7 June 2012: In a unanimous decision, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council appointed Naoko Ishii (Japan) as its new CEO and Chairperson. She succeeds Monique Barbut (France), who departs at the conclusion of her second term as Head of the GEF.

Naoko Ishii is currently the Deputy Vice Minister of Finance and the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan for Global Affairs. Her term as fourth CEO of the GEF will start on 1 August 2012. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Vice Minister of Finance, Ishii served as the World Bank’s Country Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives, stationed in Colombo. In that role she developed a conflict sensitive approach and formed a coalition among a wide range of stakeholders.

Over the course of a 30-year career, Ishii has spent half of that time in institutions focusing on development including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Harvard Institute for International Development. She has also held senior positions throughout her career in the Japanese Ministry of Finance. She has been awarded the Okita Memorial Prize for International Development Research. [GEF Press Release]