As the Environmental Policy and Governance Fellow, Michael Stanley-Jones supports research that addresses the future of global environmental governance, with a focus on climate justice, rightsholders’ participation in environmental decision-making, and sustainable development. He also contributes to fostering synergies between the Rio conventions (CBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC) and discussions on the post-2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other UN processes.
During his career, Mr. Stanley-Jones has played a pivotal role in advancing access to information, public participation, and human rights-based approaches to policy across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. His efforts have been instrumental in the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements, capacity-building initiatives, and bilateral development and aid cooperation programs, including in sustainable fashion and watershed management.
He previously served as an Environmental Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, within the Aarhus Convention Secretariat from 2004 to 2009. He joined the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as a Public Information Officer with the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions in 2009 and served as a Programme Management Officer in the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative / Action for Sustainable Development Goals from 2014 to 2022. He was invited to be the inaugural Secretary to the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion in 2018 and was the lead knowledge management officer with the UNEP Ecosystems Integration Branch from 2020 to 2022. He supported the UN Environment Management Group as a communications consultant in 2023-2024.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Stanley-Jones served as the elected chairperson of the Santa Clara Basin Watershed Management Initiative in California’s Silicon Valley region (2002-2003) and as the public representative to the State of California-Federal Bay-Delta Program (CALFED) Drinking Water Sub-committee (2003). At the Circular Research Foundation, he led the development of the Plastic-Free Mediterranean Sea project, a four-nation consortium addressing microplastic pollution. In addition to his current role at UNU-INWEH, he also serves as a Senior Advisor to the Circular Research Foundation.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from San Jose State University and a Master of Arts in Politics from the Claremont Graduate University.