Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou (Greek: Διονυσία-Θεοδώρα Αυγερινοπούλου, born 10 September 1975) is a politician regarding environmental matters, a specialized attorney in International, Environmental and Sustainable Development Law, and the recipient of the Green Star Award awarded by UNEP, OCHA, and Green Cross International for her leadership in prevention, preparedness and response to environmental emergencies.
Avgerinopoulou served as a Member of the Hellenic Parliament from 2009 to 2014. She has served as the Deputy Secretary of Volunteer and NGOs for the New Democracy (Greece) Party and Deputy Head of Environmental Policy Sector. During her tenure, she was elected three times as the Chairperson of the Special Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Environmental Protection and the Subcommittee of the Water Resources. She also held the position of the Chair of the Standing Permanent Parliamentary Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs.
Early life
She was born in Patras, Achaea, Greece, and grew up in Zacharo, a town close to Ancient Olympia in Southwestern Greece, in Elis. She holds a "Ptyhio" (LL.B. equivalent) from the Law Faculty of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Legal Studies, with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. and a J.S.D. (Ph.D. in law) in International Environmental Law from Columbia University Law School in New York, N.Y.
Career
Avgerinopoulou is a specialized attorney in International and Environmental Law and she has dealt with major environmental cases in both the domestic jurisdiction and at the Legal Service of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium. As an international attorney, Avgerinopoulou also specializes in international investment projects (project management and project finance) of environmental and energy enterprises, where she holds a successful track record. Avgerinopoulou has worked as a researcher at the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy on legal and policy research on Global Environmental Governance issues, the Yale Law School on International Environmental Law issues, good governance and corruption, and the Center for Environmental and Land Use Law of the New York University School of Law.. In March 2010, Avgerinopoulou was assigned Deputy Secretary of Volunteerism and NGOs for the New Democracy Party and held this position until January 2011, when she was appointed as the Deputy Head of the Environmental Policy Sector of the New Democracy Party.
Avgerinopoulou has served as Member of the Hellenic Parliament and represents the Prefecture of Elis (Ilia), while from 2009 to 2011, she was a Member of the Hellenic Parliament "at large" (Constituency: State, in Greek: "βουλευτής Επικρατείας".) Avgerinopoulou has served as the Chairperson of the Special Permanent Committee for Environmental Protection and the Subcommittee of the Water Resources of the Hellenic Parliament, as well as the National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee. During her tenure, Dionysia-Theodora focused on the financing of sustainable development; the efficient waste management and the development of a circular economy; the empowerment of the enforcement mechanisms of Environmental Law; the support of innovative technologies, including space technologies, for the protection of the natural environment; the promotion of renewable energy sources; the mitigation and adaptation of climate change and the support of technologies of capture, storage, conversion and reuse; the nexus between environment, agriculture, and food; the nexus between environment and public health, and the sound management of water resources. She also led deliberations on the ratification of major multilateral agreements before the Parliament, while she represented the Parliament at major international environmental conferences, including UNEA -1 and COP 19 of the UNFCCC.
In 2015, Avgerinopoulou was elected at the Steering Committee of the Global Water Partnership Organization (GWPO) in recognition of her previous successful leadership in water issues, as well as her experience to co-operate with international, regional and national arrangements in sustainable water management, in order to create solutions to water issues at all levels and also opportunities for sustainable development. Avgerinopoulou also serves as a Member of the Audit and Finance Subcommittee of the GWPO, while her vision within the Organization is the promotion and realization of Sustainable Development Goals No 6 and 14.