UNEP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Regional Coordinator, Chemicals, Waste and Air Quality
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Regional Director and Representative, Regional Office for Europe
- Regional Director of the UN Environment Programme 's Europe Office
Biography
Arnold Kreilhuber is the Regional Director of the UN Environment Programme's Europe Office in Geneva since 1 May 2023.
He is a national of Austria and has over 15 years of professional experience in the fields of environmental diplomacy, policy and law. He began his professional career at the regional and national levels and joined UNEP in 2005, fulfilling growing responsibilities for the organization. Most recently, he was deputy director and acting director (2019 - 2021) of UNEP's Law Division.
Among his key professional achievements are the repositioning of the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme, his work on improving governance of natural resources, human rights and the environment, or his support to the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), among others. In 2012, he led the planning and organization of the first World Congress on Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability, as part of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).
Earlier in his career, Arnold worked in the governmental, non-governmental and private sectors. He holds a doctorate degree in international law from the University of Vienna as well as a master's degree in advanced international studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.
Job Titles:
- Administration and Fund Management Officer
Biography
Arshia Chander is a multilingual and has Masters Degrees in French language and Business Administration from India and USA respectively. She currently manages the Administration and Funds for the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) North America Office in Washington, DC.
She also serves as the Human Resources (HR) liaison officer. Prior to joining UNEP, she worked as the Project Manager at the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Sioux Falls, SD to support the UNEP Global Resource Information Database (GRID).
She has managed award winning UNEP publications (Atlases of our Changing Environment, State of Environment Reporting and Outlook, Africa Water Atlas, etc.) while working with various governmental agencies from several countries. She also served as the Project Coordinator for UNEP's Global Environmental Alert Service (GEAS).
Job Titles:
- Regional Coordinator, Science - Policy
Job Titles:
- Finance and Budget Assistant
Churchill has over 7 years of experience in finance, budget, accounting, administrative services , grants and project management. He has worked with both UNON Financial Reporting Unit and UNEP Global Environmental Facility Coordination Unit as a Finance and Budget Assistant. He has assimilated extensive knowledge of and insights into various financial processes including: budget preparation and review, processing of financial documents in line with UN financial rules and regulations, quality analysis, reviewing and reporting on financial statements, donor reporting with a good understanding of project design, development and implementation and closure.
Churchill holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with a major Statistics from The University of Nairobi, is a Certified Public Accountant. He is currently undertaking MBA in Management Information Systems.
Job Titles:
- Head, UN Environment Office in Tanzania
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Programme Assistant
Biography
Clayton Adams is currently a Programme Assistant at the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) North America Office, where he has worked in varying capacities since 2001. Among his current duties, he handles outreach to the executive branches of the national governments in the region, civil society organizations and the private sector, as well as provides general assistance to the Regional Director. He also serves as the regional focal point for UNEP's Conflicts and Disasters priority area.
Prior to his work with UNEP, Mr. Adams owned and managed a farming business in Northern Virginia where he developed intensive grazing systems and raised organic grass-fed beef cattle. He has a Masters of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator, UN Environment Kenya Country Programme
Job Titles:
- Lead, Gender and Youth Unit
Job Titles:
- Director, Communications Division
- in 2015 As Deputy Director of the Communication Division
Biography
Daniel began his career as a journalist with The Associated Press in Indonesia. His last post with the agency was as its award-winning chief correspondent in Afghanistan, responsible for its coverage of the war there.
He has been a communication adviser to the Afghan government, countering the propaganda of the Taliban. He worked for the Asian Development Bank where he began focusing on how communication and advocacy could strengthen climate change projects and impact policy.
Prior to UNEP, he was with the Center for International Forestry Research, where he developed and led a multi-million-dollar programme that used communication to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice. An independent evaluation concluded the programme had been "driving a global conversation on forests and climate change."
Daniel joined UNEP in 2015 as Deputy Director of the Communication Division before becoming Director.
He has a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, fully supported by a Rotary International World Peace Fellowship, and has done leadership training at Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Regional Director and Representative for Asia
In 2017, Ms. Tsering was appointed UNEP's Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific. Prior to that post, she served as Director of the Finance, Technology and Capacity-Building Programme of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat. In that position, she supported international cooperation on mobilization of finance, technology development and transfer and capacity building to enable countries to take enhanced action on climate change. Before joining UNFCCC, she was Deputy Regional Director of UNEP's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Ms. Tsering holds a Ph.D. from the Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich in forest economics and policy. She also has a Master's Degree from Georgetown University and undergraduate degrees from UC Berkeley. She is married with three children.
