Ellen is Deputy Director, Bilateral Energy Cooperation, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) Ellen von Zitzewitz is currently responsible for the bilateral energy cooperation with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

She has worked in several senior positions in the German Federal Government over the last 17 years, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, the Ministry of Environment and Nuclear Safety, the German Embassy in Moscow and the Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union. She was the German focal point at IRENA for several years and coordinated the German G20 positions.

From 2002 to 2005, she worked as an Advisor to the Yemeni Minister of Water and Environment in Sana’a, Yemen, focusing on policy, financing and enforcement related to issues of renewable energy/climate change, waste, water and biodiversity. Ellen von Zitzewitz holds a Master’s degree in Forest Science from the University of Freiburg, Germany.