The Santiago network secretariat is co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and UNOPS.
Carolina Fuentes Castellanos will join the Santiago network secretariat as its inaugural Director from 1 November 2024. The appointment follows a competitive recruitment process conducted by the co-hosts of the secretariat, UNDRR and UNOPS, and endorsement by the network's Advisory Board. The Santiago network secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
With over 25 years of experience in sustainable development, climate policy and finance, Carolina's work has spanned national and international levels, including a decade-long tenure at the Green Climate Fund (GCF). As a member of the Senior Management Team, she played a pivotal role in establishing the GCF and shaping its operations, with a focus on fostering strong relationships with developing countries and stakeholders. Prior to her work with GCF, Carolina held senior positions in the Mexican government, including Deputy Director General for International Cooperation and Director for Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
"This appointment is an honour and a responsibility that I take with pride, humility, drive, respect and a strong commitment. I will spare no effort to advance and deliver on the Santiago network vision and high-level objectives, ensuring that, together, we set a precedent for how international collaboration can drive progress on responding to loss and damage guided by developing countries priorities and needs. I look forward to working with the Advisory Board, secretariat and co-hosts of the Santiago network to fulfill its vital vision," said Carolina Fuentes.
The Santiago network plays a crucial role in enhancing the delivery of action and support through technical assistance to address climate change impacts in developing countries. The network catalyzes technical assistance from organizations, bodies, networks and experts to support developing countries in averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse impacts of climate change at the local, national and regional levels.
The Co-Chairs of the Santiago network Advisory Board, Akio Takemoto and Alpha Kaloga, said, "We are pleased to welcome Carolina to the Santiago network and look forward to working with her in support of developing countries and vulnerable communities most affected by the impacts of climate-induced loss and damage. Carolina's extensive experience will be an asset to the network and we are confident that with its Director in place, the Santiago network can accelerate efforts to provide technical assistance to those who need it most."
The Santiago network was established in December 2019, as part of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts. The WIM is the principal institutional arrangement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for enhancing understanding, coherence, coordination, action and support for averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with climate change impacts in developing countries.
UNDRR and UNOPS were selected as co-hosts of the Santiago network in December 2023. Since then, an interim secretariat, supported by both co-hosts, has been working to operationalize the network. The appointment of the Director marks a key step forward for the Santiago network.
"UNOPS is committed to supporting developing countries to accelerate their climate action, from mitigation and adaptation efforts to addressing loss and damage needs. We welcome the appointment of Carolina Fuentes Castellanos as the Director of the Santiago network secretariat. The skills, experience and the vision she brings to this role are crucial in the joint efforts to advance the critical agenda of climate loss and damage," said Jorge Moreira da Silva, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director.
"The growing climate crisis requires us to raise our ambitions to meet the challenges ahead. A key component of that is ensuring developing countries have the technical capacity to understand and act on the climate risks they face to minimize their impact. That is the promise of the Santiago network and with the appointment of its Director we are now a step closer to delivering on that," said Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR.