Franz Tattenbach
Distinguished Fellow
Franz Tattenbach is a Distinguished Fellow of IISD following his term as President and CEO from 2010-2012. He is a public policy entrepreneur and regarded as an innovator and leading negotiator of change for sustainable development.
He has provided critical leadership in putting new ideas into practice through the development of institutional and governance frameworks. He is one of the lead architects and creators of international carbon markets, including the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. He led the development of the world’s first market for payments for ecosystems services. Prior to joining IISD, Tattenbach served as the executive director of FUNDECOR, renowned for its work in reversing deforestation and the establishment of sustainable management of tropical forests. He is also well known within the UNFCCC as the former climate change ambassador and lead negotiator for Costa Rica. The G77 and China nominated Tattenbach to the first CDM Executive Board where he represented the non-Annex I countries and also served as vice-chair. He is an economist and specialist in sustainable development, conservation and peace science, and has completed post-graduate studies at Cornell University. In addition, Tattenbach has been a consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Development Program and World Bank.