Gelila Terrefe Ms. Gelila Terrefe is a Senior Country Support Specialist for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support of UNDP.
In this role, Ms. Terrefe directs support to LDCs for national adaptation plans under the overall framework of the UNDP’s climate change adaptation portfolio of initiatives, financed by LDCF, SCCF, GCF, and other sources. Ms. Terrefe also manages the UNDP portion of the expanded phase of the LDCF-financed NAP Global Support Programme for LDCs, and ensures full coordination with the UNEP-led portion. She provides, sources and organizes direct technical assistance and strategic advice to Ministries of Finance and Environment on formulation and implementation of adaptation plans, and identifies strategic opportunities for programming support from vertical funds. Prior to her current role at UNDP, until mid-2016, Ms. Terrefe led the sub-team in the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team (CCST) at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG), responsible for the UN Secretary-General’s (UNSG)’s engagements with Government leaders and with intergovernmental processes on climate change, including through the UNFCCC. This included analytical and policy advice support to the UNSG, in his engagement of Government leaders in the lead-up to the Paris Agreement on climate change. In this role, Ms. Terrefe also held some management responsibilities.
Ms. Terrefe has over 15 years of experience with the United Nations, in the Executive Office of the Secretary General 2008-2010 and 2013-2016 as well as in UNDP in the interim years since 2001, both at headquarters and country-level, in Policy Advisory and Project Management roles in the areas of climate change and biodiversity.
Ms. Terrefe holds a Masters in Environmental Studies, Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degrees from the University of Toronto and York University in Canada.