Ms. Tsering will serve as Director, a.i. of UNEP's Climate Change Division, from 1 February to 31 May 2024.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator of the Geneva Environment Network
Diana Rizzolio is the Coordinator of the Geneva Environment Network (GEN), a cooperative partnership of over 75 environment and sustainable development organizations based in the International Environment House and elsewhere in the Geneva area. The UN Environment Programme-led GEN Secretariat actively promotes increased cooperation and networking between its members by organizing and hosting meetings on the environment and sustainable development, such as roundtables and international workshops. Diana joined the UN Environment Programme in December 1998, working for GRID-Geneva (through a partnership with the University of Geneva), as well as for the former Post-Conflict Assessment Unit and the former Balkans Unit. Before joining UNEP, Diana worked for a Regional department of the Ministry of Environment of Portugal and for an NGO based in Geneva. Diana was also a member of the Parliament of the City of Geneva and an active member in a number of trusts and NGOs.
Biography
Dr Andrea Hinwood serves as the Chief Scientist of the United Nations Environment Programme. She is an environmental scientist with expertise in environmental exposures and impacts on human health. Dr. Hinwood (B.Sc., M.AppSc., PhD) earned a PhD in environmental epidemiology from the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Prior to this role, Andrea worked on a range of local, regional and international environmental issues, having served as a member of the TEAP and co-chair of the Technical Options Committee for Aerosols Sterilants and miscellaneous uses supporting the Montreal Protocol. She served as the first Chief Environmental Scientist at the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in Victoria, Australia and was previously an Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University and held appointments as a member and Deputy Chair of the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia. Dr Hinwood was a sessional member of the State Administrative Tribunal of Western Australia and her career has included the provision of strategic advice to the governments on a wide variety of environmental matters.
Job Titles:
- Director, Early Warning and Assessment Division
Biography
Dr. Jian Liu has worked for the United Nations for 17 years since 2005. He is currently the Director, Early Warning and Assessment Division, and has been the Chief Scientist, UN Environment Programme from 2017 to 2021, concurrently mostly with his current function. From 2011-2016, he was the founding Director of UNEP's International Ecosystem Management Partnership (IEMP). From 2008-2010, he established UNEP's first Climate Change Adaptation Unit as the founding chief. His first appointment in the UN was the Deputy Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 2005 to 2007. Before joining the UN, he worked mostly for the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 1986-2004, taking a number of senior posts before he joined the UN, such as Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Resources and Environment, Director of the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network, etc.
Jian LIU has over 30 years of professional experience in science and policy, in the specific domains of ecosystems management, climate change, environment and agriculture at national, regional and global levels. Jian holds a doctorate degree in Physical Geography from the Graduate School, and used to be a visiting professor at the Institute of Geographical Science and Natural Resource Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Secretary
- Deputy Executive Director
- Assistant Secretary - General of the United Nations
- Co - Chair of the Task Force
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema is Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Ms. Mrema was appointed to this role by the UN Secretary-General in 2022.
Ms. Mrema is also co-chair of the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, aimed at guiding companies in assessing, disclosing, and managing nature-related risks and impacts.
Job Titles:
- Programme Management Officer
Biography
Ersin has 23 years of experience in development planning, strategic management planning, project cycle management, project evaluation, capital budgeting and international negotiations.
Ersin has been with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since 2011. As a Task Manager, he is responsible for developing projects together with internal and external clients. He also supervises project implementation. He manages a project portfolio of around 25 million US dollars implemented in 16 countries. Prior to this position with the UN Environment Programme, Ersin worked as a development planning expert in the State Planning Organization of Türkiye, where he worked on policy analysis and development, investment budgeting, planning and programming.
Ersin holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Master of Business Administration degrees from Middle East Technical University, Türkiye and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director of UNEP 's Regional Office for Africa
- Deputy Director, Africa Office
- Deputy Regional Director and Head, AMCEN Secretariat
- in 2005 As a Programme Officer
Biography
Fatou Ndoye is the Deputy Director of UNEP's Regional Office for Africa.
