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Jimena Leiva

Jimena Leiva Roesch joined IPI in April 2015. From 2009 to March 2015, Jimena was at the Permanent Mission of Guatemala to the UN in New York, where she last served as Counselor. Guatemala and Colombia were the first countries that developed the idea of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Jimena played a key role in crafting this global framework. She was also Guatemala’s lead negotiator for the Paris Agreement on climate change. Jimena represented the voice of the developing world in multiple negotiations at the UN. Jimena offers hands-on training on diplomacy and leadership in academic institutions around the world.

Jimena was an active member of Guatemala’s Security Council team from 2012-2013, when Guatemala was a non-permanent member. Jimena followed the Horn of Africa and the Sahel and the Sanctions Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992)/1907 (2009). She was also responsible for emerging issues, such as the security implications of climate change and the link between natural resources and conflict prevention.

She graduated from Wellesley College with a major in Political Science. While at Wellesley, she focused on the impacts of globalization on rural communities and food systems.