creation of three Indigenous Universities; the recognition of Indigenous knowledge and expertise through the Certification of Competencies; the transformation of teacher training; the strengthening of technical and technological education; and the approval of Bolivia’s new Education Law. 

From May 2011 to September 2018, he served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. During his tenure, he chaired and vice-chaired the Permanent Council of the OAS and led various bodies, including the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, the General Commission, the Commission on Juridical and Political Affairs, the Commission on Hemispheric Security, and the Working Group on Indigenous Peoples. Additionally, he coordinated the ALADI Group and played a key role in the adoption of the OAS General Assembly Declaration in Cochabamba (2012) and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2016) in the Dominican Republic. 

In September 2018, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, a position he held until November 2019. During his tenure, he led the country’s foreign policy with a sovereign and multilateralist approach, strengthening international cooperation and promoting regional integration. 

After returning to diplomacy, in November 2020, he was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the United Nations (UN). In this role, he defended the principles of the UN Charter, advocated for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and promoted the defense of the Rights of Mother Earth and financing for sustainable development. 

Currently, he is a member of the Standing Committee on Finance (2024–2025) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as well as the Advisory Committee on Nominations (2024–2027) of the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

Diego Pary has a deep connection with his community and ancestral knowledge. He believes that education and diplomacy are powerful instruments for transforming societies and building bridges between cultures. His work has been guided by the principles of sovereignty of peoples, the defense of human rights, and the promotion of dialogue as a tool for conflict resolution. His commitment to social justice, environmental protection, and the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in decision-making processes continues to drive his efforts on both national and international levels.

Ms. Elena Pereira is a senior climate finance advisor with a Master’s degree in Carbon Finance from the University of Edinburgh and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance. She has over 15 years of experience in climate change, project development, international development, multilateral cooperation, and research. Throughout her career, she has worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, private sector, civil society, and local communities.

She has held key roles within international organizations such as GIZ and UNEP and is currently the climate finance advisor for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Honduras. In recent years, she has played a strategic role in the development of national climate policies, a green taxonomy, and adaptation strategies aligned with global climate frameworks.

As an international negotiator, Elena has led Honduras’ delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and chaired the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC). Since 2021, she has served as the lead climate finance negotiator for both Honduras and AILAC, actively contributing to key climate finance negotiations, such as the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG).

Elena currently serves as a Board Member of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) and as a member of the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF), representing the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC). Within the SCF, she has co-facilitated the SCF Forum since 2024.

Ms. Patriciah Roy Akullo is the Social Safeguards and Gender Expert in the Climate Finance Unit, Department of Development Assistance and Regional Cooperation in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development – Government of Uganda. Her roles focus on climate finance mobilization including the gender technical requirements in climate finance engagements. 

She has over 10 years’ experience following UNFCCC Negotiations as part of the Government of Uganda Delegation and additionally is one of the Finance Coordinators of Least Develop Countries (LDCs) in the UNFCCC process. 

Serves as a Member of the National Climate Change Advisory Committee of the Government of Uganda in addition to several other Boards of Institutions. 

She is dedicated to a Gender -Responsive Climate Finance Agenda.

Dr. Ali Waqas Malik currently serves as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Pakistan in Seoul, Republic of Korea. As a career diplomat, he has held several key positions within Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic missions abroad, including postings in Berlin, Germany from 2014–2015 and 2016–2019.

Dr. Malik is Pakistan’s climate finance negotiator under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, a role he has held since 2017. He has served as Adviser to Pakistan’s Board Member to the Green Climate Fund since 2019, and is currently a member of the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance. He was previously a member of the Adaptation Fund Board and also served on the Transitional Committee for the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund.

With a strong background in multilateral climate diplomacy, Dr. Malik also served as Director (Climate Change) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan. His expertise spans multilateral climate negotiations including climate finance.

Born in 1986, Dr. Malik joined the Civil Services of Pakistan in 2010.

Dr. Muyungi is a Presidential Envoy, Global Diplomat, and Climate Change Expert with over 35 years of extensive experience spanning government, the United Nations, NGOs, academia, and the private sector.

His expertise includes more than 20 years as a national and key African lead negotiator, coordinator, trainer, and mentor in international environmental governance and climate change. He possesses in-depth knowledge of both international and national climate governance, finance, adaptation, carbon trading, mitigation, capacity-building, and sustainable development. Additionally, he is well-versed in global climate risks and security concerns.

