Diane Gail Maharjan is the current OIC-Assistant Director of the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Staff of NEDA. She has been with the national planning agency for 12.5 years and has been shepherding policy review, planning, and programming for the environment and natural resources sector. Ms. Maharjan led the formulation of, and the current midterm updating of the Environment Chapter of the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 including its accompanying Results Matrix and Public Investment Program. She is also co-leading the government review and revision of the draft Philippine Sustainable Consumption and Production Action Plan.
Diane is also a member of the Philippine Team for the Climate Change negotiations since 2017 and served as co-negotiator for the Trade and Sustainable Development component of the Philippines-EFTA States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as well as the first negotiation for the Philippines-European Union FTA. She was also the focal technical staff during the Philippines’ preparation for the Rio+20 conference, particularly in drafting the Philippine position and in preparing the 20-year assessment of the implementation report of Philippine Agenda 21.
Diane obtained an MSc in Environmental Science major in Environmental Planning and Management from the UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands and a Master in Development Management from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.