IUCN Statement | 02 Jun, 2020

IUCN congratulates Carlos Manuel Rodríguez on his appointment as CEO of the Global Environment Facility

The International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, extends its warm congratulations to Carlos Manuel Rodríguez on his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Photo: The GEF

Mr Rodriguez will succeed Naoko Ishii, under whose leadership IUCN became a GEF Implementing Agency and with whom it enjoyed a close and fruitful collaboration. IUCN would like to thank Ms Ishii for her critical contributions to nature conservation and the environment more broadly during her eight years as CEO.

Dr Grethel Aguilar, Acting Director General of IUCN said: “I am delighted by the news of Mr Rodríguez’s appointment. He is a major figure in nature conservation and a pioneer in implementing new and impactful initiatives to conserve the environment in our home country of Costa Rica and around the world. With the world facing an uncertain future and our planet’s fate hanging in the balance, he is just the profile the GEF needs to forge a constructive way forward.”

Mr Rodríguez, who has dedicated his life to environmental causes, has a long history of collaboration with IUCN. Throughout his impressive career, which includes twice serving as Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment, he has made major contributions to nature conservation. IUCN looks forward to continuing its work with the GEF under Mr Rodríguez’s leadership as together we continue to work for a sustainable, healthy planet.