BIOFIN Team

Onno is Head of the Biodiversity Finance Portfolio at UNDP – based at the UNDP Representation Office in Brussels. He oversees biodiversity financing at UNDP and the work of BIOFIN, including programme development, resource mobilisation and partnerships. Previously, he was UNDP Biodiversity Programme Officer and Environment Team Leader in Mongolia for four years, where he was responsible for protected area financing, community-based conservation and environmental policy. He also worked in Mongolia as a policy expert for the establishment of a Clean Air Fund and for four years in Kenya at UN-HABITAT’s regional office for Africa and the Arab States. Onno holds a Master's degree in Economic Geography from Utrecht University.

Marco is a member of the BIOFIN global management and the technical team, working on the project management, the programme’s resource mobilization, knowledge management, communication and supporting the development of the BIOFIN Methodology. Before joining the UNDP, Marco worked in the banking sector in the research department focusing on risk diversification in portfolios. He later changed his specialization to work on Environmental Finance and project management. He holds three Masters degrees in Finance, Quantitative Economics and Environmental, Energy and Sustainable Development Economics.

MS. ANNABELLE “Abbie” TRINIDAD is Senior Technical Advisor for BIOFIN handling the Philippines, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Indonesia. She has more than two decades of work experience in environmental economics, sustainable financing, and policy and institutional analysis, mainly in the fisheries and coastal sectors. Abbie has written a number of papers on fisheries policy and economics, including peer-reviewed materials and co-authored a book entitled “Values of Philippine Coastal Resources: Why Protection and Management are Critical”. She has worked with major donor agencies Abbie has an undergraduate degree in Statistics and a masteral degree in Applied Business Economics.

Andy’s role in BIOFIN includes national technical support to Belize, Brazil, Fiji, Malaysia and Ecuador, and global technical support in economic valuation, finance and policy analysis. He has been Professor & Public Policy Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University since 1997.  From 2009-12, he was Head, Global Economics Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Switzerland.  Dr. Seidl holds a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida, USA.

Hervé is a Technical Adviser for Central Asia and East Africa covering Zambia, Madagascar, Seychelles, Uganda, Kygyzstan, Malawi and Tanzania. He is a senior consultant in environmental finance with more than 20 years of  professional experience in the Eastern Southern African, Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia region in the field of sustainable resources management, biodiversity conservation and climate change (mitigation and adaptation). In Addition, he has project identification and formulation working experiences with different organisations such as Global Environment Facility, European Union, Global Mechanism, UNDP, UNCDF, Global Climate Change Alliance, Green Climate Fund.

Tracey is a Technical Advisor with BIOFIN, working specifically with countries in Africa and Asia. She is also a member of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Panel of Experts on Resource Mobilisation, tasked with developing a draft framework for resource mobilisation for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. Tracey holds a BSc in Economics and Environmental Science, and an MSc in Environmental Science. Tracey has extensive experience in biodiversity finance and policy at a national and international level, and led BIOFIN in South Africa before joining the global BIOFIN team in 2017. She has led and collaborated on numerous publications, including on biodiversity finance, ecological infrastructure, protected area finance, mainstreaming biodiversity and biodiversity offsets.

Mariana is a BIOFIN Technical Adviser providing support to Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, Peru and Mexico. She has over 18 years of experience working on biodiversity policy and finance issues. She was formerly National Coordinator for BIOFIN Mexico and worked for several environmental agencies in the Mexican Government. She has extensive experience on a wide range of issues related to biodiversity conservation, protected area finance, ecosystem services, ecosystem-based adaptation, and has closely worked with international organisations such as UNDP, WB, GEF, GIZ, KFW and AFD. Mariana holds a Maste´s Degree on Environmental Policy and Development Studies from the University of Sussex. She is based in Mexico City.

Bruno N Mweemba is the BIOFIN Technical Advisor on Environmental Finance for the African Region currently covering Zambia, Uganda and Malawi.

Prior to joining the BIOFIN Global Team, Bruno also worked in Zambia as Country Team Leader and Lead Consultant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)'s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN). He was particularly critical in the mainstreaming of green finance into Zambia’s financial sector and the development of Zambia’s green bond market.

Bruno is a Development Finance Expert and Chartered Accountant by training with extensive expertise in Environmental Finance, Project Finance, Financial Management and Accounting with over 18 years experience.

Academically, he has a Master of Philosophy in Development Finance (Nelson Mandela University, South Africa) and an MBA in Financial Services (University of East London, United Kingdom). He is also a Certified Expert in Climate & Renewable Energy Finance (Frankfurt School of Finance & Management-Germany), Chartered Accountant (ACCA) and an Infrastructure Project Finance Expert (Middlesex University-UK).

Gaurav is the Nature Investment Advisor for BIOFIN, working on catalyzing private finance for biodiversity. He leads the work on innovative financing instruments for Big Cats landscapes such as conservation bonds, blended finance funds, and nature credits. Before joining UNDP, he worked with WWF for 8 years in several Southeast Asian countries managing landscape conservation programmes. He also worked with Barclays Capital for 4 years in Singapore in financial risk management. He holds a Bachelor and Master in Computer Science from IIT Delhi, an MBA and is a CFA charter holder.

Mahtab is the Global Communications Lead at BIOFIN. He has over a decade of experience with news and reportage with major media outlets including the Associated Press, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, the BBC, CNN and others. His career with the UN has seen him support over 24 country offices in various advisory capacities, including strategy, media engagement, campaigns, crisis communications and a pivot to digital content and workflows. He has a first degree in Economics and an MA in International Journalism from London’s City University as a Chevening Scholar.

Meruyet Sadvakassova brings over 9 years of experience in communications and public information, having served as a communications specialist in diverse UN agencies, such as the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Asia, UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Asia, UNODC Vienna, UN OCHA Regional Office for Caucasus and Central Asia, and UNDP Kazakhstan country office. In her previous roles, Meruyert has managed social media, websites, and content creation. She holds a master's degree in public administration from Newcastle University, UK.

Daniel Lin joins BIOFIN as a Project Results Analyst with over a decade of experience in development finance, project management, and capacity building. He previously served as a Project Officer with UNESCAP and as a Knowledge Management Specialist with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), where he led initiatives in sustainable infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships. He also worked with the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) at the Embassy of Canada in Myanmar, where he focused on advancing trade and investment in priority economic sectors. A Canadian national, Daniel holds a Master’s degree in International Political Economy (research) from the London School of Economics.

Based in Istanbul, he can be reached at daniel.lin@undp.org.

Luzmila is the BIOFIN Analyst, providing analytical, budget management and operational support to BIOFIN. She has over 23 years of professional experience in the UN System in finance, operations and project management.

Before joining BIOFIN she worked for 6 years supporting the global portfolio of various technical team in the Natural Climate and Energy Team, including Ecosystems and Biodiversity Team. Prior to her work in UNDP, she provided budgetary and financial support to various UN Secretariat projects and programmes.

She holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from The New School University in New York, and a BS in Accounting from Externado de Colombia University in Colombia.

Ronja Fischer is supporting BIOFIN focusing on developing the Global Biodiversity Expenditure (GLOBE) Taxonomy, that will facilitate the Biodiversity Expenditure Review of the countries following the BIOFIN methodology, and the Financial Resources (FIRE) Database, a one-shop stop for every kind of biodiversity project seeking funding. She gained former experience at an environmental consultancy and public-private partnership projects from a development bank. She helds a Latin-American German Double Degree focusing on Business Administration and a Master in Environmental Economics. She is also a member of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network focusing on the CBD and the new Global Biodiversity Framework. 

Ainur Shalakhanova (Kazakhstan) joins the BIOFIN Global team as an Environmental Finance Analyst for the Asia and Pacific Region.

She provides technical support and undertakes reviews and impact monitoring of BIOFIN methodological outputs and processes; support the Technical Advisors in assisting National BIOFIN teams in identifying, developing and implementing the right mix of finance solutions, designing and reviewing finance solution proposals and other technical documents.

