Francesca Bernardini is the Chief of Transboundary Cooperation at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. A chemical engineer by training, she has been working since 1999 in UN multilateral processes, supporting cooperation on environmental issues, facilitating intergovernmental negotiations and supporting countries in the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements.
Her main expertise is on transboundary water cooperation having led the secretariat of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UN Water Convention) for almost two decades. She has facilitated numerous intergovernmental water negotiations and supported national authorities and river basin organisations in sustainable and peaceful management of transboundary waters.