Due to the demands of her role as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) announced today that Mrs Elizabeth Maruma Mrema is stepping down from her role as TNFD Co-Chair. The process of identifying and selecting a new Co-Chair of the TNFD has now commenced. Mrs Mrema will however continue to support the TNFD in the capacity of a senior adviser alongside eight other senior advisers also announced.

Mrs Mrema has held the role of Co-Chair since the TNFD was launched in June 2021. Together with her Co-Chair, David Craig, she has steered the TNFD Taskforce through the design and development phase of the TNFD Framework, while overseeing the negotiations for the Global Biodiversity Framework in her role as Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat leading to its adoption at COP 15 in Montreal in 2022.

“It has been an honour to lead the Taskforce with my fellow Co-Chair, David Craig. I am particularly delighted that the final Recommendations serve as a mechanism to operationalise the objective of Target 15 of the Global Biodiversity Framework. In just over two years, we have delivered the Recommendations and have also welcomed our first cohort of Early Adopters of the TNFD. These extraordinary achievements are the result of the collective efforts of my colleagues in the Taskforce and I wish them every success as they embark on the next phase of work.” – Elizabeth Maruma Mrema

David Craig said, “Elizabeth’s leadership and support of the Taskforce over the past two years demonstrates a real dedication that has been even more remarkable given that she has also been driving change on the global stage in her policy making roles. I have enjoyed working alongside Elizabeth as Co-Chair, and the Taskforce and I value her contributions enormously. She has counselled the Taskforce with enthusiasm and contributed her powerful intellect and insights, and always shares her warmth and good humour. I am delighted that the Taskforce will continue to have access to Elizabeth’s strategic counsel as a senior adviser.”

The TNFD also announced the appointment of eight other senior advisers to advise the TNFD Co-Chairs, Taskforce members and Executive Director on the next phase of TNFD’s work encouraging voluntary market adoption and supporting knowledge and capability building efforts.

The Taskforce will benefit from the multi-disciplinary experience and strategic counsel provided by this small group of senior advisers who are aligned with our mission and help to inform and amplify our stakeholder engagement activities.

Related Article: Schroders Commits to TNFD Early Adopters, Advancing Nature-Focused Finance

The newly appointed Senior Advisers are:

• Andre Hoffmann, Vice-Chair, Roche and Board member, WEF, Capitals Coalition and B-Team
• Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Andrew Mitchell, Founder, Global Canopy
• Hiro Mizuno, CEO, Good Stewards Partners and former CIO, Government Pension Investment Fund of Japan
• Lucy Mulenkei, Co-Chair, International Indigenous Forum for Biodiversity (IIFB)
• Paul Polman, Business Leader and co-author of ‘Net Positive’
• Curtis Ravenel, Senior Adviser GFANZ, TCFD and NZDPU
• Rhian-Mari Thomas, CEO, Green Finance Institute
• Simon Zadek, Co-CEO, NatureFinance