Project Description
Dr Cyriaque Nikuze Sendashonga (commonly known as “Cyrie”) is a dual Rwandan/Canadian citizen, with a PhD in Zoology from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. She is currently retired after a long career spanning over 30 years in intergovernmental/international organizations, focusing on global policy and governance of biodiversity. She notably worked with the following:
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, September 2010 โ January 2021) as Global Director in charge of Programme and Policy, based at the IUCN Headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.
- The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR, February 2006 – July 2010) as Regional Coordinator for the Central Africa Regional Office, based in Yaounde, Cameroon.
- The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1999 – 2005) as Head of the Biosafety Programme, based in Montreal, Canada.
- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, 1991-1998) headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, where she focused on biodiversity-related activities that involved her work as Portfolio Coordinator for UNEP-implemented biodiversity projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
- The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI โ part of the Consortium on International Agricultural Research), based in Nairobi, where she conducted the research for her PhD thesis and subsequently worked as a post-doctoral scientist (1979-1986).
She also briefly held the position of Interim Director for the Luc Hoffmann Institute (Switzerland) from June 2022 to February 2023. She has served on several prestigious panels and initiatives dealing with nature conservation and global environmental governance.