List of Presenters

Coordinator of Operations in Pronatura Sur A.C., organization that serves as the GCF Task Force Country Coordinator in Mexico. Mexican with a degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in environmental studies and social development. More than 15 years of experience in institutional strengthening, planning, implementation, supervision and coordination of projects, programs and strategies on conservation and environmental issues. During her professional career, has collaborated in initiatives focused on environmental conservation, natural resource management and rural development. In the last 5 years, she has had the opportunity to support and participate in regional and international alliances and strategies linked to the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD +), through low emission rural development and restoration projects. What Silvia enjoys most of her work are the constant challenges that the interaction between environment and social development generate, which encourage her to be in constant search to strengthen her own abilities, and thus her work can have better impacts not only in her professional life but also in her personal life.

Virginia is coordinating SIWI´s partnership with UNICEF Latin American and Caribbean Regional Office for the Accountability for Sustainability Program. The program provides technical assistance around the enabling environment for attaining SDG 6 in 19 countries in the region. Her areas of expertise are Water Governance, Multi stakeholder processes and platforms, participatory diagnostic methodologies (such as WASHBAT), sectoral capacity building needs assessments and processes, etc.

Virginia has more than 25 years of fieldwork experience in Africa and in Latin America. She performed a broad variety of positions from engaging in environmental grass-root activism and policy influencing, to managing large-scale WASH Governance programs implemented in complex and conflict-prone areas of rural Mozambique. She coordinated cross cultural, international and interdisciplinary teams for decades. She holds an interest in innovation and change management.    

She holds a Master in Laws (LL.M.) from Rosario University (Argentina), and a M.Sc. in Environmental Management and Policy from the IIIEE at Lund University (Sweden). Virginia is an Argentinean national and speaks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

She has co-authored publications on accountability for fragile states, COVID-19 response in WASH, and sustainability standards.

Deissy is a social science researcher and brings over eight years of experience in disseminating science to support decision-making processes at all scales. Her work has focused on public policy processes, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable finance, social capital, enabling frameworks and mechanisms for scaling up. She is also the Regional Program Leader for Latin America in the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Deissy is an economist and international relations professional with a master’s degree in rural development. She is also pursuing a PhD in Human Geography at the University of Copenhagen.

Natalia Acero is the Water and Cities Director for Conservation International - Colombia. Natalia holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and Chemical Engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, and a Masters degree in Environmental Monitoring, Modelling and Management from King’s College in London, UK. Natalia has focused her research on understanding the multiple benefits that freshwater ecosystem services bring to people. She has worked for the past 8 years in places such as Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Cambodia, Madagascar, Liberia, and the Amazon Region. Her current work includes finding nature-based solutions for water supply and carrying out a freshwater ecosystem services strategy to support sustainable development and environmental protection goals in Colombia’s largest cities.