Rachel Kyte
Biography
Rachel Kyte was appointed UK Special Representative for Climate on 21 October 2024.
She is Professor of Practice in Climate Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and dean emerita of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Rachel was previously Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All.
She has also served as World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change, as well as Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, and for Business Advisory Services at the International Finance Corporation.
Rachel has held non-executive director, trustee and board member roles with a number of private and public financial institutions, as well as non-profit organisations, focused on climate and development.
UK Special Representative for Climate
The Special Representative for Climate supports Ministers to increase senior international diplomatic engagement on climate and clean energy. The Special Representative reports to the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The Special Representative’s objectives are to support HMG to:
- build the UK’s profile as a progressive climate leader, building bridges between developed countries and emerging markets/developing economies with the intent to deliver climate action
- deepen and progress international climate partnerships with priority countries and stakeholders
- drive for results in the clean energy transition and green and inclusive growth
- strengthen coordination and mobilization of finance for climate action
- engage with the scientific community to accelerate innovation and new partnerships on climate mitigation and resilience
- increase the strategic impact of UK International Climate Finance (ICF) programmes and interventions
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero