Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser
Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser is head of Centennial
Group's Social and Environmental practice. She is widely known for her
work on social and environmental policy and programs on all major regions
of the world. Dr. Koch-Weser is also founder and President of Earth3000,
a non-profit organisation defending environmental rights of future generations.
Earth3000 promotes understanding, commitment, programs and innovations
for salvaging the earth's basic assets for the survival of human kind
- climate, biological species, water, top soil, and ocean resources. Earth3000
promotes environmental security and long term systemic improvements in
local, national and global environmental governance. Convinced that the
next decades are of crucial importance for all future, Earth3000 seeks
forceful action to reverse present trends of loss and extinction.
Dr. Koch-Weser's field experience in international development
and environment spans the regions of South Asia, East Asia & Pacific,
Latin America & the Caribbean, West & East Africa, Middle East,
Eastern Europe & countries of the Former Soviet Union.
Prior to founding Earth3000, Dr. Koch-Weser was Director
General of IUCN -The World Conservation Union. Founded in 1948, IUCN -The
World Conservation Union is the world's largest umbrella organisation
of environmental institutions, bringing together a unique membership of
Governments and Government Agencies, and hundreds of civil society organisations.
From 1980-1998 Dr. Koch-Weser worked at the World Bank,
where she was closely associated with the build-up of environmental and
social programs and policies. In her most recent assignment she was Director
for Environmentally & Socially Sustainable Development for the Latin
America & Caribbean Region. Her previous World Bank assignments included
Chief of the Asia Environment and Natural Resources Management Division
(and simultaneous management of the World Bank's first Alternative Energy
Unit), and Chief of the Environmental Assessments & Programs Division
of the Environment Department. In earlier years she held positions as
Project Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist, and Sociologist,
with responsibilities for environment, agriculture and rural development
programs, as well as environmental and social safeguards associated with
energy, infrastructure, and mining projects.
During the early stages of her career, Dr. Koch-Weser taught
anthropology and Latin American Studies at George Washington University
in Washington D.C. Dr. Koch-Weser is an anthropologist. She holds a Ph.D.
from the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, where she studied Social Sciences
and Latin American History. A German national, Dr. Koch-Weser is fluent
in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and to a lesser extent in French and
Russian.
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