Milena Gonzalez Vasquez

Milena Gonzalez Vasquez is coordinating the climate change mitigation team at the Global Environment Facility. She has 13 years of experience supporting countries’ transitions to low-emission and resilient development pathways, and mobilizing climate finance, including nearly seven years at the GEF (2014-2021) where she reviewed mitigation project proposals spanning energy, transport, forestry, and climate-smart agriculture. She also supported the UNFCCC engagement on capacity-building, transparency, and reporting, assisting with the operationalization of the Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) and financing options for Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) under the Paris Agreement.

Prio to rejoining the GEF, Milena served as Regional Focal Point for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank, supporting climate mainstreaming across operations in the region. She contributed to the corporate Paris Alignment commitment, coordinated the transport sector working group and provided technical guidance to align transport projects with the goals of the Paris Agreement. At the Outcomes Department, she co-led the delivery of the WBG Results Narratives for FY25, complementing the Corporate Scorecard indicators, coordinating across the World Bank, IFC, and MIGA. Earlier in her career, she conducted research and analysis on climate and sustainable energy at the Worldwatch Institute.

Milena graduated from Stanford University with an MS in civil and environmental engineering (with a focus on atmosphere and energy) and a BS in chemical engineering.