Mr UnniKrishnan Divakaran Nair

Assistant Director, Climate Change and Sustainability, Commonwealth Secretariat

Unnikrishnan Divakaran Nair serves as the Assistant Director of Climate Change and Sustainability at the Commonwealth Secretariat, where he steers the climate change program, emphasizing key initiatives like the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub, Commonwealth Geospatial Programme for Climate Action, the Commonwealth Climate and Gender Programme, and the Commonwealth Living Lands Charter. His focus extends to 56 small and vulnerable Commonwealth countries. Currently, he leads a dynamic 23-member technical advisory team, actively championing the implementation of climate action targets across Commonwealth member countries in the Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Caribbean regions.

Prior to his role at the Commonwealth, Mr. Nair served at the UNFCCC in Bonn, where he was responsible for National Adaptation Plans for Small Island States and Least Developed Countries. He also held a senior advisory position at GIZ India, managing climate finance and natural resource management under Indo-German bilateral cooperation. With over 21 years of experience in technical project management, policy formulation, climate negotiations, and resource mobilization, Mr Nair is an expert in climate finance and capacity building for low carbon and climate-resilient development, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and other vulnerable developing countries. His extensive background includes collaboration with civil society, community-based organizations, private sector entities, and bilateral and multilateral agencies across multiple countries.