Emily Weeks, PhD

Dr. Emily Weeks is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Bureau of Resilience and Food Security at USAID Washington/Global, where she provides leadership in climate, natural resource management, land and resource governance, resilience, and food security. She has spearheaded major initiatives, including the development of the US Government Global Food Security Strategy for Resilience, Climate, and Natural Resource Management policy, USAID’s Nature-Based Solutions guidance, and the Land and Resource Governance Joint Statement. Emily plays a pivotal role in shaping policy frameworks that integrate environmental sustainability with economic growth, enhancing resilience in vulnerable communities worldwide.

Emily serves as a co-chair for the Global Donor Working Group for Land, USAID’s representative on the National Climate Assessment 5, a committee member on the donor advisory group for Agro-Ecology, and a member of the FAO Fisheries panel. She led USAID’s engagement in the IPPC review and was part of the USG delegation for the IPCC in 2019. Currently, she leads the Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI), a $50M global initiative that supports local organizations in designing and implementing policies to meet NDC and NAP commitments under the Paris Agreement, fostering sustainable and inclusive development.

Before joining USAID, Emily co-founded the National Land Resource Centre in New Zealand, where she managed over 20 collaborative research projects focused on land use, conservation, and sustainable development. Her research spans Oceania, Asia, and Africa, including projects such as REDD+ Ethiopia, the Sustainable Development of Protected Areas System of Ethiopia (SDPASE) for the UNDP, and land use planning in South Africa. Emily has mobilized over $20B in private sector investments in energy and resilient infrastructure, driving large-scale sustainable development initiatives. Her leadership has facilitated multisectoral consultations in 42 countries, aligning national investment plans with sustainable development priorities, directly benefiting over 600 million farmers and rural households.

Emily has redefined development assistance by strategically connecting private sector investments to scalable natural resource conservation programs. Her expertise as a conservation ecologist and policy advisor has facilitated innovative public-private partnerships, leveraging investments to drive transformative change in environmental protection, governance, and economic prosperity. She has played a crucial role in developing USAID’s Climate Smart Agriculture guidance, the Agency’s strategy on land and natural resource investments, and the integration of climate resilience in food security initiatives. Through her contributions to international policy frameworks and large-scale programmatic investments, Emily has positioned USAID as a leader in climate resilience and sustainable development. Her collaboration with policymakers, global thought leaders, and private sector stakeholders has resulted in bankable projects, strengthened monitoring systems, and policy reforms that enhance both environmental sustainability and economic stability.

Emily holds a PhD in Conservation Biology from The University of Waikato, New Zealand, and an MSc in Marine Ecology from Massey University, New Zealand.