Henrique Pacini is an economist at UNCTAD, where he focuses on trade and the circular economy. He is a member of the leadership team for the UK-FCDO/UNCTAD SMEP programme, which was initiated by UK Aid to address pollution in manufacturing sectors across Africa and Asia, including the plastics industry. In this role, he manages policy linkages within a USD 31 million portfolio, encompassing 22 field projects aimed at reducing pollution in trade-exposed sectors in Africa and South Asia.

Pacini holds degrees in Economics and European Studies, as well as a Ph.D. in Energy Technology. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University, where he researched global networks of plastic scrap trade and co-chaired the institution's inaugural Circular Economy Symposium. He published over 30 articles on environmental issues, in special the connections between circular economy and trade.