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In Memoriam: Orestes Plasencia (1965 – 2022)

A kind and quiet colleague with a warm heart and a strong sense of humour
Orestes Plasencia 1965 – 2022

With immense sadness, we announce the death of our colleague, Orestes Plasencia, who held the position of Editor at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity since 2014. Orestes left us suddenly on 5 January while in Miami, Florida.

Orestes gave a lifetime of service to the United Nations. Originally from Cuba, he joined the UN in 1987 at a General Service staff in New York and moved up the ladder, later working in Amman at ESCWA and in Bangkok at ESCAP. Orestes joined the Secretariat of the Convention in 2014 as the Editor and has led the editorial and translation team and recently the Conference Services unit.


Orestes was known as a kind and quiet colleague with a warm heart and a strong sense of humour. We appreciate his dedication and meticulous work, often over long hours and during intense intergovernmental meetings, which directly helped to ensure the highest quality in the outputs of the Convention.
 
Those who wish to share their memories of Orestes and to convey words of comfort for his extended family and friends are invited to do so by writing to secretariat@cbd.int.
 
Orestes’ passing is a devastating loss for the SCBD and he will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him.