Lorena Aguilar
Global Senior Gender Adviser, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), USA.
Lorena Aguilar is the Global Senior Gender Adviser and head of the Global Gender Office, a position she created and has held since 2002, following more than a decade with IUCN. She has more than 30 years of experience in projects and initiatives at all levels involving public policy development, building local institutions, and the incorporation of social and gender issues into sustainable development efforts. Lorena has vast experience providing assistance to international organizations, governments, and universities on gender policy, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, as well as on water, forests, environmental health and disaster risk reduction. Her expertise serves hundreds of partner organizations and has transformed the institutional identify of IUCN itself.
Among her core achievements is her unique methodology for integrating gender equality concerns to improve environmental projects, programmes and institutions. She developed strategies and action plans for mainstreaming gender in the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Lorena has most recently supported 14 governments to integrate gender considerations throughout climate change decision making and planning—Climate Change Gender Action Plans (ccGAPs). Lorena has created some of the most influential international gender networks, including the Network of Women Ministers and Leaders of the Environment (NWMLE) and the Global Gender and Climate Alliance (GGCA). She has been a board member of numerous reputable organizations, such as Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) and the 2006 Champion of the Earth laureate Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO). Lorena has authored over 70 publications, including 30 books on gender, development, disaster risk reduction, forests, water, health, and environment, and is a sought-after keynote speaker at international conferences, congresses, and other high-level events.
#SpeakerPreview Watch Why Women are Powerful Agents of Change: Interview with Lorena Aguilar
#SpeakerPreview Read Beyond the Birds and the Bees: Recognizing the Fundamental Link Between Women and Biodiversity on International Women’s Day Article by Lorena on The Huffington Post
#SpeakerPreview Read Unleashing the Power of Women in the Renewable Energy Sector Article by Lorena on The Huffington Post
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