Maria Alejandra Riaño is an associate researcher at IDDRI on financing sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Maria Alejandra was a research fellow in the Governance program. Her work focused on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and assessment of the policies, strategies and mechanisms for financing sustainable development in developing countries.
She has experience in environmental public policy, international negotiations, cooperation agreements and national and international environmental regulation processes. Furthermore, has a track record in managing relations with government, private organisations and NGOs. Before joining IDDRI, she led the policy work of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Colombia, focusing on Nature Based Solutions, water security and sustainable land-use management. She also worked for more than 5 years as a public servant in the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the National Planning Department and the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation- APC Colombia, as OECD’s environmental accession coordinator, as part of the Rio+20 Colombian delegation, supporting the implementation the 2030 Agenda, among others.
Maria Alejandra holds a J.D. from Los Andes University in Colombia and a Master´s Degree in International Law from the same University. She was a Chevening Fellow in 2014-2015 and received her MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Maria Alejandra speaks Spanish, English and French.
