Deputy Chair

François Touchais is a specialist in environmental law working internationally, with 25 years of experience advising governments and international organizations on public policy, institutional reform and water governance. A former European Union Project Director at the International Office for Water and Senior Legal and Institutional Expert at Hydroconseil, he now works as an independent international consultant. He has supported organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Austrian Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), the French Development Agency (AFD), and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). His work focuses on the governance of natural resources in the context of climate change, with a specialization in water resources and the legal, institutional and policy frameworks underpinning water supply and sanitation services.

Academics:

• BA Degree in Political Science & Law from University Rennes and Queen’s University Belfast.
• Master’s degree in Environmental Law from University Montpellier.
• Advanced Master in Environmental Management and Engineering de l’Environnement at Mines Paris.
• UNITAR / Geneva University workshop on international water law
• GWP / Dundee University workshop on international law and transboundary freshwaters.

He is a fluent trilingual speaker–French, English and Spanish–and worked in various regions such as West Africa, North Africa, Middle-East, Central Asia, Caucasus, Balkans, South East Asia and Oceania.