Welcome to the CBD Secretariat

Calestous Juma 
(1995-1998)


Calestous Juma was a Professor of the Practice of International Development at Harvard University. He also held the position of Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity from 1995 to 1998.

He was the founder of the first independent policy research institution in Africa focused on environmental and technology issues, the African Centre for Technology Studies, or ACTS. His work focussed on the relationships between technological innovation and biodiversity conservation and he worked diligently to promote the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. He was the first environment and science journalist in East Africa in the late 1970s and played a critical role in raising awareness of environmental issues in the region.

In 2005, Juma was selected to co-chair the African Panel on Biotechnology (APB). The APB designed an African policy and strategy for biotechnology and provided comprehensive and independent science policy advice to the African Union (AU).

More about Dr. Juma
Twitter | ResearchGate | LinkedIn | Calestous Juma Legacy Foundation