Melissa Barandiaran

Melissa Barandiaran is a Peruvian national and a Senior Environmental Specialist for the Environmental and Social Safeguards Unit (ESG) at the Inter-American Development Bank. She currently leads the ESG disaster risk theme and is part of the Resilience Practice Community, a multidisciplinary group focused on disaster risk and climate change. Melissa has worked on complex projects in Haiti, Mexico, Guyana, Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and other Latin American countries, primarily in the transportation, urban development, housing, water, and sanitation sectors. She holds a Master's in Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Environment and Energy from Columbia University, NY. Melissa has over seven years of experience at the IDB and previously worked at the Ministry of Production in Peru, focusing on public policies related to petrochemicals, renewable energy, and biofuels. Her expertise includes ESG risk management, environmental and social safeguards policies, climate change, and disaster risk management. She teaches courses on decision-making and governance of natural disaster risk, emphasizing the importance of resilient practices in managing environmental challenges.