Olga Speranskaya

Olga Speranskaya, HEJSupport Co-director, is a UNITAR and UNEP expert and has a PhD in physics. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2009 and was named a UNEP Champion of the Earth in 2011 for the work in EECCA. Olga is a policy advisor to Eco-Accord Board (IPEN Hub for EECCA) and a senior advisor to IPEN. She focuses on sustainable waste management, pollution sources, and domestic and international chemical safety processes. She has long term experience in science education and outreach, community engagement, team management and consulting on environmental issues related to international chemical conventions and SAICM. She works with countries on projects which are comprised of training and capacity-building for the implementation of chemical agreements, and with stakeholder groups on issues related to awareness and capacity-building on social, environmental and health justice, including civil society involvement in chemicals policy development and corporate accountability. She has given public lectures on “Toxic-Free Future: Health and Environmental Justice for Chemical Safety” and the role of activists within international arenas for political negotiation; toxic chemicals in the environment and consumer products; and the role of international organizations in preserving the global environment. She is an author of educational and training materials on environmental and health advocacy with the focus on women and chemicals.