Mesa Puyo brings a background in economic development and climate policy to the world’s largest public environmental fund. He moves to the GEF from the International Monetary Fund, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Climate Policy Division. His tenure as Colombia’s energy minister between 2018 and 2022 was defined by a push for market reform, which successfully attracted over $3 billion in private investment to accelerate renewable energy deployment in the region.
Diego Mesa Puyo Tapped to Lead Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility Council has named former Colombian Minister of Energy and Mines Diego Mesa Puyo as its next CEO and Chairperson. Tasked with guiding the organization through its four-year GEF-9 funding cycle, Mesa Puyo steps into the role as international pressure mounts to reach critical 2030 environmental targets.
The organization currently oversees a $3.9 billion replenishment of its trust fund, a portfolio designed to support multilateral conventions on biodiversity, climate change, and pollution. Mesa Puyo emphasized the necessity of bridging the gap between national ambition and tangible outcomes. Since its inception, the GEF has provided more than $27 billion in grants and catalyzed an additional $155 billion for projects aimed at reversing environmental degradation.
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