Gabriela Selene Défaz Visuete

Ecuador In-Country Facilitator

Gabriela Selene Défaz Visuete is the NDC Partnership In-Country Facilitator for Ecuador embedded in the Ministry of Environment and Water. She holds an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering from the Central University of Ecuador as well as two master’s degrees, one in International Relations and Diplomacy from the National Institute for Higher Studies (IAEN) and the other in Climate Change and Environmental Negotiation from Universidad Andina Simon Bolívar. Selene has more than six years of public and independent experience in the environmental sector. She has provided support and technical recommendations for planning, programming, and project execution, as well as collection, calculation, analysis and generation of environmental indicators and incentives. She played an instrumental role in the adoption and signing of the Escazú Agreement, considered as the first regional environmental agreement, and provided support to the National Climate Change Adaptation Project (PLANACC) in the construction of the Implementation Plan for Ecuador’s First Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).  

This position is supported by NDC Support Program and UNDP.