Angelique Pouponneau

Angelique Pouponneau serves as lead ocean negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States, where she drives diplomatic strategy and shapes treaty text to advance ocean governance, finance and equity on behalf of Small Island Developing States. 

Her work spans global talks on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction — the BBNJ Agreement — plastic pollution and the ocean-climate nexus.

Previously, Pouponneau served as chief of staff to the United Nations secretary-general’s Climate Action Team, helping steer high-level climate strategy across the U.N. system. She is also the former chief executive officer of the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust, where she managed the proceeds of the country’s debt-for-nature swap and sovereign blue bond to advance marine conservation in the Seychelles. She has worked across jurisdictions in the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean.

Pouponneau holds a bachelor’s degree in law, a master’s degree in environmental law and a doctorate examining the intersection of the sustainable ocean economy, finance, law, and Small Island Developing States.