Who Writes the Rules? Diplomacy, Science and Nature at the United Nations

Join Us for a Fireside Chat with Sofie Sandström Jaffe, a leading expert in international environmental policy

Who shapes global agreements, and how are decisions made at the United Nations? Drawing on her experience representing Finland and the European Union in the UN's Second Committee and her current role as Permanent Observer of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the UN, Sofie Sandström Jaffe will share insights into how diplomacy, scientific expertise, and international negotiations shape global policymaking, including efforts to advance nature and biodiversity conservation.

A reception will be held after the fireside chat in Atkinson Hall. Please register to attend and stay updated about this event.

This event is part of the Cornell Climate Impact Speaker Series, presented by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability in collaboration with the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

About the Speaker

Sofie Sandström Jaffe is the Permanent Observer of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the United Nations, where she represents IUCN in UN policy processes and works to advance nature and biodiversity conservation across the wider UN agenda. Before joining IUCN, she was Senior Adviser on climate, environment and sustainable development at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN, representing Finland and the European Union in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) from 2019. Earlier, she was a Project Officer at the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva and Nairobi, and spent nearly a decade in humanitarian and development roles in Kenya, Somalia and the United Kingdom, including with Oxfam. Dr. Sandström Jaffe holds a Ph.D. in biological and environmental science from the University of Helsinki.