Paola Ridolfi is Manager of the Global Environment Facility’s Policy, Partnerships, and Operations unit. In an interview, she reflected on how her team is helping countries and communities stay focused on environmental priorities during the COVID crisis and shared how her love of studying caves has informed how she approaches new challenges.
What do you like about your job?
Javier Antonio Gutiérrez Ramírez is Nicaragua’s Vice Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, and the country’s GEF Operational Focal Point. He spends much of his time visiting rural communities to learn first-hand about conservation challenges and solutions. In an interview, he reflected on GEF-sponsored initiatives that are helping Nicaraguan families adopt forest-friendly practices while boosting their incomes.
What sparked your interest in environmental work?
As Lead Environmental Specialist at the Global Environment Facility, Mohamed Bakarr oversees programs that support integrated solutions to challenges related to agriculture, forestry, and livelihoods in developing countries. In an interview, he shared how his doctoral research in tropical biology informed his views about the linkages between human and natural systems and why protecting the environment requires work at the intersection of the two.
When did you first become interested in environmental issues?
María Belén Durán is the GEF’s Operational Focal Point in Ecuador, and the Coordinator of International Cooperation in the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment and Water. In an interview, she shared what she finds motivating about her work advancing her country’s environmental priorities.
What does your job in Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment and Water entail?
As Coordinator of the GEF’s chemicals and waste team, Anil Sookdeo is working to end exposure to toxic pollutants and chemicals that endanger human health and that of the planet. In an interview, he recalled how his first job at an ammonia plant opened his eyes to environmental risks related to chemicals and led to a career focused on preventing accidents, injuries, and damage from their use.
What is the GEF doing about dangerous chemicals and pollutants?
Representatives of the Global Environment Facility’s COVID-19 Task Force joined an International Conservation Caucus Foundation briefing for U.S. Congress members to present research on the links between deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, and health risks from zoonotic diseases, making the case for an integrated approach to tackling these challenges.
Three out of four participants in the Global Environment Facility’s recent Country Support Program events have attested that the activities strengthened their ability to plan and deliver new environmental projects, affirming how these meetings have helped share knowledge and tools to tackle environmental challenges.
Asha Bobb-Semple is an Analyst with the Global Environment Facility’s land degradation focal area, and works with cross-cutting global programs related to food systems, commodities, land use, and drylands. In an interview, she reflected on her career path that has led her from Jamaica’s watersheds to the landscapes of Central Asia in support of a better tomorrow.
When did you first become interested in environmental issues?
Milena Gonzalez Vasquez is a Global Environment Facility Climate Change Specialist. In an interview, she shared how her background in engineering prepared her for a career helping countries transform their energy systems, protect their forests, and find other solutions to avert a climate change crisis.
What is your role at the GEF?
As Manager of the Global Environment Facility’s Programs Unit, Claude Gascon oversees a team of experts working to help developing countries tackle biodiversity loss, climate change, chemicals and waste management, land degradation, ocean pollution, and the drivers of these overlapping threats. In an interview, he shared how a fascination and love for nature led him to this international role and reflected on what makes the GEF special as a place to work.
What is your role at the GEF?
