Monique Barbut

Early life and education Barbut was born in Safi, Morocco, a few months after the end of the French protectorate in Morocco. Barbut obtained her Master of Philosophy in Economics and Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Paris.

Career Due to her role in the French government in the 1992 Earth Summit and the establishment of the French Global Environment Facility, Barbut became the first chief executive officer of the French GEF. She subsequently held a number of high-ranking positions, including chief executive officer and chairperson of GEF (20062012) and director of the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics at the United Nations Environment Programme (20032006).

Later in her career, Barbut served as the special adviser to the chief executive officer of the French Development Agency (AFD) from 2012 to 2013. In 2019, she was a member of the "High-Level Group of Wise Persons" appointed by the Council of the European Union and charged with drafting recommendations on how to reform existing financial instruments for sustainable development managed by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

On 12 October 2025 she was appointed Minister of Ecological Transition in the second government of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. She offered her resignation on 22 July 2026 to President Emmanuel Macron in protest of a bill passed by the French legislature that would allow the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) to authorise for the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, pesticides accused of harming bees. After meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, her resignation was ultimately rejected, and she remained in office.

Other activities International Gender Champions (IGC), Member

Honours

France 2008: Appointed Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour 2016: Promoted to Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour