Monica Medina, the wife of White House chief of staff Ron Klain, has been selected to be the U.S. special envoy for biodiversity and water resources, the State Department announced Wednesday.
Medina serves as the assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs and will continue to do so in addition to her new role, per the State Department.
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“Special Envoy Medina will coordinate an all-of-government effort to address these crises comprehensively – leveraging talent and expertise in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs with resources from across federal government departments and agencies. Moreover, her designation as special envoy will strengthen the Department’s role in implementation of the White House Water Security Action Plan and the Global Water Strategy, as well as provide high-level leadership ahead of the 2023 UN Conference on Water,” the agency said in a press release.
Medina will be the first envoy appointed for plants and animals, a move the State Department says shows the “Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to resolving the world’s intertwined biodiversity and water crises.”
“There’s a direct connection between biodiversity loss and instability in a lot of parts of the world,” Medina told the Washington Post. “It’s not just about nature for nature’s sake. I think it is about people.”
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The Biden administration backed the climate change provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law in August.
