Jazmin is a climate change, international development and human rights specialist with 18 years of experience working in United Nations, City and National Governments and NGOs, and living and working in Asia, Europe and North America.
Jazmin currently works at C40 Cities as Director for Inclusive Climate Action, managing a globally team and overall strategic direction of C40’s work with cities in the Global South and North on equitable, inclusive and fair responses to the climate crisis. This includes advising cities and mayors on how to develop climate just urban policies and programmes, facilitating cities to engage in peer-to-peer learning on climate justice, supporting mayoral advocacy and leadership on climate justice at the UN and with national governments, and leading data and research initiatives on issues such as just transition, informality and climate change in cities, energy poverty, loss and damage, climate migration, climate inequity and designing urban climate policies to benefit and include the most vulnerable.
Prior to joining C40, Jazmin worked at City Hall in London for Mayor Sadiq Khan leading London’s Climate Change Mitigation team, and as Senior Adviser to the Deputy Mayor for Environment where she was responsible from leading the design of the first Green New Deal for London, London’s international climate strategy and the implementation of key policies on divestment, community climate engagement and London’s first ever Climate Week in 2019.
Before City Hall, Jazmin spent eight years working at the United Nations for UNDP and UNICEF on development and climate approaches at the country level including in London on intergenerational justice and child rights and climate policy and Hanoi on child centred and gender sensitive climate adaptation and disaster risk reductio , as well as working at UN HQ level in Geneva and New York between 2014-17 on the process to negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement and SDGs, UN joint policy on climate implementation and advising on national level climate and development implementation in LDCs and SIDs.
Jazmin started her career working for the UK Government on refugee and migrant policy at local level in London and at Amnesty International on gender campaigning, and has sat on expert advisory groups on issues of climate and inequality for UK local government, national governments including the UK and South Africa and for private sector companies. Most recently in 2026 this has included being appointed to the Mayor of London's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group for London as a climate justice expert.
Jazmin has authored publications and articles on issues relating to climate change, human rights and social justice, and has presented at the UNFCCC, ILO and UN Human Rights Forums and at a number of academic institutions and global conferences. Jazmin holds a diploma in Climate Diplomacy from the UN, an undergraduate degree in Sociology and a master’s degree in International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
When I have seen change happen, it has been in many ways, but has always shared a commonality of commitment from individuals, collaboration as making change and openness to trying new ideas or innovation. This has taught me that it is important to persevere and not be afraid to test new approaches to make things happen. Examples of change I have contributed and applied this approach include designing climate policies in London to ensure marginalised populations benefit, ensuring the outcomes of the Paris Climate Agreement support developing countries, advising the Vietnamese government to strengthen national climate policies to protect women and girls and helping local government with policies that help recent migrants access healthcare and social services in the UK.Jazmin Burgess