Jorge Laguna-Celis is a diplomat, author and internationally renown expert on global sustainable development policies and sustainable development governance.
Jorge began his career in 2003 as an international consultant for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris where he worked for the Directorate of Public Governance and Territorial Development. In 2005 he joined the Mexican Foreign Service where he worked on international migration and development issues. From 2006 to 2010 he served as deputy chief of the Mexican Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya and deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). During that period, he was also appointed member of the High Level Advisory Panel of the Fifth Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5) in representation of the Latin American and the Caribbean region. From 2010 to 2013, Jorge was a lead negotiator during the Rio+20 Conference and senior delegate to the Second Committee of the General Assembly (UNGA) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) where he chaired negotiations of resolutions leading to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and the reform of the ECOSOC.
In June 2013 Jorge was appointed by the President of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. John W. Ashe, as his Senior Advisor for sustainable development and the post 2015 development agenda. In that capacity he was instrumental in preparing the ground for the process of negotiations leading to the September 2015 Summit that will agree on a new set of Sustainable Development Goals.
Jorge currently serves as Director of the Governance Affairs Office at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Jorge Laguna-Celis is author of numerous columns and publications on issues related to international affairs and sustainable development. His latest book, entitled “From Rio+20 to a New Development Agenda: Building a Bridge to a Sustainable Future”, was published in 2014 by Routledge. He holds a BA in International Relations from El Colegio de México, Mexico City, and an MA in International Trade from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po) Paris, where he was an Eiffel scholar. Jorge is a national of Mexico.