Dr. Daniel Ortega Pacheco
Daniel is the director of the Center for Public Policy Development at ESPOL Polytechnic University in Ecuador. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the Glenn College at The Ohio State University, a M.Sc in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University and a B.Sc. in Agricultural Science from EARTH University. He served as Minister of Environment (2016) and Undersecretary General for Political Management (2017) for the Ecuadorian Government. During his appointment as Minister he focused on mobilizing youth around sustainability values. Daniel created the first Marine Sanctuary for hammerhead sharks in the Galapagos Islands and promoted Guayaquil’s waterway - Estero Salado - clean-up process. He also established a national strategy to achieve net zero deforestation by 2020 and a National Strategy for Biodiversity that includes the development of the bioeconomy and its contribution up to 25% of Industrial GDP.
At the National Secretary of Political Management, Ortega focused on strengthening national governance at territorial level and conflict resolution on natural and nonrenewable resources management. In 2015, Daniel Ortega served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Deputy National Coordinator of Ecuador's pro-tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the regional bloc of 33 countries. From 2010 to 2015, Ortega played an active role in international relations serving as lead negotiator during major international agreements on sustainable development, human rights and climate change and played a key role in promoting adoption of a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature. He was invited to the Climate Change Conference in Paris where he led negotiations towards a successful outcome on forest protection.
Daniel has been an Executive Board Member of the United Nations' Clean Development Mechanism and member of the Council of the Global Environmental Facility and International Renewable Energy Agency. He has written for a range of international scientific and academic outlets and addressed international audiences, with a focus on climate change policy in developing countries.
He was awarded the Robert W. Backoff Research Award at the Ohio State University and received recognition by the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. Daniel’s current research agenda is focused on mainstreaming UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in public policy, promoting bioeconomy and sustainable cities as well as deepen understanding for climate resilient communities. He is faculty member at the Life Science College and ESPAE Graduate School of Management at ESPOL. He is also member of the Advisory Committee of the Global Master's Program in Health and Sustainable Development jointly developed by EARTH University and the American University of Beirut. He has recently lead ESPOL’s Center for Public Policy Development to join the Global PCSD Partnership.