Manila Observatory

Antonio Gabriel La Viña’s legal and governance expertise includes climate change, biodiversity, biosafety policy, mining, energy, forestry, indigenous peoples’ rights, community-based natural resources management, consensus building and negotiations, social accountability, local government, legal philosophy, and public ethics. He is currently the associate director for climate policy and international affairs of the Manila Observatory and was previously the dean of the Ateneo School of Government. He was a senior fellow and researcher at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the former undersecretary for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines. Tony was a lead negotiator for the Philippines in the climate change negotiations, including in the 2015 Paris climate conference. He is a member of the Board of Rappler Inc, Pinoy Media Center, and the Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE). He was previously a member of the board of trustees of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Biodiversity International and Center for Forestry Research (CIFOR). He was the chair of the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) and Forest Foundation Philippines. Tony obtained his Masters and Doctorate in Law from Yale Law School, his law degree from the University of the Philippines, and his philosophy degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.