Hélène, Associate Project Officer at UNESCO

Hélène Le Brun has graduated in Environmental Policy. Coming from New-Caledonia, France, she is an Associate Project Officer at UNESCO in Paris.

>What is your role and main responsibilities?

I work in the Science Sector of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), specifically in the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme, a 50-year-old intergovernmental scientific program that aims to strengthen the relationship between people and their environment. 

My role is to support the work of the MAB Secretariat through its World Network of Biosphere Reserves, composed of 738 sites in 134 countries around the world. 

In particular, I focus on the role played by the UNESCO biosphere reserves in the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which was adopted in December 2022 by the parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This includes developing indicators to monitor the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework and showing how UNESCO biosphere reserves are already existing solutions to reconcile biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use.

How did you secure this role?

I initially obtained a master’s degree in environmental engineering. Studying Environmental Policy at PSIA was a way for me to combine my scientific background and my long-standing interest in international relations and environmental governance. 

After graduating from Sciences Po, I was posted in Tokyo by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work in the scientific department of the French Embassy in Japan. This experience confirmed my desire to work at the interface between science and policy.

I then joined the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, to gain more multilateral-level experience and to be able to work on one of the most important stakes of our time: biodiversity loss. I started as a consultant and am now Associate Project Officer within the same team.

How did your PSIA experience help you with the role?

Studying at PSIA has allowed me to develop a new perspective on environmental issues. Building on my engineering and scientific background, I was able to complement my profile with strong political science knowledge and skills. Thanks to the courses I took, taught by professors from various professional backgrounds, I was able to learn about complex international mechanisms and specialize in the governance of climate, biodiversity, and oceans. 

My studies at PSIA were also strengthened with two internships: 6 months at the French Embassy to Australia, in Canberra, and 6 months within the Cabinet of the UNESCO Director General, in Paris. These two very inspiring experiences introduced me to the world of diplomacy and convinced me that science diplomacy – linking science, research, and policy – was the field to which I wanted to contribute in the years to come.

What advice would you give to others? 

Never censor yourself, and never stop yourself from trying, doing, or asking, because it is said to be impossible, unusual or because you do not have the perfect profile on paper. 

• More about the Master in Environmental Policy
• More about the Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO