Speaker

Mary M. Matthews, PhD has been working in the water field since 1995. Trained as social scientist with a background in both ecology and political economy, she has been active in academia, the public and private sector as an advocate for innovations and multistakeholder stakeholder engagement in environmental and water management throughout her career. Her approach to water resources and strategies emphasizes positive sum cooperation to enhance the ecological, social, and economic aspects for national and regional integrated water resources management, through sustainable institutional design. Mary’s experience in water spans projects in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union states, Africa, the Caribbean, and Middle East working with UNDP, World Bank, USAID, UNECE, US MCC, EBRD, IFC, EU and bilateral donors, private sector, and confidential clients. She has a track record of applying innovative approaches to support empowering solutions to challenges in inclusive, effective integrates resources water management. As the UNDP Senior Technical Advisor on Water Governance and Resources Management, ad interim, her focus is on facilitating the replication and upscaling of sustainable water solutions between countries across the UNDP Global Network. She actively facilitates coordination with other UN-Water Agencies, the public and private sector to collaboratively meet governments, global ecosystems, and stakeholders needs for improved water management in response to climate change impacts. Mary has specialization in building incentives for multisectoral national and transboundary water management, water diplomacy, and is a certified mediator.