Yvonne Walz

Yvonne Walz is the Head of the Environmental Vulnerability and Ecosystem Services (EVES) division of UNU-EHS. She has expertise in conceptualizing, identifying, planning and evaluating ecosystem-based approaches to address multiple goals, such as disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). She also leads research in the field of climate and disaster-related losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services. 

Her research aims to support countries in monitoring progress toward the implementation of international frameworks and conventions, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the LDN Target Setting Program, the Global Biodiversity Framework, or the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. Ms. Walz has been leading multiple projects for UNCCD with a thematic focus on analyzing the coherence and alignment of sustainable land management approaches, promoting synergies between LDN and climate change adaptation, or developing guidance to harmonize actions for land restoration through linking social protection, financial inclusion and disaster risk finance.

Yvonne Walz is the focal point of UNU for collaboration with UNCCD, a member of the Non-economic Expert Group under the UNFCCC Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, and represents UNU-EHS as focal point in relevant networks such as the Partnership for Environment and Disaster Risk Reduction (PEDRR) or the Friends of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (FEBA).