Cristina Leria is a lawyer with more than twenty years of experience in legal empowerment and international development. She has been working as an independent consultant since 2011, providing technical legal and policy advice to international organizations on a variety of issues related to international law and development, with a focus on natural resource management, agriculture, health and human rights.

In 2006 Cristina moved to Washington DC, where she obtained her second masters degree in law with a specialization in health law and government. Cristina joined the Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) in 2007 where she provided legal advice on the general affairs of the organization and joined the health and human rights team with Javier Vasquez.  In this latter capacity, she helped implement PAHO technical cooperation on public health issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, on issues ranging from sexual and reproductive health, medicinal products and technologies, to mental health, disability, aging and HIV/AIDs.

Prior to coming to Washington, Cristina worked for 13 years for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome providing legal assistance to countries on natural resources management through legislative review and drafting missions, project management (planning, operation and supervision), and legal research and analysis. Her areas of expertise included national fisheries law (marine, inland and aquaculture), international fisheries accords, agriculture and water law.

She was admitted to the New York Bar in July 2014 and to the Madrid Bar in 1992.