Dr Irfan Yousuf

Dr Irfan Yousuf is a highly seasoned professional with more than 21 years of experience working at the intersection of climate change (mitigation and adaptation), clean energy, and public policy—both in Pakistan and internationally. His journey began in the energy sector, and over the years, he has grown into a multidisciplinary expert focused on climate finance, mitigation and adaptation activities, carbon markets, regulatory reform, and the design of real-world solutions to tackle climate and development challenges.Throughout his career, Dr. Yousuf has had the privilege to work with leading global institutions like the World Bank, UNDP, UNFCCC, UNOPS, UNEP, ADB, NDCP, UNICEF, GGGI, and USAID, and to support public sector partners, including Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC), National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), and Alternative Energy Development Board (now Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB). Dr. Yousuf has helped shape the national policies on renewable energy, electric mobility, and climate resilience and worked on initiatives that are leading toward unlocking climate finance and promoting private sector innovation—be it solar microgrids in rural areas or market-based carbon pricing mechanisms.

His work on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement has been a key focus in recent years—supporting Pakistan’s readiness, designing governance frameworks for Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), advising governments like Georgia on bilateral agreements, and building project pipelines across sectors such as energy, waste, agriculture, and transport. Dr. Yousuf has actively remained involved in the development of Voluntary Carbon Markets in Pakistan through technical support, stakeholder engagement, and market design work under various projects being funded by the World Bank and other development partners.

Dr. Yousuf believes that policy, finance, and innovation must go hand-in-hand to enable meaningful climate actions at various streams. Whether it is preparing national NDCs, designing a renewable energy financing facility, developing net-zero strategies for businesses, or supporting a green hydrogen roadmap— Dr. Yousuf has been fortunate to play a part in some of Pakistan’s and the region’s most forward-looking climate initiatives.

By qualification, Dr. Yousuf holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (specialization in the impacts of climate change on water and hydropower). Dr. Yousuf is also a certified expert in GHG emissions accounting and mitigation. Alongside his technical and regulatory experience, Dr. Yousuf has a valued reseacher and has authored journal articles, conference papers and produced literature on climate co-benefits, renewable energy, and carbon markets. He regularly collaborates with renowned universities and think tanks to help shape the next generation of climate policy leaders.At CAPI, Dr. Yousuf brings together a diverse network of experts and collaborators who can be very effective in pushing for bold, evidence-based, and locally rooted solutions to the climate related issues. Though the road to climate resilience is complex—However, Dr. Yousuf believes that with the right partnerships, knowledge, and leadership, we can make real progress.