Prior to this role, Ainur worked with BIOFIN Kazakhstan team for over seven years as the Resource mobilization and finance solutions implementation expert. She has led the work on the introduction of positive subsidies in wildlife and certification system in ecotourism. Ainur analysed the public and private expenditures on biodiversity in Kazakhstan, estimated the financial needs for implementation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and took a part in development of Biodiversity Finance Plan. She also was responsible for preparation of Kazakhstani 6th National Report on Biodiversity.

Ainur holds a bachelor's degree in Hydrogeology at the Kazakh National Technical University and master's degree in Finance and Investment at University of Essex.

Pierre has almost 4 years of professional experience in project management in developing countries, thanks to his previous missions as Project Manager in a consultancy firm and as Investment Officer at the French Development Agency (AFD) in Zimbabwe. Before joining UNDP, he mainly worked on issues relating to biodiversity, agriculture and public finance management. He graduated from Grenoble Alpes University in development economics and from ESC Grenoble in Management

Ana Lucía Orozco Rubio (Costa Rica, Guatemala)  joined the BIOFIN Global Team as Environmental Finance Advisor for the LAC Region.  Prior to this post, she worked as the BIOFIN Coordinator in Costa Rica from late 2019 until January 2023. She has more than 18 years of experience in Sustainable Development, and has specialized in public policy and finance mechanisms for biodiversity, with inclusive instruments for indigenous people and women economic empowerment.

She is providing support to monitoring and reporting as required for the successful management and achievement of the outcomes of the Initiative, and support to the core management, human resources, sourcing consultants, and procurement management. Semiray previously worked as Travel and Logistics Associate in the Istanbul Regional Hub ensuring high quality and accuracy of work in order to obtain the optimum travel and logistics services. Prior to joining the IRH, Semiray worked as an Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations in New York for 4 years. During her tenure with the Permanent Mission, she was mostly focusing on the topics of the Economic and Social Committee. She holds a Master's degree in Global Trade Management from the State University of New York.

Serhat supports BIOFIN's global and national planning and management, focusing on achieving successful results for the initiative. Before joining UNDP, he was working Travel & Logistics Team at UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub since 2016. He worked in the tourism and hotel industry with various hotel and travel companies, where he was responsible for event and travel management. He holds a BA degree in Tourism and Hotel Business Management.

Özlem is providing support to the BIOFIN team with administrative tasks, sourcing interns, crowd-funding campaigns, as well as events and travel management. She is also the gender focal point of the BIOFIN team. Özlem previously worked with several international organizations, including the International Organisations for Migration – The UN Migration Agency (IOM) in Vienna, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Vienna, as well as the Austrian Consulate General in Istanbul. She holds a MA degree in Political Science from the University of Vienna.  

Prior to joining BIOFIN, Emre worked at UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub as part of Operations Team as Finance Assistant, where he provided support to different IRH and HQ units in range of disbursements and budgetary issues. During his appointment with IRH, Emre completed his detail assignment with UNDP Executive Office in New York as Operations Associate, focusing mostly on finance and project management fields for Global Mayors’ Challenge project, funded by Bloomberg Foundation. Prior to UN, Emre worked for an I-NGO based in Turkey between 2016 and 2020 as Finance Officer.

Emre holds a BA in Political Science and an MBA from Istanbul University. His research during his MBA focused on managerial and organizational issues in I-NGOs based in Turkey.

Besides the professional life, Emre has passion for football, motorsports and financial markets and is a certified scuba and free diver.

Onat has joined the team where he supports project management, finance,budget planning, as well as portfolio monitoring and implementation. Before his tenure with UNDP, he worked with several international organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where he specialized in sustainable supply chain and information management. He also gained experience in the private sector, focusing on corporate governance and finance. Onat holds an MA degree in International Economics and Finance.

