Natalie Mangondo

Natalie Mangondo is a global climate finance and policy leader working at the intersection of nature, financial markets, and people to drive real-world impact across emerging markets and developing countries. She leads GRID-Arendal’s support to the SIDS Restoration Flagship under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, advancing practical pathways for island states to restore critical coastal and marine ecosystems while mobilising sustainable finance.

Natalie has also served in UNFCCC negotiations, with a focus on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, where she works to strengthen the use of international carbon markets as tools for cooperation, emissions reductions, and climate-resilient development.

Her work champions Nordic Environmental Breakthrough funding: an approach that prioritises partnership, shared values, and early-stage risk-taking to help de-risk projects before they reach commercial scale. She is particularly focused on addressing the “Missing Middle” in restoration and blue economy finance, ensuring that countries, communities, and entrepreneurs have not only funding, but also a trusted space to test, adapt, and scale new financing and deployment strategies as national and multilateral policy landscapes evolve.