Fleur Downard

Fleur Downard is Director of the International Environment and UN Section in the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. In this role she leads Australia’s engagement in multilateral environmental fora including the UN Environment Program, the G20 Environment track, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, the Environment Policy Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the UNCCD. She currently serves as Chair of the Australian Committee for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

She is Australia’s UNCCD National Focal Point and was a member of the UNCCD Intergovernmental Working Group for the mid-term evaluation of the 2018–2030 Strategic Framework. She led the Australian negotiating team at UNCCD COP16 and was Alternate Head of Delegation.

Fleur is a qualified lawyer and has worked in both private practice and in-house roles within government. After completing a Master of Environmental Law in 2010 she joined the former Australian Department of Environment and has worked across the environment and water portfolios for the past fourteen years.