Fatou brings a wealth of environmental management and sustainable development experience to UNEP, with more than 20 years of employment within the United Nations and international civil society organizations.
Fatou joined UNEP in 2005 as a Programme Officer, focusing on stakeholder engagement, public participation in environmental decision-making and environmental governance; and on the nexus between labor and the environment, and green jobs. She was appointed Deputy Regional Director of the North America Office in Washington, D.C. in 2015, where she was responsible among others for high-level liaison and engagement with the Canadian and U.S. governments.
Prior to joining UNEP, Fatou led the Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa (NESDA), an international NGO headquartered in Cote d'Ivoire. While there, she led their advocacy efforts on stakeholder participation and inclusion in environmental processes and environmental assessments and reporting. She coordinated the preparation of the State of the Environment Report for West and Central Africa and facilitated the production of the first Africa Environment Outlook Report, as part of the Global Environment Outlook report series.
A Senegalese national, Fatou holds a Master's Degree in Languages from the University of Tours, France, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Management from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK. She is a Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Finance and Budget Assistant
Biography
George is a Kenyan national with over seven years of experience in finance, budgeting, project management and administrative work from both the private sector and UN Secretariat.
He worked with private sector companies and UNEP corporate services in Nairobi before supporting the organisation's Economy Division and now the Europe Office from Geneva. He has a strong grasp of UN/NGO financial and administrative rules and policies, the new Umoja system for UN operations, accounting, and programme management.
George supports financial and administrative functions such as: data clean-up of old projects; project implementation, budgeting, monitoring, revision and financial reporting; and supporting programme officers in the review of financial and operational information related to project grants. He is furthermore involved in the drafting of legal agreements, payments and evaluations, procurement, as well as organising travel for staff and meeting participants.
George holds a bachelor's degree in commerce and banking from Egerton University in Kenya. He is a jovial soul and loves swimming, travelling and meeting new people.
Biography
Golestan (Sally) Radwan (B.Sc., MBA, M.Sc.) is a Computer Scientist with expertise in AI and emerging technologies. Prior to UNEP, Sally served as Advisor to the Egyptian Minister of ICT, where she led the development and implementation of Egypt's national AI strategy. During this time, she served as an expert and delegate of Egypt to several international organizations working on AI Policy and Regulation including UNESCO, WIPO, ITU, and OECD. She also championed and led two working groups within the African Union and League of Arab States to unify regional efforts around Responsible AI. Sally previously held several executive positions in the technology industry over 17 years, working in Germany, Austria, the UK and the US for companies including Novell GmbH, Avaya Inc. and NTT Data Europe. She earned a B.Sc. in Computer Engineering from Cairo University and an MBA from London Business School, as well as an MSc in Clinical Engineering and Healthcare Technology Management from City University of London. She is currently finalizing her PhD thesis, focusing on AI explainability and its ethical considerations in metagenomics at the Royal Holloway University of London.
Job Titles:
- Head of the UN Environment Programme Vienna Programme Office
- Head of UNEP Vienna Programme Office, Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention
Biography
Harald Egerer is the Head of the UN Environment Programme Vienna Programme Office and acts as the Secretary of the Carpathian Convention. He graduated in Law from the University of Vienna. After studies in international relations and environmental law and sciences, he worked as an environmental reporter for the Austrian Press Agency. In 1996, he joined UNEP with the Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Basel Convention).
From 2001, he worked for UNEP's Europe Office, specializing in environmental cooperation in the European region. For example, he supported the seven Carpathian countries in the development of the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians. Since 2004, he has been heading the UNEP Vienna Office - Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention and represents UNEP as an environmental focal point for the international Mountain Partnership. The Vienna Office is also UNEP's liaison office with the Secretariats of the Alpine Convention and the ICPDR and assists UNEP in its contacts and collaboration with the Regional Environment Centre for Central and Eastern Europe, as well as with Vienna-based UN organizations and institutions.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator for Chemicals
- Regional Coordinator
Biography
Hilary French is the Regional Sub-Programme Coordinator for Chemicals and Pollution Action and Finance and Economic Transformations at the United Nations Environment Programme's North America Office. Hilary previously served as the office's regional coordinator for climate change and as a special advisor to the organization on a broad range of issues, including globalization and the environment, sustainable consumption and production, and civil society engagement. She came to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) from the Worldwatch Institute, where she served in diverse capacities, including as Vice President for Research, as Director of the Globalization and Governance Project, as Senior Advisor for Programs, and as a Senior Researcher.
