Sue Biniaz

Sue Biniaz is back at the State Department working for Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry. For more than 25 years, Ms. Biniaz served as the lead climate lawyer for the United States.  In that capacity, she played a central role in all major international climate negotiations, including the Paris Agreement.  During her tenure as a Deputy Legal Adviser at the Department, she supervised the Treaty Office and issues related to the environment, law of the sea, East Asian Affairs, Western Hemisphere Affairs, human rights and refugees, law enforcement, and private international law.  Prior to that, she led the Department’s legal office for Oceans, Environment, and Science, as well as the legal office for European and Canadian Affairs.  Between 2017 and 2020, Ms. Biniaz taught at Yale University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago, and was a Senior Fellow at the UN Foundation.  She continues to be a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs.