Dr. Paola Agostini is a Lead Natural Resources Economist in the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Region-Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice. Paola Agostini leads programs and projects in Central Asia that help to reverse land degradation, increase resilience of people, ecosystems and infrastructures; and works in the Black Sea region on a program to reduce pollution and increase resilience to climate change. Agostini is also coordinating the ECCA30 partnership for the World Bank with a special focus to restore 30 million hectares of degraded landscapes by 2030 in Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.
Previously Doctor Agostini was the Global Lead for Forests, Landscapes and Ecosystems for the World Bank, looking at projects and programs that try to improve connectivity of Protected Areas, forests, agroforestry, Rangeland and agriculture land for the increase of productivity.
Paola Agostini coordinated TerrAfrica, a regional partnership program in over 26 Sub-Saharan countries that promotes Sustainable Land and Water Management to help reduce poverty, improve livelihoods, and encourage resilient landscapes development.
Paola Agostini also coordinated the multisectorial REDD+ Program in Africa (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) supported by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, the Forest Investment Program and the BioCarbon Fund. REDD+ fosters conservation, sustainable management of forests, and community forestry by looking at the drivers of deforestation and working with public and private sector for a deforestation-free development. Paola Agostini was the coordinator for the GEF Program in Latin America and Africa, overseeing a portfolio of over 100 projects dealing with Climate Change, Biodiversity, Land Degradation, Chemicals and International Waters.
Paola Agostini holds a PhD in Economics from the University of California San Diego, and a Master of Art in Economic and Social Sciences from Universita Bocconi, Milan, Italy.