Mr. Yuvan A. Beejadhur

Yuvan Beejadhur advises WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the crossroads of trade, climate, and the ocean economy. As Sherpa to the WTO DG on the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, he is a thought leader on how trade can drive sustainable development. Before joining the WTO, he spent over a decade shaping global development policy. At the World Bank Group (2013-2017), he led work on the blue and green economy, helped build the Africa Climate Business Plan, and supported the Bank’s Strategic Framework on Development and Climate Change. He advised two UN Special Envoys on Climate Change, former Ghanaian President Kufuor and Norwegian Prime Minister Stoltenberg, and represented the World Bank Group at the UN in New York through Rio+20 and the negotiations of Agenda 2030. Earlier roles span UNCTAD, the ILO, UNDP, FAO, and the International Trade Centre.

His fieldwork covers agriculture, biodiversity, and climate projects across West Africa, Southern Africa, the Indian Ocean, Vietnam, and India. He is a Visiting Professor of Blue Diplomacy at the Geneva School of Diplomacy, where he previously served as Associate Professor.

He holds a BA in International Affairs from the American University of Paris, a Master’s in International Political Economy from Sorbonne-Nouvelle (Paris 3), and executive education in negotiations and sustainable agreements from Harvard’s Kennedy School. He is a dual national of Mauritius and Switzerland.

Selected Publications

• The Ocean Economy in Mauritius: Making it Happen, Making it Last, World Bank Group (2017)
• Contributor, World Trade Report: Climate Change and International Trade, WTO (2022)
• Contributor, WTO report on illicit trade
• “You liked Oceans 11? Wait till you see Oceans 2030,” World Bank blog
• “24/7 Water in Mauritius: The Business Case v/s Political Promise,” Le Mauricien (2019)

Selected Speaking Engagements

• High-Level Panel, The Role of Multilateralism for Ocean Preservation, Palais des Nations (2026)
• Our Oceans Conference, Greece
• Commonwealth Oceans Ministers Meeting, Cyprus (2024)
• Monaco Blue Economy Initiative (2024, 2026)
• UNCTAD World Investment Forum, UAE (2023)
• African Economic Conference, Mauritius (2022)
• UN Ocean Conference side event on plastics and marine pollution, New York

The Energy Talk: The Cost of an Oil Spill: Yuvan Beejadhur - Part 1 and 2 on Apple Podcasts