With 20 years of experience across government,civil society organizations, global non-State actor initiatives and the UN, her main focus within development has been climate and nature action. As the leader of the team covering nature and food systems at the Climate Champions and previously as co-lead for Nature-Based Solutions for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, she has convened and worked with partners on initiatives such as Nature Positive for Climate Action, the 2030 Breakthroughs for nature, Finance Sector for Deforestation Action, the Synergies Joint Statement on Climate, Nature and People and Food System Call to Action. Previously, she led the Secretariat for the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC) in UNFCCC negotiations on the Rulebook of the Paris Agreement after contributing to the Agreement’s adaptation regime. She was a lead climate negotiator for Costa Rica contributing to national climate plans and legislation whilst at The Nature Conservancy as a senior climate policy advisor where she helped set up sovereign debt instruments for nature action.
She is an economist specialised in development studies at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences and has a Masters in Development Studies from the ISS -Erasmus University. Irene is mother to Javi, a board advisor to Restor, a member of the Expert Peer review Group of Race to Zero focussing on elevating leadership practice to halt deforestation and a member of the Club of Rome.
