Bonizella Biagini Dr. Bonizella (Boni) Biagini currently manages the UNDP’s Programme on Climate Information for Resilient Development in Africa (CIRDA). This regional programme engages with government ministries and national hydrometeorological services from 11 of Africa’s Least Developed Countries to leverage new approaches and appropriate technologies to produce sustainable long-term solutions for providing weather and climate information to vulnerable communities and key decision makers at local and national levels.
Prior to joining UNDP in 2014, Dr. Biagini worked at the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for 12 years, leading the creation and development of the GEF Adaptation program and project portfolio. She was the senior official responsible for mobilizing resources for the first two dedicated adaptation funds: the Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), which together have received donor support of $1.5 billion. Before joining the GEF, Dr. Biagini worked at several NGOs including the Climate, Energy and Pollution Program at the World Resources Institute and the international office of Legambiente, a leading Italian environmental research organization.
A physicist by training, Dr. Biagini has worked on climate change and other global environmental issues for 25 years in Europe, the United States, Africa, Asia, and several small island states. In addition to her technical skills, her background encompasses an unusual combination of operational experience on the ground and high-level participation in international environmental meetings including the Earth Summit and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Dr. Biagini was a contributor to the IPCC Third and Fourth Assessment Reports on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and the author of numerous publications on climate change science and policy, including the report “Confronting Climate Change, Economic Priorities and Climate Protection in Developing Nations.” (Biagini, 2000). She is the lead author of three recent articles documenting experiences resulting from climate change adaptation projects: “Engaging the Private Sector in Adaptation to Climate Change in Developing Countries” (Biagini, Miller, 2013), “A Typology of Adaptation Actions: A Global Look at Climate Adaptation Actions Financed Through the Global Environment Facility” (Biagini, Bierbaum, Stults, Dobardzic, McNeeley, 2014); and “Technology Transfer for Adaptation” (Biagini, Kuhl, Sims Gallagher, Ortiz, 2014).