Muzaffer joined the BIOFIN team as our new Project Management Associate. With a background in managing operations of diverse international projects, Muzaffer brings over six years of UN experience from various roles at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub and the Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development (IICPSD). In these roles, he was responsible for overseeing administrative processes, financial management and procurement of projects and providing logistical support for national and international events.

Before joining UNDP, Muzaffer worked at the General Secretariat of Istanbul Exporters Association, where he participated in the organization of trade missions and international fairs and supported the International Competitiveness Enhancement Project aimed at increasing the export capacity of Turkish companies. He also worked as an EU expert at the Turkish Ministry of Trade, where he gained valuable experience in international diplomacy, negotiating international agreements and coordinating EU-funded projects.

Muzaffer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations and a Master’s degree in International Political Economy from the Marmara University.

He can be reached at muzaffer.kilic@undp.org.

Begum started her journey by studying Culinary and later pursued Hotel and Hospitality Management at Yildiz Technical University. With a sincere passion for event coordination and a solid background in tourism, she brings nearly a decade of experience to her role.

For the past 7 years, Begum has been dedicated to her work as a Travel and Events Associate at UNDP IRH. In this role, she took part in ensuring smooth travel arrangements of IRH staff and has successfully organized a variety of events, including conferences, corporate meetings, and cultural celebrations.  Her focus is not only on aligning these events with sustainable development goals but also on ensuring seamless travel arrangements for participants, creating positive and inclusive experiences.

Julia is a Research Fellow at the UNDP BIOFIN team, working on global biodiversity finance governance research and biodiversity finance instrument databases. She is also a doctoral researcher in the political economy of biodiversity financing at the Lund University in Sweden, and a senior advisor at the International Institute of Green Finance (IIGF). Prior to her PhD studies, she served as the Director of International Cooperation and a researcher at the IIGF, where she led research projects, conducted policy analysis, and engaged with stakeholders. She has a strong track record of working on research projects with international organizations such as ADB, IFC, GIZ, UN Women, CIFF, NRDC and WWF. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance, and a master’s degree in environmental studies and sustainability science.

Her UNDP email address will soon be shared with the team once ready.

urora is a professional with 6 years of experience in climate and environmental protection. Prior to BIOFIN, she served as a Sustainable Finance and Climate Policy consultant in Bruxelles, Belgium, supporting the European Commission and EU Member States in the implementation of the EU Green Deal. There she managed projects, performed qualitative and quantitative analysis, researches, and led stakeholder consultations. She is experienced both in the public and private sector, and with NGOs. Indeed, in her career she also contributed to environmental management and compliance for the European Parliament and private sector organizations.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Aurora has been a passionate climate advocate. She has taken part as "Italy Youth Climate Delegate" in international forums and high-level meetings, delivering workshops, speeches and organizing events in the context of the G7 and UNFCCC climate negotiations with high level speakers since COP26 in 2021.

She holds a MSc and BSc in Environmental and Land Engineering from Polytechnic of Turin, and her academic journey spans Italy, Sweden, and the USA. She enjoys hiking, learning from different cultures and swing dancing, in particular lindy hop. Aurora is joining the BIOFIN team as a UN fellow, a programme that selected young skilled professionals to carry out an assignment in field offices within the UN System.

She will be based in Istanbul, and once ready, her UNDP email address will be added to the BIOFIN Core emailing group.

Celeste joins the BIOFIN team as a BIOFIN Fellow sponsored by the United Nations Association in Canada International Internship Programme for Students. She is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in Canada specializing in International Development Studies. She has a strong passion for global development and sustainability and has actively engaged in leadership roles throughout her academic journey. Before moving to Istanbul, Celeste served as the Chair for the International Development Conference, an annual event at the University of Toronto which brought together 100+ experts, academics, and students to discuss pressing global development issues.

Celeste is enthusiastic about contributing her skills and knowledge to support the team in any capacity. She is eager to take on new challenges and collaborate closely with her colleagues to ensure the success of BIOFIN’s initiatives.

She can be reached at celeste.gutierrez@undp.org