Josep Garí

Josep Garí (Barcelona, 1972) is a United Nations professional & diplomat, dedicated to sustainable development. He graduated in both Biology and Philosophy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He then conducted transdisciplinary research on political ecology in indigenous territories in Amazonia and the Andes, receiving a DPhil from the University of Oxford. His career in international cooperation spans two decades and various organisations, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, FAO and UNDP.

He has worked in more than 30 countries across the world, supporting them with policy reforms, field programmes and international finance for the sustainable management of their farms, forests and landscapes. Josep has also served in multilateral diplomacy for agriculture and the environment, playing major roles in the negotiations for the International Seed Treaty (2001) and the Congo forest & climate agreement (2011). Currently Josep is senior policy advisor at UNDP, based in Geneva. He also serves on the managing and advisory boards of various international funds and programmes.

Past responsibilities include programme manager for Haiti at the Inter-American Development Bank, leader of various UN-wide missions for rural recovery in crisis zones (e.g. Burundi, Colombia, DR Congo, Philippines and Sierra Leone), and head of the UNDP environmental finance unit for West & Central Africa. Josep is active in the civic arena, as a public speaker with the UN External Relations service in Geneva, a guest lecturer on green diplomacy, and member of the editorial board of the UN Society of Writers. He is also an amateur photographer.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) University of Oxford (1996 — 2000)
• University of California, Berkeley (1999 — 1999)
• Master’s Degree Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (1996 — 1998)
• Bachelor’s Degree Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (1991 — 1996)
• Bachelor’s Degree Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (1990 — 1995)
• Honours specialisation University of St Andrews (1993 — 1994)
• High School Col.legi Sant Ignasi (Barcelona) (1978 — 1990)

Companies

• Senior Policy Advisor | Nature, Climate & Energy Cluster UNDP (2015)
• Africa Coordinator UN-REDD Programme (2012 — 2015)
• Leader, Environmental Finance Unit, West & Central Africa UNDP (2008 — 2012)
• Community Development Specialist | FAO Investment Centre FAO (2004 — 2008)
• Socio-Environmental Officer & Programme Manager for Haiti Inter-American Development Bank (2002 — 2004)
• Diplomatic Advisor, Negotiations for the International Seed Treaty (ITPGRFA) FAO (2000 — 2001)
• Consultant / Ecological & territorial rights of indigenous peoples The World Bank (2000 — 2001)
• Assistant Professor ESADE Business & Law School (2000 — 2001)
• Marie Curie Fellow & Tutor of Geography University of Oxford (1996 — 2001)

Skills

• Public Policy
• Diplomacy
• Sustainable Development