Regional Director of Science for LAC Region, UNESCO

A forest engineer, with a Master and Doctorate in Forest and Wood Sciences from Colorado State University in the USA, born in Mozambique, and staff of Eduardo Mondlane University since graduation in Forest Engineering in 1981. She has held senior positions in Mozambique such as Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of Eduardo Mondlane University and Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology. She joined UNESCO in November 2009 as Director for Science Policy and Sustainable Development, in Paris, and currently she is the UNESCO Regional Director for Sciences in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Her areas of expertise range from forestry and sustainable management of Natural Resources to Higher Education, Science and Technology policies and programmes as part of public policies for sustainable development. She has chaired several commissions and task teams in particular in Higher Education and STI for Sustainable Development. She co-chaired the Scientific Organizing Committee for Planet under Pressure Conference in London, a major conference for the preparation of Rio+20, and she has been a member of several international Boards such as African Foresters Forum Governing Board, UNU Governing Board, CHET Board, Stockholm Environmental Institute Governing Board, Bioversity Governing Board among others. Currently she is the co-chair of the Organizing Committee for the Open Science Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean (CILAC).