Dr. Muyungi is a member of the Commonwealth Expert Group on Climate Finance, which has facilitated climate financial resource mobilization in the subregion through the Mauritius-based hub. As Chairman of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group in 2001, he played a pivotal role in establishing the LDC Fund, which continues to provide essential climate adaptation funding for thousands of communities in LDC countries across Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

In 2008, as the inaugural Chair of the Global Adaptation Fund Board, he introduced a simplified access process that has enabled developing countries to secure adaptation resources more efficiently. He also chaired the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) from 2011 to 2013 and previously served as a member of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board (2005–2007). He was also a board member of the Green Climate Fund (2016–2021) and is currently a member of the Global Standing Committee on Finance (SCF).

At the national level, he holds multiple leadership roles and serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Institute for Environment, Climate, and Development Sustainability. Dr. Muyungi holds a PhD in Climate Change Adaptation and Development, a Master’s degree in Environmental Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. He is the former Director of Environment in the Vice President’s Office of the United Republic of Tanzania and the former Director of the Environment Department at the Tanzania National Electric Company.

He is married and has four children.

Ms. Apollonia Miola is principal advisor on international climate finance at DG CLIMA,  European Commission.  Negotiator and senior policy expert specializing in climate change, international economics, and sustainable development.

With over 20 years of leadership at the Joint Research Centre (JRC), Apollonia directed innovative scientific programmes  on the economics of climate change and development. She pioneered complex analyses on economics of climate change, energy economics, ecological economics.

Apollonia’s international experience is enriched by her tenure as Senior Policy Analyst at the OECD, where she advised on governance reforms and aligned recovery plans with SDGs and the Paris Agreement. As visiting scientist she also collaborated with the World Bank on climate change economics and disaster risk management.

A frontrunner in complex economic analysis related to climate change and energy economics and ecological economics, Apollonia has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.

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Ms. Karima Oustadi is climate finance and transparency expert in the Directorate General of European and International Affairs of the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. Climate finance negotiator in the UNFCCC process since 2017, she entered the Ministry as environmental economist.

She serves as Alternate Board Member of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, and as Vice-chair of the subsidiary body of the OECD Development Assistance Committee EnviroNet (environment and development cooperation).

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Ms. Hendrikje Reich heads the International Climate Finance Division at the German Federal Foreign Office.

She is the lead on climate finance for the German delegation to the UNFCCC and a member of the EU negotiation team, where she also leads the EU’s work on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). She joined the Standing Committee on Finance in 2024.

Hendrikje has been heavily invested in bringing contributors of climate finance together to ensure joint delivery of collective finance goals.

She deeply believes in bringing people together from different backgrounds will help us to find the solutions.

Hendrikje was involved in setting up the International Climate Finance Initiative (IKI) as well as the NAMA Facility. She also worked on a federal support programme for local communities in Germany.

She graduated in political science, economics and human geography.

Ms. Ekaterina Vasilenko is the Chief Economist at the Climate Risks Unit, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Her area of expertise is related to climate risks assessment and management, sustainable finance, and climate and environmental strategies for financial institutions and corporates. 

Since 2024 she has been a member of financial team of the Russian delegation at the UNFCCC negotiations. Ekaterina also take part in negotiations on climate finance issues at G20 (the Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG) and the Task Force on a Global Mobilization against Climate Change (TF-CLIMA) in the Brazilian Presidency of G20) and BRICS.

Before joining the Central Bank, Ekaterina worked in a private banking sector and the World Bank on issues related to Russia’s climate policy, carbon markets, and blue economy. In addition, she has years of experience in Environmental Impact Assessment for marine infrastructure. 

Ekaterina earned a M.S. in Environmental Sciences and Policy from the Central European University in Vienna. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Natural Resource Management from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) with specialization in climate policy, multilateral environmental diplomacy, and international law.

Ms. Clara Schultz currently serves at the Swedish Ministry of Finance, where she works on international climate finance. Clara is a climate finance negotiator and a member of the Swedish delegation to the UNFCCC, as well as a representative on the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance.

She also serves as Sweden’s deputy in the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (CFMCA), where she co-leads the Coalition’s work on carbon pricing. In addition, Clara has an advisory role in Sweden’s collaboration with international financial institutions, including multilateral development banks.

Her previous experience includes work on sustainable finance frameworks and carbon taxation at the national and EU levels within the Ministry. She also has a background in economics consulting in the fields of energy and climate, as well as in asset management. She holds degrees in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics and the University of St. Gallen.

Ms. Gabriela Blatter is the Principal Policy Advisor for Climate Finance and Head of the International Environment Finance Unit at the Federal Office for Environment in Switzerland.

Since 2013 she has been the Swiss lead negotiator and EIG coordinator for climate finance and since 2019 she is a member of the Standing Committee on Finance.

Being a chemist by training, Gabriela appreciates a scientific approach to climate finance and works on financial incentive structures domestically and internationally to drive the transition to a low-emission and climate resilient development future.