Peter Holmgren

Peter Holmgren is the Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), where he leads a team of more than 200 scientists and staff operating in or conducting research in more than 45 countries. Prior to CIFOR, he worked at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), where assignments included leading and developing the profile and coordination of FAO’s climate change work and FAO’s contributions to the UNFCCC process. At the FAO he also coordinated Global Forest Resources Assessment, played a leading role in establishing the UN-REDD programme and led the development of the Climate Smart Agriculture concept. He is credited for leading the dialogue to enhance the role of forests in the global development agenda to address the major issues of our time: poverty, food security, climate change and green economy. A champion of the landscape approach, he also launched the Global Landscapes Forum, which has become the world’s largest conference on integrated land use. Mr. Holmgren has a PhD in Forestry and 25 years of experience in international forestry and agriculture.