1.       Thought leader in interdisciplinary environmental and development policies, Management and Dissemination of new knowledge in Natural Capital Inclusive Wealth, New Financial Structure, Biodiversity Finance, Integration of triple planetary crisis into finance.

2.       Natural Capital and macroeconomic policies include budgetary impact for the countries.

3.      Acknowledged leader in accounting and valuation of Nature into economic decisions in Cost Benefit setting, Payment for Ecosystems Services, Loss and Damage Finance.

4.      Acknowledged expert on Rate of Return on Investment (RoI) in One Health intervention and response to Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR).

5.      Accomplished Programme Manager, Evaluator and Capacity Development Practitioner

6.      Team Leader, Communicator and interlocutor of science and policy interface

7.       Consensus builder around new and innovative response policies for ecosystems management, planetary crisis and economics of biodiversity

8.      Interlocutor with the science community and developing bridge across the scales and epistemologies of knowledge for sustainable solutions.

9.      Reviewer, editor and interdisciplinary advocate for new knowledge for practicing managers and scientist

10.   Proven track record of fund raising with bilateral and multi trust donors

 

Experience

2024- Current: Chief Programme Management Unit (Environmental Economics), UNEP Headquarter, Nairobi, Kenya

                               Role: Environmental and Social Development Thought Leadership, Evaluation, Agenda setting, Advisory services to the Senior Management Team, UNEP, Networking, Briefing to CPR Members of UNEP and UN, Fostering linkages across banks and UN Agencies.

2021-2024 Chief Environmental Economist, UNEP, Washington DC, USA

                               Role: Lead UNEP on Inclusive Wealth Assessment, Mainstreaming Natural Capital into Finance and Economics, Beyond GDP, Planetary and Human Health Nexus and Team Management for effective partnership with the UN Agencies and Beyond, the World Bank, IMF and Scientific Institutions

2018- 2021, Chief Environmental Economist and Senior Economic Advisor, UN Environment Programme, Nairobi

                               Role: Chief of the Programme Management Unit in Environment and Development, Thought Leader in Nature Based Solutions, Integration of Biodiversity, ecosystem services into fiscal and monetary policies, Restoration and Beyond GDP

2015-2017: Coordinator, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Branch, the UN Environment (D1 Level)

                               Role: Management of Branch in Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management

2010-2015: Chief, Ecosystem Services Economics Unit, Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

2009-2010           Reader (Associate Professor) in Environmental Economics, Department of Geography, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool.

2007-2009: University Lecturer in Environmental Economics, Department of Geography, School of Environmental Sciences, and University of Liverpool

2006-2007:        Research Associate, Centre for Capability and    Sustainability, St Edmunds College, University of Cambridge

1993-2006: Professor, (formerly Associate Professor and Lecturer) in Environmental and Development Economics, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi School of Economics and University of Delhi

 

Education

2001     Post-Doctoral Research in Environmental Economics, University of Minnesota, USA,

2000    Ph.D. in Environmental Economics, University of Delhi,

1994     M.Phil. In Environmental Economics, University of Delhi

1991      MA in Business Economics, University of Delhi

1989     BA (Hons) in Economics University of Delhi

Broad Areas of Interest

         i.            Coordination of international processes of climate change and biodiversity

       ii.            Leading UNEP in COPs (UNFCCC, CBD and UNCCD)

     iii.            Fostering linkages across the IMF, World Bank and UNEP

     iv.            Coordination of new finance structure of the UN SG

1. Integration of Climate and biodiversity into finance and economics
2. Research and Policy Engagement especially in implementing actions and policies to tackle Climate Change (Mitigation and Adaptation)
3. Global thought leadership in Nature, Climate and Macroeconomy (Nature Based Solutions, Natural Capital, Wealth Accounting, Climate and Biodiversity Finance)
4. Programme Development, supervision, quality control and strategic direction to integrate environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainable development including SDGs.
5. Mainstreaming of Climate, Pollution and Natural Capital   into development decisions
6. Environmental Burden of Disease and Human Capital, implementation science, Capacity building, South -South Transfer of Knowledge for adaptation and mitigation Sustainable Development Goals

 

Competence

 

1. Leadership in Science Policy Interface, advisory Services to Senior Decision Makers (Executive Director of UNEP, National Government at Minister / Secretary Level))
2. Project Management (GEF, GCF), Coordination and Consensus Building in environmental economics amongst academics and practitioners.
3. Management and Coordination of Staff
4. Networking to strengthen Institutional Relationships especially UN Agencies and Conventions
5. Development of new approaches, tools and analytics in multi-disciplinary framework
6. Networking and Fund Raising
7. Capacity development, South -South cooperation
8. Coordination and networking, Oversight, technical backstopping, team building, project management
9. Communication & outreach within and beyond the Organisation
10. Identifying emerging issues in science policy interface

 

Coordination, Review, Evaluation and Leadership

 

 

1)       Working Group Leader for Multi Million Initiative on Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative by the EU and BMZ

2)      Research Consortium Director for Strengthening Capacity in Valuation of Regulating Services of Ecosystems under ESPA supported by DFID, NERC and the ESRC, 2009-2010.

3)      Head, Technical Support Unit (TSU), Responses Working Group, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2000-2005) (http://www.maweb.org/en/Responses.aspx)

4)     Member Secretary, World Bank Aided Capacity Building in Environmental Economics in South Asia (1998-2001)

5)      Lead Author, IPCC, FAR (WGIII)

6)     Lead Author, Sub Global Assessment, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

7)      Co- Chair of the Policy and Technical Committee of the Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services, led by the World Bank

8)     Member of the National Ecosystem Assessment, UK

9)     Member of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) Study Board and Leader for the Conceptual Foundation of TEEB

10)  Advisory Member of the Gulbenkian Ocean Initiative, Lisbon.

 

Thought Leader, Technical Team Management

1.       Global Inclusive Wealth Reports, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2023

2.       Regional and National Inclusive Wealth (Africa 2024, Pakistan 2020)

3.      Valuation and Accounting of Natural Capital in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

4.      Economics of Land Degradation

5.      Air Pollution, Human Capital and Sustainable Economies (India, Ghana, Rwanda and Ethiopia)

6.      Economics of Nature Based Solutions, 2020