Achim Steiner
Achim Steiner | |
---|---|
Born | 17 May 1961 (age 55) |
Nationality | Brazilian, German |
Alma mater | Worcester College, Oxford, University of London, Harvard Business School |
Occupation | Director of the Oxford Martin School (as of September 2016) |
Achim Steiner (born 17 May 1961 in Carazinho, Brazil) is an expert in environmental issues and politics. He was Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP from 2006 until June 2016. Before joining UNEP, he was Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams. As of September 2016 he is director of the Oxford Martin School.
Education
Achim Steiner was born in Brazil in 1961 and holds German as well as Brazilian citizenship. He obtained a BA from the University of Oxford and an MA from the University of London, specializing in development economics, regional planning, international development and environment policy. He also studied at the German Development Institute in Berlin and the Harvard Business School. [1]
Career
Steiner started his career in 1989 at the Rural Regional Development Department, GTZ in Germany. From 1991 to 1997 he worked for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Southern Africa and Washington DC. He was Chief Technical Adviser of the Mekong River Commission (1997-1998) before becoming Secretary-General of the World Commission on Dams. In 2001 he returned to IUCN as Director-General.[2]
The United Nations General Assembly in 2006 elected Steiner Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for a four-year term. His mandate so far has been extended twice. The Secretary-General appointed Steiner as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), where he served from March 2009 to May 2011.
Within the UN system Steiner also chairs the High-level Committee on Programmes of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination and the United Nations Environment Management Group. He serves on a number of international advisory boards, including the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED).[3] On May 3 2016, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that the post of Executive Director of UNEP would be taken over by Erik Solheim in June 2016.[4]
Upon UNEP, Steiner was appointed director of the Oxford Martin School, a post he took up in September 2016. [5]
Other activities
- German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), Member (since 2016, appointed ad personam by Chancellor Angela Merkel)[6]
- China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), International Vice-Chair
- Earth Day Network, Member of the Global Advisory Committee[7]
- International Olympic Committee (IOC), Member of the [8]
- The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), Member of the Advisory Board[9]
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Member of the Environmental Advisory Council (ENVAC)
Honours and awards
Steiner has received a number of honours and awards for his work:
- 2012 The National German Sustainability Award[10]
- 2010 Leadership Award for Principled Pragmatism - Tällberg Foundation;
- Officer of the Order of Saint-Charles (Monaco) 2009;
- Shark Guardian of the Year 2008 - Shark Project;
- Schubert Preis - 2008 Bruno H. Schubert Stiftung
- Steiger Award - Umwelt 2007.[3]
References
- ↑ "Biography of Achim Steiner". UNDP. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ↑ "Profile of Achim Steiner". weforum. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- 1 2 "Executive Director Biography". UNEP. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ↑ "Secretary-General Announces Intention to Appoint Erik Solheim of Norway as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme". UNEP. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
- ↑ "New Director for the Oxford Martin School". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ↑ Bundeskanzlerin beruft Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung neu German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), press release of October 26, 2016
- ↑ Global Advisory Committee Earth Day Network.
- ↑ Sustainability and Legacy Commission International Olympic Committee (IOC).
- ↑ Advisory Board The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).
- ↑ National German Sustainability Award