On March 6, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) announced its list of "16 women restoring the earth". The list recognizes women that are making huge strides in their respective fields that are of vital importance to protecting the planet. The list was announced this year in conjunction with preparations for International Women's Day on March 8.
Dr. Jyotsna Puri (Jo), a 2006 PhD graduate from AGNR's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics (AREC), was recognized for her outstanding work at the Green Climate Fund - the world's largest climate fund which has been running now for more than a decade - and many years in the evaluation community. Three years ago, Jo was brought in to head the Fund’s Independent Evaluation Unit, analyzing its machinery to make sure it’s staying on track.
“Faster, smarter, better is basically what I think about all the time,” says Puri, who spent more than 20 years prior bouncing between the World Bank, branches of the United Nations, teaching positions at Colombia University and authoring multiple books.
Yet what makes Puri exceptional as an evaluator is that in order to push toward optimum impact and efficiency of the Fund’s resources, she goes a step beyond the data to the “three b’s,” as she likes to say: bias, benefits and behavior. How do these affect people’s decisions on how they treat the planet? And how can the Green Climate Fund address this fundamental issue rather than the symptoms?
“Climate change is your best example of inaction of those who have all the knowledge,” she says. “People change behavior when you set up the incentives and when you set up the infrastructure to make change possible.”
A recent interview with Jo
For more information on Jo, the news section of the Independent Evaluation Unit of the Green Climate Fund website has a good collection of links to news updates, blogs, podcasts, and interviews.
