Tatjana Hema

Tatjana Hema is the Deputy Coordinator of the UN Environment/ Mediterranean Action Plan-Barcelona Convention Secretariat, based in Athens, Greece, since October 2016 and currently its Officer in Charge. She has strong experience of inter-governmental processes, especially in the area of marine and coastal environment, backed by solid scientific knowledge on chemical engineering and marine pollution issues.

A national of Albania, Tatjana Hema graduated in Chemical Engineering and specialized in Environmental Management and Technologies. She joined UN in 2003, after twelve years of service as a professor in Tirana University and five years as a Senior Manager in the National Environment Agency of Albania and Deputy Minister of Environment. Since then, she has covered UN assignments of different roles in MAP Barcelona Convention Secretariat addressing policy, governance and institutional aspects of the MAP system, as well as marine pollution assessment and control. She holds a PhD from the University of Tirana obtained in 1994 and a Masters’ degree on Environmental Management and Technologies from the Federal Polytechnic University of Lausanne, obtained in 1995.

In 2016 she was awarded the UN Environment BAOBAB Staff Award in the category “Environmental Service Award”, which aims at exemplifying those who demonstrate an outstanding effort and dedication in their field of expertise to enhance environmental sustainability and conservation at local, national, regional or international levels.