Laura Lopez

Laura is the Director of Conference Affairs at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - the UN’s primary body focused on developing and monitoring global policy on climate change issues, based in Bonn, Germany. As Director of Conference Affairs, she is responsible for setting standards and working with host countries to deliver the largest annual meeting in the UN system, known as the Conference of the Parties, or COP, which attracts more than 25,000 participants over a two-week period.

This year, COP 26 is scheduled to be held in Glasgow, Scotland.

Before moving to the UNFCCC, Laura worked at the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in Santiago, Chile, and for the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), based in Bangkok, Thailand. Although trained as a journalist and serving in several communications positions in these duty stations, her UN experience has also allowed her to take on roles in a wide variety of areas – as Chief Editor, Secretary of the Commission, Chief of Staff, and Director of Social Development.

In her pre-UN life, Laura worked for TIME Magazine as a reporter, writer, and Bureau Chief, with postings in Managua, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro, and extensive work-related travel throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.