Yasemin Biro Kirtman

Dr. Yasemin Biro Kirtman is an environmental economist with diverse experience in global environmental issues including climate, biodiversity, energy, and sustainable tourism.

She received her PhD in energy and resources at the University of California at Berkeley, her MA in economics at Tulane University, and her BA in economics and international relations at Cornell University. She also studied development economics at the London School of Economics.  

Yasemin joined the Global Environment Facility as a Climate Change Program Manager after working at the World Bank as a Young Professional. She oversaw the GEF’s renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport portfolios in Latin America and the Caribbean. She also prepared the GEF’s adaptation strategy and led its first adaptation portfolio. She developed the GEF’s Results-based Management Framework and led the pilot accreditation process to expand the partnership. She established the GEF’s first knowledge management team and created the GEF Academy for online learning.

Yasemin has also served as Senior Policy Advisor at the UN Foundation, Senior Staff Associate at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, and Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences and Secretary General of the EU Center at Istanbul Technical University.

Yasemin is a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Board of Directors. She speaks English, Turkish, and Spanish.