Ms Nardos Bekele-Thomas appointed to Supervisory Board of GCA
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otterdam / Abidjan, 26 November 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) today welcomed the appointment of Ms Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), to its Supervisory Board – a strategic move that places African priorities even more firmly at the heart of global adaptation decision-making.
Ms Bekele-Thomas joins a distinguished Supervisory Board chaired by H.E. Macky Sall, 4th President of the Republic of Senegal, alongside leaders from government, finance and philanthropy who together provide strategic oversight of GCA’s global mission to accelerate climate adaptation action.
“I am honoured to accept this appointment at such a pivotal moment for Africa and the world,” said Ms Bekele-Thomas. “As we face accelerating climate impacts that disproportionately affect our continent, Africa’s voice must be central to global adaptation governance. Through this platform, we will ensure that our implementation priorities, development pathways and proven solutions shape the decisions and financing that will determine our collective climate future.”
Ms Bekele-Thomas has served as Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD since May 2022, following endorsement by the Heads of State and Government of the African Union. She previously held senior roles within the United Nations system, including as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in several African countries and as Senior Director in the Office of the UN Secretary-General in New York. She holds a Master’s Degree in Economic Development, Monetary Economics and Econometrics from New York University.
Her appointment comes at a critical juncture as the world approaches a climate breaking point, with Africa bearing some of the most severe impacts of the climate crisis despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions. Under her stewardship, AUDA-NEPAD has championed locally led adaptation and institutional capacity building for climate-resilient development across the continent, strengthening coordination between governments, regional bodies and development partners.
Welcoming the appointment, H.E. Macky Sall, Chair of the GCA Supervisory Board and 4th President of the Republic of Senegal, said: “Ms Nardos Bekele-Thomas brings an unwavering commitment to an Africa that leads on adaptation, rather than one that is merely reacting to decisions taken elsewhere. Her experience at AUDA-NEPAD and across the multilateral system will help ensure that African institutions, African priorities and African solutions guide GCA’s work on the continent. Her appointment further strengthens African ownership of the global adaptation agenda at a time when our countries must shape, not just receive, climate decisions and finance.”
GCA President and CEO, Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, said: “As GCA enters the next phase of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, AAAP 2.0, Ms Bekele-Thomas’s leadership will be crucial in ensuring that this agenda is driven by African institutions and responds directly to the priorities of African leaders and communities. GCA was founded on the conviction that adaptation in Africa must be designed, owned and led in Africa. With AUDA-NEPAD at the table through Ms Bekele-Thomas, we can deepen that ownership – aligning global finance with nationally determined priorities and turning adaptation commitments into African-designed projects that protect people, economies and ecosystems across the continent.”
The appointment reinforces Africa’s position as a driving force in shaping the global adaptation agenda, helping to ensure that the continent’s resilience-building efforts receive the political leadership, coordination and financing they demand. Ms Bekele-Thomas will participate in meetings of the Supervisory Board and contribute to the strategic direction of GCA’s work worldwide, with a particular focus on scaling investment and support for climate-resilient development across Africa.
About the Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that promotes adaptation to the impacts of climate change. It works to climate-proof development by instigating policy reforms and influencing investments made by international financial institutions and the private sector. The goal is to bring climate adaptation to the forefront of the global fight against climate change and ensure that it remains prominent. Founded in 2018, GCA is the first international organization to maintain dual headquarters in both the Global North in Rotterdam and in the Global South in Nairobi – underscoring the equal partnership between regions and the conviction that climate adaptation solutions must be co-designed and co-owned. Its regional hubs in Abidjan, Dhaka and Beijing, leverage local expertise to pilot and scale context-specific approaches. Together, these centers ensure a continuous, two-way exchange of knowledge and best practices that empower communities and drive resilient and inclusive growth worldwide.
