Discover the power of forest data transparency for climate action

About our speakers:

ZHIMIN WU - Director, Forestry Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Zhimin Wu, from the People’s Republic of China, has an extensive background in the forestry sector, with 38 years’ experience in national and international forestry roles. Prior to his appointment at FAO, Mr Wu served as Director-General of the Wetland Management Department of China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) since 2019, while also Director-General of the Ramsar Administrative Authority of China.

Among other roles at national level, Mr. Wu also served as Director General for International Cooperation, Director General for Wildlife Conservation, NFGA of China. At the global level, he has also served as Vice Chairperson of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), and Deputy Director General and Board Member of International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR).

Zhimin Wu holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology from the Chinese Academy of Forestry, a Master of Forestry from the Australian National University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Zhengzhou University.  

XUEHONG WANG - Manager of Reporting and Review in the Transparency Division, UNFCCC secretariat

Dr. Xuehong Wang is the Manager of Reporting and Review in the Transparency Division at the UNFCCC secretariat. She has 30 years’ experience working on environmental management as well as climate change issues. Since she joined the UNFCCC secretariat in 2010, her work focused on implementing the transparency arrangements under the UNFCCC process. In particular, she leads on the system design in operationalizing the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement. Prior to joining the UNFCCC secretariat, she worked as a senior programme manager at the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation, a research fellow at the Australian National University, and a director of international cooperation at the Ministry of Forestry in China.

CHIZURU AOKI - Lead Environmental Specialist

Chizuru is Lead Environmental Specialist for the GEF Programming Unit, and is a member of the GEF’s Leadership Team. She heads GEF’s strategy development and representation in five global environmental agreements for which the GEF serves as the financial mechanism. She is also responsible for climate finance, and manages the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) Trust Fund.

Chizuru joined the GEF in 2010 and served as the Climate Change Mitigation Coordinator from 2011 to 2015. Prior to joining the GEF, she led one of the largest UN-led environmental interventions in post-conflict Iraq to facilitate ecosystem management and technology transfer for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She was a Fulbright Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), receiving her Ph.D in Technology, Management and Policy in 2002. Her work at MIT focused on innovation and technological change for sustainability in developing countries. Earlier in her career, she managed a program to promote cleaner production. Chizuru holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Rice University and a MS in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a citizen of Japan.

JOSÉ ARMANDO ALANÍS-DE LA ROSA

Manager of the National Forest Monitoring System, General Coordination of Planning and Information, National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), Mexico

José Armando is a forest engineer who graduated in 1989 from the Forest Sciences Division of Chapingo Autonomous University in Mexico.

He began his career as a forest inventory and management specialist, working in an organization that provided technical assistance to forest landowners; he also worked in state governments supporting the design and implementation of public programs to promote sustainable forest management.

Since 2008, he has been working in Mexico’s National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR); his experience includes working in the design and implementation of the National Program of Payment for Environmental Services (PSA), as well as working in matters related to international cooperation, and contributing to the design of Mexico’s national strategy for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).

Since 2019, he is the Manager of the National Forest Monitoring System, responsible for coordinating the implementation of the National Forest and Soils Inventory, the Satellite Forest Monitoring System (SAMOF), and the National Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification System of Mexico’s National Forestry Commission, as the main instruments for providing official information to support policy planning and decision-making processes in the forestry sector in Mexico.

He is currently the Chair of the Latin America and the Caribbean National Forest Inventory Network, a regional collaborative initiative for promoting technical cooperation and exchange among experts on national forest inventories and forest monitoring systems aimed to support capacity building and promote the transparency of forest related data.

PETER NDUATI

Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests, Kenya Forest Service, Kenya

Peter Nduati, the Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests at the Kenya Forest Service, is a seasoned forestry professional with extensive experience spanning over two decades, driving initiatives for Sustainable Forest Management and community involvement and participation. His leadership is evidenced by his role in support, facilitation and launching of Participatory Forest Management plans (PFMS) and collaborating on the co-management of mangrove ecosystems with local communities through the Kenya Forest Service. Additionally, he advocates for Kenya’s ambitious national strategy to achieve and maintain over 30% tree cover by 2032. Through his involvement in REDD+ readiness projects, forest assessment programs, and the establishment of the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS), Nduati exemplifies steadfast commitment to environmental conservation and holistic forest governance, solidifying his pivotal role in Kenya's forest conservation and management efforts.

JULIAN FOX

Senior Forestry Officer, Team Leader - Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Julian has 20 years’ experience in forest assessment as a leader of multi-disciplinary teams, manager of international and national projects, researcher, teacher, and technical specialist. Julian has 7 years’ experience living and working in developing countries managing international REDD+ forestry projects in Papua New Guinea and Zambia. Julian’s current position is Team Leader, Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). As Team Leader, Julian coordinates global normative National Forest Monitoring (NFM) work, global NFM tools (Open Foris suite, and SEPAL), and a significant portfolio of country support activities of the NFM team (active in forty-five countries). The Team supports countries on technical issues related to National Forest Monitoring Systems (NFMS), the development of cost effective and reliable Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) for REDD+ processes as well as SDG indicators.

PASCAL MARTINEZ

Senior Climate Change Specialist, Global Environment Facility (GEF)

Pascal Martinez is a French national who joined the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 2015 as Sr. Climate Change Specialist. Focusing on agriculture and forests, he contributes to the implementation of GEF strategy supporting developing countries to meet their commitments in the framework of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Building on his strong background on forests, he‘s leading the GEF works on Sustainable Forests Management, and he is actively engaged in the implementation of key GEF Programs related to forests, notably leading the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes and the Critical Forest Biomes in Mesoamerica Integrated Programs.

Over the past 20 years of his career, he has had the opportunity to develop activities in different areas of the natural resources management and the environment, particularly in the following areas: Sustainable Forests Management, biodiversity, agriculture and climate change. He worked for different kind of organizations: French ministries of environment and agriculture, French Embassies in Argentina and Chile, international organizations (FAO, ECLAC and now the GEF) and private sector. His diversified missions provided him with a broad range of experiences in the international cooperation for the sustainable development.

ROCÍO CÓNDOR GOLEC

Forestry Officer (Enhanced transparency framework), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Rocío Cóndor Golec is the Forestry Officer (Enhanced transparency framework) at FAO. She is currently coordinating the FAO/GEF CBIT-Forest global project aiming to make forest data transparent and accessible, and helping countries meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement's enhanced transparency framework (ETF). Rocío has 23 years of experience working at the national and international levels in measurement, reporting and verification under the UNFCCC and is currently supporting the implementation of the ETF at FAO. Rocío holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and a PhD in Forest Ecology.