Mesa Puyo brings a background in economic development and climate policy to the world’s largest public environmental fund. He moves to the GEF from the International Monetary Fund, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Climate Policy Division. His tenure as Colombia’s energy minister between 2018 and 2022 was defined by a push for market reform, which successfully attracted over $3 billion in private investment to accelerate renewable energy deployment in the region.

The organization currently oversees a $3.9 billion replenishment of its trust fund, a portfolio designed to support multilateral conventions on biodiversity, climate change, and pollution. Mesa Puyo emphasized the necessity of bridging the gap between national ambition and tangible outcomes. Since its inception, the GEF has provided more than $27 billion in grants and catalyzed an additional $155 billion for projects aimed at reversing environmental degradation.