Sirini Withana

Sirini Withana has over nine years of professional experience in the environment and sustainable development area, with a focus on green economy and green fiscal policies at the national, European and international levels. At UNEP, Sirini contributes to the fiscal policy work stream of the Research and Partnerships Unit of the Economics and Trade Branch, supporting the development of global and national studies on fiscal policies for the green economy and managing the Green Fiscal Policy Network. Before joining UNEP, Sirini worked as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) in London and Brussels where she co-led important work streams on green fiscal reform and global environmental issues. She also worked as an EU and International Relations Coordinator at the Environment Agency for England and Wales. Sirini has managed major research projects for national governments, European institutions and international organisations; developed policy recommendations on environmental tax and subsidy reform, financing green investments, resource efficiency and the circular economy; and contributed to several publications, reports and books in these fields. She holds a Master of Science degree in International and European Politics from the University of Edinburgh, and a Bachelor of Business Science degree in the field of Economics from the University of Cape Town.