Christiana Figueres

Christiana Figueres
Name	Christiana Figueres
Birth date	1956-04-07
Birth place	San José, Costa Rica
Occupation	Diplomat, negotiator, author
Known for	International climate diplomacy, UNFCCC Executive Secretary

Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican diplomat and international climate leader who served as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010 to 2016. She played a central role in mobilizing negotiators from the United States, China, India, European Union, and Brazil to achieve the Paris Agreement at the COP21 in Paris. Figueres’s career spans roles in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, national governments in Costa Rica, and transnational initiatives involving actors like The Elders, World Bank, and Bill Gates-affiliated climate initiatives.

Early life and education

Figueres was born in San José, Costa Rica into a political family that includes her father, José Figueres Ferrer, a three-time President of Costa Rica, and her mother, Karen Olsen Beck, who served as First Lady of Costa Rica and later as Costa Rican ambassador to Israel. She studied at Colegio Universitario San Judas Tadeo and pursued higher education at University of Oxford and the London School of Economics, later attending the University of Geneva and institutions associated with Harvard University executive programs. Her formative years intersected with international diplomacy through connections with figures such as Olof Palme, John F. Kennedy, Dag Hammarskjöld, and regional leaders like Simón Bolívar-era historical references through family legacy.

Career and diplomatic work

Figueres began her career in diplomatic and development roles with assignments involving the Inter-American Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme, and Costa Rican ministries including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Environment and Energy. She served as Costa Rica’s Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs during negotiations with entities such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, and the Organization of American States. Figueres later engaged with civil society networks like World Resources Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, and Greenpeace-linked campaigns, collaborating with political figures including Barack Obama, Angela Merkel, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi, and François Hollande on climate diplomacy and sustainable development. Her diplomatic work also connected with private-sector initiatives involving Goldman Sachs, IKEA, Google, and philanthropic actors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement

Appointed Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2010, Figueres led the UNFCCC secretariat through a period of intensive negotiations involving parties like United States, China, European Union, Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, Japan, and Australia. She directed preparations for milestone conferences including COP16, COP17, COP20, and the successful COP21 in Paris, culminating in the Paris Agreement that engaged mechanisms such as Nationally Determined Contributions and frameworks influenced by the Kyoto Protocol, the Montreal Protocol, and IPCC reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Figueres worked closely with negotiators such as Laurence Tubiana, Todd Stern, Xie Zhenhua, Christiana Figueres (note: do not link)'s counterparts, and ministers from France, China, India, and Mexico to secure consensus among developed and developing country blocs including the G77, Least Developed Countries, and Alliance of Small Island States.

Post-UNFCCC activities and initiatives

After leaving the UNFCCC, Figueres co-founded and co-led initiatives including Mission 2020, the Global Optimism partnership, and advisory roles with organizations such as World Economic Forum, United Nations Foundation, and the Rocky Mountain Institute. She advised corporate and financial institutions including BlackRock, HSBC, Amazon, and renewable energy consortia tied to Siemens and Ørsted, while engaging with philanthropic networks like the Skoll Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. Figueres participated in global forums such as the G7 Summit, G20 Summit, COP26, and dialogues at Harvard Kennedy School and the Oxford Martin School, collaborating with leaders like Greta Thunberg, Al Gore, Ban Ki-moon, Kofi Annan, and Mary Robinson on accelerating decarbonization and promoting instruments such as carbon pricing favored by entities like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. She has also published and spoken through platforms tied to TED Conferences, Project Drawdown, and numerous academic and policy journals.

Awards, honors, and recognition

Figueres has received honors and awards from institutions including the Royal Geographical Society, the Order of Merit (Costa Rica), and recognition from media organizations such as Time (magazine), The Guardian, and Foreign Policy (magazine). She has been listed among laureates and honorees alongside figures like Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai, Muhammad Yunus, Malala Yousafzai, and Desmond Tutu by bodies such as the United Nations and international NGOs. Academic institutions including the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Yale University, and Imperial College London have conferred honorary degrees and fellowships acknowledging her contributions to climate negotiations and sustainable transitions.

Personal life and views

Figueres is married and has family connections within Costa Rican political circles including ties to the Figueres and Olsen Beck families and interacts with cultural figures such as Óscar Arias, Laura Chinchilla, and Luis Guillermo Solís. Her public views emphasize multilateralism and collaboration among states, private sector actors like Shell, BP, and Tesla, Inc., and civil society organizations including 350.org and Sierra Club. She has expressed support for policies aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Green Climate Fund, and technological pathways promoted by entities such as NASA and research programs at the Max Planck Society.

Category:Costa Rican diplomats Category:1956 births Category:Living people