Mr. Youba Sokona

Mr. Youba Sokona is currently working for the South Centre as a Special Advisor on Sustainable Development. The South Centre is an Intergovernmental Organization of Developing Countries intended to meet the need for analysis of development problems and experience, as well as to provide intellectual and policy support required by developing countries for collective and individual action, particularly in the international arena. Until end of May 2012 he was the Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) based at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. The ACPC is a joint initiative of the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Prior to leading the ACPC, he was the Executive Secretary of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) from June 2004 to May 2010. A citizen of Mali, his work focus is on the energy, environment and sustainable development nexus and he has broad experience in the African context in policy development. Before joining OSS, he worked for the “Environnement et Développement du Tiers Monde,” based in Dakar, Senegal. Prior to that, he served as professor at Ecole Nationale d’Ingenieur of Bamako in Mali. Throughout my career, he has served in various advisory capacities to African governments. He is one of the co-chairs of IPCC Working Group III for the Fifth Assessment Report and member of the Science Committee of Future Earth.