PhD Candidate elected to help advance Paris Agreement implementation

Hafijul Islam Khan Adv. M. (Hafij Khan), PhD candidate in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development under the leadership of Prof. Prateep Nayak and Dr. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, has been elected as an Alternate Member of the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC).

In this role, he plays a pivotal part in facilitating the Paris Agreement's adoption, adherence and compliance as a climate change negotiator and an alternate member of PAICC. The prestigious appointment recognizes his longstanding leadership and expertise in international climate change law and governance, particularly in the area of loss and damage associated with climate change.

Khan’s doctoral research examines global and national policy and institutional landscapes for addressing loss and damage, with a focus on how evolving international mechanisms are responding to the needs of countries most vulnerable to climate impacts. Over recent decades, the global policy framework on loss and damage has developed into a complex institutional architecture that is now beginning to deliver technical, financial and capacity-building support to developing countries.

Key institutions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992 and the Paris Agreement, 2015 play a central role in this global policy landscape. The Executive Committee of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM ExCom) has, for the past decade, worked to support vulnerable developing countries in addressing climate-related loss and damage. More recently, the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage (SNLD) has been operationalized to catalyze technical assistance, while the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) has entered its first phase, mobilizing financial resources to support affected countries.

Alongside his academic work, Khan has been deeply engaged in global climate negotiations for more than a decade. He serves as the lead negotiator for the group of 44 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on loss and damage under the UNFCCC. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the WIM Executive Committee and as an Advisor to an LDC member of the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.

Hafij is planning to complete his PhD program by next term (Fall-2026) and to be engaged more comprehensively with climate change diplomacy and negotiations in order to develop and implement the global and national policies related to climate change with his enhanced understanding gained by his PhD research. He would also like to contribute his ongoing research and scholarly works to the academic arena of loss and damage governance. 

Kudos, Hafij, for your efforts in driving meaningful progress in international climate governance and exemplifying what it means to work with the world, for the world!