Zipora Otieno

Born and raised in Kenya, Zipora’s childhood experience ignited her interest in climate change adaptation and natural resource management. She is passionate about designing policies and strategies geared toward helping vulnerable communities effectively manage climate risk. Prior to Princeton, Zipora worked as a Task Manager and Climate Change Adaptation Specialist at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters, supporting countries to harness nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Before that, she served in leadership positions at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as a Country Programme Coordinator, Chief Technical Advisor, Regional Coordinator and Climate Change Expert, leading the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of complex cross-sectoral projects and policies. She also had an exciting stint at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) where she was recognized for her outstanding performance and received the Outstanding Achievement Award. She has a lot of experience working on integrated climate resilience programming, national adaptation planning, and cross-disciplinary project development in sub-Saharan Africa. Zipora's recent work has been focused on supporting countries to formulate and implement climate policies and projects in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. She is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), a leading global policy think-tank in international law, environmental governance and international security. She is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys mentoring young women and girls.