Monique Barbut
Monique Barbut | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Minister of Ecological Transition | |
| Assumed office 12 October 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Sébastien Lecornu |
| Preceded by | Agnès Pannier-Runacher |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 August 1956[1] |
| Party | Independent |
| Alma mater | University of Paris (BA, MPhil) |
Monique Barbut (French pronunciation: [mɔnik baʁby]; born 22 August 1956)[1] is a French civil servant and politician who has served as Minister of Ecological Transition in the second government of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu since 12 October 2025.
From 2013 until 2019, Barbut served as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).[2][3] She was appointed to this position by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 16 September 2013.[4]
Early life and education
Barbut was born in Safi, Morocco, a few months after the end of the French protectorate in Morocco.[5][1] Barbut obtained her Master of Philosophy in Economics and Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Paris.
Career
Due to her role in the French government in the 1992 Earth Summit and the establishment of the French Global Environment Facility, Barbut became the first chief executive officer of the French GEF.[6] She subsequently held a number of high-ranking positions, including chief executive officer and chairperson of GEF (2006–2012) and director of the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics at the United Nations Environment Programme (2003–2006).
Later in her career, Barbut served as the special adviser to the chief executive officer of the French Development Agency (AFD) from 2012 to 2013.[7] In 2019, she was a member of the "High-Level Group of Wise Persons" appointed by the Council of the European Union and charged with drafting recommendations on how to reform existing financial instruments for sustainable development managed by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).[8]
On 12 October 2025 she was appointed Minister of Ecological Transition in the second government of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.[9] She offered her resignation on 22 July 2026 to President Emmanuel Macron in protest of a bill passed by the French legislature that would allow the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) to authorise for the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, pesticides accused of harming bees.[10] After meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, her resignation was ultimately rejected, and she remained in office.[11][12]
Other activities
- International Gender Champions (IGC), Member[13]
Honours
France
- 2008: Appointed Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour[14]
- 2016: Promoted to Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour[15]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Monique Barbut" (in French). Association pour l'histoire de la protection de la nature et de l'environnement. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania - Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) United Nations, press release of 31 January 2019.
- ↑ "Monique Barbut, UNCCD Executive Secretary 2013-2019 | UNCCD". www.unccd.int. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- ↑ "Secretary-General appoints Monique Barbut of France as Executive Secretary of the UNCCD". Press release. United Nations. 16 September 2013.
- ↑ "Qui est Monique Barbut, ministre de la transition écologique du gouvernement Lecornu ?" [Who is Monique Barbut, Minister of Ecological Transition in the Lecornu government?]. geo.fr (in French). Geo. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Monique Barbut". Biography. Bloomberg Businessweek. September 2013.
- ↑ "Councillor Biographies". Biographies. World Future Council. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- ↑ April 2019, Vince Chadwick (16 April 2019). "'Wise persons' to scrutinize EU development finance". Devex. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Everett, Mariamne (12 October 2025). "France's Macron unveils new government ahead of budget deadline". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "French minister quits as farm bill opens door to contested pesticides". Reuters. 22 July 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ Schumacher, Elizabeth (22 July 2026). "France: Minister quits over pesticide bill — but is staying". DW. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "French environment minister backtracks on resignation over 'urgency' to act on climate". Le Monde (in French). 22 July 2026. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "Champions | International Gender Champions". genderchampions.com. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "Décret du 30 janvier 2008 portant promotion et nomination - Légifrance". www.legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 20 January 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- ↑ "Décret du 30 décembre 2016 portant promotion et nomination - Légifrance". www.legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 1 November 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2026.