Hilary has published and lectured widely on global environmental and sustainable development issues, including co-authoring fifteen of Worldwatch's annual State of the World reports and authoring the book Vanishing Borders: Protecting the Planet in the Age of Globalization. She is also the author of six Worldwatch Papers, including Partnerships for the Planet: an Environmental Agenda for the United Nations and Clearing the Air: a Global Agenda. She earlier worked briefly for Ashoka, a global association of social entrepreneurs, and interned with the United Nations Development Programme in the Ivory Coast and with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva. Hilary has also worked as a consultant to private foundations and as a Visiting Professor at Williams College. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Secretary
- Secretary - General of the United Nations and Executive Director
Inger Andersen is Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
Between 2015 and 2019, Ms. Andersen was the Director-General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Ms. Andersen has more than 30 years of experience in international development economics, environmental sustainability, strategy and operations. She has led work on a range of issues including agriculture, environmental management, biodiversity conservation, climate change, infrastructure, energy, transport, and water resources management and hydro-diplomacy.
Between 1999 and 2014, Ms. Andersen held several leadership positions at the World Bank including Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa; Vice President for Sustainable Development and Head of the CGIAR Fund Council.
Prior to her 15 years at the World Bank, Ms. Andersen worked 12 years at the United Nations, first on drought and desertification, beginning with the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office. In 1992, she was appointed UNDP's Water and Environment Coordinator for the Arab Region.
Ms. Andersen holds a Bachelors from the London Metropolitan University North and a Masters in Development Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, speaks at the launch of Global Resources Outlook 2024, highlighting the urgent need to address the triple planetary crisis through sustainable resource management and circular economy models. She emphasizes the benefits of decoupling economic growth from resource use and environmental impacts. The report outlines actionable steps for achieving this goal, urging strong resolutions at the UNEA-6.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen calls for global unity at the high-level segment of UNEA-6. She rallies the wider UNEA and UNEP family - from MEAs to scientists, civil society to youth, and indigenous peoples to businesses and financiers - to think big and dream bigger. Together, she says, we can combat climate emergencies, biodiversity loss and pollution, across nations, sectors and generations, to create a sustainable future.
Job Titles:
- Regional Data Specialist, Digital Transformation Sub - Programme
Job Titles:
- Regional Development Coordination Officer
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Representative
- in 2015 As Coordinator of the Science Division for Latin America
- Regional Director and Representative, Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
Biography
Juan brings over 25 years of experience in environmental affairs, with emphasis on biodiversity, collaborative networks and science-policy platforms. He began his career at the Humboldt Institute in Colombia, where he led several national knowledge management initiatives to support the country's policies and decisions on biodiversity. Such an experience took him first to UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center in Cambridge, and then to the Secretariat of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) in Copenhagen. At GBIF, Juan worked with over 60 developed and developing countries in the establishment of their national biodiversity data infrastructures, and led capacity enhancement projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Juan joined UNEP in 2015 as Coordinator of the Science Division for Latin America and the Caribbean, serving as focal point for the Global Environmental Outlook process, and providing leadership to other regional initiatives related to environmental data and assessments. In 2017, he was appointed head of UNEP´s office in Colombia and regional focal point for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. In that capacity, he has represented UNEP in several UN Country Teams, giving him practical experience in the implementation of the UN Development System reform at the country-level, including the preparation of Common Country Analysis, as well as the formulation, negotiation and implementation of Cooperation Frameworks. In October 2021, I have temporarily joined UNEP´s Executive Office in Nairobi to coordinate the commemoration of UNEP´s fiftieth anniversary (UNEP@50).
Juan is a biologist from Colombia and holds an Executive Master´s degree in International Negotiation and Policy from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies of Geneva, Switzerland.
Biography
Laura Fuller heads communications for the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in North America. She is responsible for conveying UNEP's core scientific and environmental development messages, as well as global advocacy campaigns, to all stakeholders, partners and media in Canada and the United States. She leads the effort to raise awareness on priority and emerging environmental issues in order to influence North American attitudes, behavior and decisions related to the local and global environment, and to enhance the profile of the organization throughout the region.
