Daniela Rey Christen
Director, Climate Law and Policy

Daniela Rey Christen is the founding Director of Climate Law and Policy (CLP), an independent advisory organization that delivers country-led and evidence-based climate strategies, policies, and measures through effective and efficient climate governance frameworks. Daniela has over 18 years’ track record experience in environmental law and policy and her focus is to create harmony and find synergies between policy arenas that are traditionally tackled in silo, such as between climate change -mitigation and adaptation-, sustainable development, human rights and biodiversity conservation. Daniela is a leading global safeguard expert. Her key relevant experience includes supporting national and sub-national governments meet national and international policy commitments in relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG) safeguards, and supporting climate finance providers (e.g. The Green Climate Fund) and relevant Standards (TREES-ART) review, strengthen and adopt ESG safeguards’ instruments to validate and verify high-quality emission reductions efforts in the forest and land use sector.

Since 2013 she has supported 21 national and subnational governments on the identification, evaluation, and strengthening of their governance dimensions (e.g. legal, policy and institutional frameworks) to meet obligations under environmental and human rights conventions, in particular, under the UN Framework on Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). She has led the design and adoption of environmental, climate change and overall sustainable development programmes/projects (e.g. Climate Change Acts, National Adaptation Plans, REDD-plus strategies, Climate Finance Strategies, etc.), in countries around the world, including in Small Island Developing States (such as Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Sri Lanka). At the multilateral level, Daniela has provided ground-breaking strategic policy analysis and design support to multilateral funds and organizations in the context of enhanced climate action to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement and in acknowledgement of the complex climate financing landscape. Prior to CLP, Daniela has held a variety of roles in UN system, CSOs, and law firms. She holds an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford.