Diann Black-Layne Mrs. Diann Black-Layne has been in the field of Environment management for over 20 years and has worked in all areas of the field such as protected areas, development of legislation and policy, preparing project documents and seeking international funding as well as designing national financial mechanisms for environmental management in SIDS. She is currently the director of the Department of the Environment of Antigua and Barbuda, and Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador for Climate Change.
Working in a small country, Ms. Black-Layne had to understand and implement policies and plans in all areas of Environmental Management particularly in the area of Finance. Over the past five years Mrs. Layne’s focus shifted from national implementation of plans and policies to include international negotiations. Since then she has served in the capacity as lead Environmental negotiator at the regional and International levels and in this regard has served on in several capacities on behalf of the region. In 2008, Ambassador Black-Layne was appointed as a lead negotiator in MEAs for Antigua and Barbuda as the country assumed the role as Chair of G77 and China as subsequently as the Chair of AWG Kyoto Protocol under the UNFCCC.
In 2008, Mrs. Layne was appointed as Ambassador and lead negotiator for Climate change for Antigua and Barbuda the focus at that time was on the finance negotiation. In 2013, she was reappointed as Ambassador with direct responsibility for Climate change. She served on the transitional Committee for the Green Climate Fund, and she is one of the lead Finance negotiators for AOSIS and G77 and China
In 2012, Amb. Layne was elected the first Co- chair of the then newly formed Standing Committee of Finance along with the Co-chair from Switzerland. Ms. Layne held this position until 2015 but remained a member of the Committee. The Ambassador also served on the transitional Committee of the Green Climate Fund.
In 2016 Mrs. Layne was elected to represent the GRULAC region on the Green Climate Fund Board as an alternate. In 2017, she assumed the role as the Board Member and in 2018 will be the advisor.
During the last two year the Department of the Environment has raise financing from IRENA, GEF, GCF. Adaptation Fund and her Entity is now accredited to the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund.