Juan brings over 25 years of experience in environmental affairs, with emphasis on biodiversity, collaborative networks and science-policy platforms. He began his career at the Humboldt Institute in Colombia, where he led several national knowledge management initiatives to support the country's policies and decisions on biodiversity. Such an experience took him first to UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center in Cambridge, and then to the Secretariat of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) in Copenhagen. At GBIF, Juan worked with over 60 developed and developing countries in the establishment of their national biodiversity data infrastructures, and led capacity enhancement projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Juan joined UNEP in 2015 as Coordinator of the Science Division for Latin America and the Caribbean, serving as focal point for the Global Environmental Outlook process, and providing leadership to other regional initiatives related to environmental data and assessments. In 2017, he was appointed head of UNEP´s office in Colombia and regional focal point for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. In that capacity, he has represented UNEP in several UN Country Teams, giving him practical experience in the implementation of the UN Development System reform at the country-level, including the preparation of Common Country Analysis, as well as the formulation, negotiation and implementation of Cooperation Frameworks. In October 2021, I have temporarily joined UNEP´s Executive Office in Nairobi to coordinate the commemoration of UNEP´s fiftieth anniversary (UNEP@50).
Juan is a biologist from Colombia and holds an Executive Master´s degree in International Negotiation and Policy from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies of Geneva, Switzerland.
