DESIGNERS OF DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS

Ma. Lourdes Lagarde

Board Member

Profession: Sustainable Development Expert; Environmental Policy Specialist; Development Practitioner

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Ma. Lourdes Lagarde is a development practitioner with over three decades of experience in advancing environmental sustainability and integrating it into development planning and governance. Her work has consistently focused on promoting the mainstreaming of sustainable development in policy and decision-making processes across national and international institutions.

Ms. Lagarde has played a significant role in shaping sustainability discourse in the Philippines through her involvement with the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), where she contributed to development planning and policy integration. Her international experience includes work with the United Nations Secretariat in New York, where she was involved in drafting intergovernmental agreements and action plans on sustainable development. She also contributed to environmental program coordination at the Environment Canada, further strengthening her global perspective on environmental governance.

 

Her professional journey spans academe, government, and international organizations. She has taught at University of the Philippines Los Baños, bringing academic rigor into her work, while her experience in development planning and international negotiations has provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the institutional and policy dimensions of sustainability.

Currently, Ms. Lagarde’s work is centered on enhancing how sustainability concepts are communicated and understood. She is particularly interested in exploring the intersection of art, humanities, and communication to make complex ideas on growth and development more accessible and impactful. Her advocacy emphasizes the importance of creative communication in advancing environmental awareness and influencing policy and public engagement.

At Brain Trust Inc., she contributes her expertise in sustainable development, policy integration, and knowledge communication. Through her multidisciplinary approach, Ms. Lagarde continues to champion innovative ways of embedding environmental considerations into development thinking and practice.