Previous to this position, she was based in Paris, France as the communications lead for the public-private sector UNEP en.lighten initiative. In this capacity, she headed the project's global, national and regional communications activities to raise the profile of the en.lighten initiative with partner countries and international stakeholders, with the goal of phasing out inefficient lighting globally. Prior to joining UNEP, she was the manager of marketing communications and information for a leading international lighting company, based in her hometown of Toronto, Ontario. In this role, she developed strategic communications plans and activities to increase brand awareness and to disseminate information and programs about the technological shift towards energy efficiency.
Job Titles:
- Associate Programme Management Officer, Vienna Office
Maarten has a background in wildlife and landscape ecology. He has been active for over 15 years in both conservation biology research and applied conservation settings. He worked on landscape ecology and connectivity modelling in Belgium before joining the Ya'axché Conservation Trust in Belize, Central America. There, he helped develop a biodiversity research…
Maria Morgado joined the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2013 and is currently the regional coordinator for Climate Change and Nature at the North America Office, based in Washington D.C. Her work focuses on terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems, promoting and facilitating partnership building between UNEP and North American institutions and…
Mark studied languages and politics before specialising in environmental policy at the College of Europe. He has worked as a journalist on food politics in Brussels, as an advocate for renewable energy for the Climate Parliament NGO and in microfinance. Mark now works for the UN Environment Programme's communication team for Europe. On a typical day he may…
Job Titles:
- Regional Director and Representative, a.I. Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Job Titles:
- Senior Coordination Officer
Matt Billot has over twenty years' experience in undertaking environmental assessments as well as environmental management and policy. Matt worked for WSP Environment and Energy in the UK as an Associate Director of the Environmental Planning team. He was responsible for undertaking environmental impact assessments of development proposals across a wide range of…
Job Titles:
- Programme Management Officer - Vienna Office
Matthias manages flagship projects and initiatives related to sustainable mountain development focusing on climate change adaptation, ecosystem management, environmental governance and use of earth observation. He spearheads several initiatives in mountain regions including the Andes, Central Asia, Caucasus and East Africa. While based in Vienna, Matthias…
Maureen Ng'ang'a is the Executive Assistant to the Regional Director of the UN Environment Programme North America Office. She has recently been with the United Nations Human Settlement Programme as a Programme Management Assistant in the donor relations unit and has vast experience in donor fundraising, public information, donor intelligence, website and…
Job Titles:
- Head, Regional Office for Africa
- Head, UN Environment Office in South Africa
Job Titles:
- Head, UN Environment Office in West Africa
Job Titles:
- Head
- Head of UNEP 's Central Asia Office
Ms. Aidai Kurmanova started her assignment as the Head of UNEP's Central Asia Office in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 2 February 2019. Ms Kurmanova brings 21 years of developing country experience, including her recent five-year position as the First Deputy Minister of Economy of the Kyrgyz Republic. Her main areas of expertise include sustainable economic development…
Job Titles:
- UN Assistant Secretary - General and Head of UNEP, New York Office
Ms. Ligia Noronha began her role as United Nations Assistant Secretary- General and Head of the New York Office at UNEP on 1 April 2021.
Job Titles:
- Regional Coordinator, Resource Efficiency
Job Titles:
- Director, Governance Affairs Office
Job Titles:
- Regional Director
- Regional Director and Representative, Regional Office for North America
Rafael Peralta is the Regional Director of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Regional Office for North America in Washington since 1 July 2023. Rafael has served as Chief of Staff of UNEP since April 2021, having previously worked as Acting Chief of Staff since 2019. He joined UNEP in 2018 as Deputy Chief of Staff. Rafael has over 20 years'…
Job Titles:
- Regional Climate Change Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Regional Coordinator, Environment Governance / Africa
Job Titles:
- Director and Regional Representative
- Regional Director and Representative, Regional Office for Africa
Job Titles:
- Regional Director and Representative, Regional Office for West Asia
Job Titles:
- Director, Industry and Economy Division
Job Titles:
- Director, Ecosystems Division
Job Titles:
- Director, Policy and Programme Division