Diego Riaño

How did being in New York City impact your professional journey?

Being in NYC grants you access to many kinds of networks. In addition to meeting practitioners in the international development field—my main interest—I also had the opportunity to interact and learn from professionals in many other disciplines: people working in finance, business, urban planners and communication experts. As a result, my professional journey has been marked by my capacity to collaborate across a wide range of teams and disciplines.

Can you tell us a bit about your job responsibilities?

I am the C40 Head for the Sustainable Cities Impact Programme (SCIP), a global partnership between UNEP, WRI, ICLEI and C40. SCIP seeks to build capacity, share knowledge and raise climate leadership in Global South cities. I am responsible for coordinating C40’s engagement in the SCIP partnership on city finance, climate action planning and city-business collaboration

What impact do you hope to make through your career?

With over 56% of the human population living in urban areas, cities are fundamental to achieving the future we want and tackling some of our most pressing challenges such as climate change and inequality. Through my work, I expect to influence a new generation of interdisciplinary policies and plans that will turn urban challenges into opportunities to create an urban future that is green, just and prosperous.