Received Sylff fellowship in 2025
Academic supervisor : Jacques Marcovitch
Deborah Araújo is a Brazilian international relations scholar and public policy practitioner whose work stands at the intersection of global governance, sustainability, and multilateral institutions. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID), where she is completing her PhD at the University of São Paulo (USP) on Brazil's OECD accession and its implications for environmental governance and commodity supply chains.
Prior to joining IHEID, Deborah served for seven years as Senior Adviser at the International Affairs Secretariat of the Government of the State of São Paulo, where she coordinated high-level diplomatic engagements with heads of state, UN leadership, and senior government ministers from around the world. She was also a member of São Paulo's Sustainable Development Committee, contributing to the design of the São Paulo Environmental Agreement and supporting the alignment of subnational policies with the 1.5°C climate goals.
Deborah holds a Master's degree in International Relations from USP,where her thesis examined South-South cooperation and Brazilian foreign policy in Africa, and a specialization in ESG Management from INSPER. She is an active member of the Global Shapers Hub São Paulo (World Economic Forum) and the Nexus Healthy Democracy Coalition.
As a SYLFF fellow, Deborah is committed to bridging the gap between academic research and actionable policy, with a focus on sustainability standards, multilateral environmental frameworks, and inclusive governance contributing to a more just and resilient global order.
