DECEMBER
IMO SECRETARY-GENERAL REAPPOINTED
The 25th biennial meeting of the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) Assembly has unanimously reappointed Secretary-General Efthimios
Mitropoulos for another four-year term, from 2008-2011.
More information.
NOVEMBER
JAPAN’S CROWN PRINCE APPOINTED
HONORARY PRESIDENT OF UN ADVISORY BOARD ON WATER AND SANITATION
Japan’s Crown Prince has been appointed as Honorary President of UN
Secretary-General’s
Advisory Board
on Water and Sanitation, which was established in 2004 to advise the
Secretary-General and raise awareness of water and sanitation issues.
The Board is currently chaired by Prince Willem-Alexander of the
Netherlands.
More information.
ANGELA CROPPER
TO BE NEXT UNEP DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced, on 7 November 2007, his
appointment of Angela Cropper (Trinidad and Tobago) as the next
Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP). She is expected to take up this post
in February 2008.
More information.
OCTOBER
OFFICER IN
CHARGE NAMED FOR GPA
Anjan Datta (Bangladesh) will serve as Officer in Charge of the
Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA)/Regional Seas of
the UNEP GPA Coordination Office (IISD RS sources).
HEAD OF UNEP
CHEMICALS APPOINTED
Per Bakken (Norway) has been appointed as Head of the Chemicals
Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE),
UNEP. Bakken, who succeeds Maged Younes, assumed the position on
1 September 2007 (IISD RS Sources).
DOMINIQUE
STRAUSS-KAHN APPOINTED IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) appointed
by consensus Dominique Strauss-Kahn (France) as IMF Managing Director
and Chairman of the Executive Board. Strauss-Kahn, who will succeed
Rodrigo de Rato for a five-year term beginning 1 November 2007, holds a
PhD in economics from the University of Paris, and has served his
country as a Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry (1997- 1999)
and Minister of Industry and International Trade (1991-1993).
More information.
SEPTEMBER
NEW ACTING DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTED FOR
UNCTAD
Lakshmi Puri (India), who has directed the UN Conference on Trade and
Development’s (UNCTAD) Trade Division since 2002, has been named Acting
Deputy Secretary-General. Her appointment started on 7 September 2007.
More information.
GEF NAMES NINE NEW STAFF MEMBERS
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has announced nine new staff
members, including Brennan Van Dyke (Political Advisor to CEO), Sekou
Toure (Conflict Resolution Commissioner), Dima Reda (Corporate
Operations, Policies and Financial Services), William Ehlers
(External Affairs), Maureen Shields Lorenzetti (Spokesperson), Gustavo
A. B. da Fonseca (Natural Resources Management), Jaime Cavelier (Senior
Biodiversity Specialist), and Chris Briggs
(Operations, Policies and Finance).
More information.
UNDP APPOINTS
new director for POVERTY practice GROUP
Selim
Jahan (Bangladesh) has been appointed Director for the UN Development
Programme’s Poverty Practice Group within the Bureau for Development and
Policy (BDP) in New York, US. Prior to moving to UNDP BDP, Selim was the
Deputy Director for the Human Development Report Office in New York and
a member of the core team that co-authored the Human Development
Reports, a UNDP flagship publication (IISD RS
Sources).
FORMER RAMSAR SECRETARY GENERAL JOINS JNCC
Former Ramsar Secretary General Peter Bridgewater has been appointed as
Chairman of the UK and international nature conservation advisory body
the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). His three-year term will
begin on 1 October 2007. More
information.
NEW EXECUTIVE SECRETARY APPOINTED FOR UNCCD
On 3 September 2007, the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the
UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) endorsed the proposal by
the UN Secretary-General to appoint Luc Gnacadja (Benin) as the new
UNCCD Executive Secretary.
More information.
UNDP APPOINTS VEERLE VANDEWEERD
AS director FOR ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Veerle Vandeweerd (Belgium) has
been appointed by UNDP as its new Practice Director for Environment and
Energy in New York, US. Veerle was previously with UNEP, where she
coordinated the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the
Marine Environment from Land-based Activities in The Hague, Netherlands.
Prior to this, she headed UNEP’s Regional Seas, Coral Reefs & Small
Island Developing States Programmes; served as Deputy Director of UNEP’s
Division of Environmental Policy Implementation; and oversaw several
global environmental monitoring systems on water, air and food.
UNFF
SECRETARIAT MAKES STAFF CHANGES
The UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat bid farewell to Antonio
Carlos do Prado, who had been seconded to the Secretariat by the
International Tropical Timber Organization three years ago. He will
resume his duties at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.
Mr. Peter Csoka recently returned to the Secretariat, after having
worked in the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
For more staff changes, see the
UNFF Secretariat’s Newsletter (April-July 2007).
AUGUST
undp deputy assistant administrator and deputy director bdp APPOINTED
Douglas Gardner (US) has been appointed UNDP Deputy Assistant
Administrator and Deputy Director of the Bureau for Development Policy
in New York, US. Gardner has been Resident Coordinator in Cambodia for
the last three and one-half years (IISD RS Sources).
NEW RAMSAR SECRETARY GENERAL TAKES HIS POST
Anada Tiéga officially took up his post as the fourth Secretary General
of the Ramsar Convention, replacing Peter Bridgewater. A native of
Niger, Anada first came to Ramsar in the late 1990s as Regional
Coordinator for Africa (now called Senior Advisor for Africa) and then
went on to serve as Project Manager for the GEF project “Reversal of
Land and Water Degradation Trends in the Lake Chad Basin Ecosystem.”
More information.
UNDP APPOINTS deputy director for regional bureau for africa
Moustapha Soumare (Mali) has been
appointed Deputy Director for the UN Development Programme’s Regional
Bureau for Africa in New York, US. Most recently, Soumare acted as
Research Director in the Secretariat for the High-Level Panel on
System-Wide Coherence (IISD RS Sources).
SENIOR
APPOINTMENTS AT UNDP PARTNERSHIP BUREAU
Romesh Muttukumaru (Sri Lanka) has been appointed Deputy Director of the
UNDP Partnerships Bureau in New York, US, and Cecile Molinier (France)
has been appointed Director of the UNDP Liaison Office in Geneva,
Switzerland (IISD RS Sources).
ESCAP AND ESCWA HEADS NAMED
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed new heads for two UN regional
commissions on 30 July 2007. Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore will take over
as Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP). Heyzer is currently Executive Director of the
UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Bader Al-Dafa of Qatar will lead
the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
More information.
MANDATE
EXTENDED FOR SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR MIGRATION
On July 10 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon extended the mandate
of Peter Sutherland (Ireland) to continue in his capacity as the SG's
Special Representative for Migration until 2008. The Special
Representative serves as the primary link between the UN system and the
Global Forum on Migration and Development. Sutherland has held the post
since January 2006.
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE LEAST DEVELOPED
COUNTRIES, LANDLOCKED DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING
STATES NAMED
On 6 July 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the
appointment of Mali's Ambassador to the UN, Chieck Sidi Diarra, as the
High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked
Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS). He
will replace Anwarul Chowdhury (Bangladesh).
More information.
JULY
NEW USG FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS ASSUMES POST
Sha Zukang (China) became the UN
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (ESA) on 1 July
2007. In this position, he heads the UN Department of Economic and
Social Affairs (UNDESA).
More information.
YANNICK GLEMAREC APPOINTED
UNDP/GEF EXECUTIVE COORDINATOR
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has appointed Yannick
Glemarec as the UNDP/GEF Executive Coordinator. He has most recently
served as UNDP/GEF Deputy Executive Coordinator and, among other things,
led the development of the UNDP MDG Carbon Facility (IISD Sources).
NEW EXECUTIVE SECRETARY FOR BASEL
CONVENTION
On 4 July 2007, Katharina Kummer Peiry
(Switzerland) was appointed Executive Secretary for the Basel
Convention. Peiry has worked on issues related to the Basel
Convention for nearly 20 years and will assume the position in September
2007.
More information.
UK PM APPOINTS MALLOCH BROWN AS MINISTER FOR AFRICA,
ASIA AND THE UN
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has appointed Sir Mark Malloch Brown
as minister for Africa, Asia and the UN. Malloch Brown previously served
as UN Secretary-General Annan’s chef de cabinet, UN Deputy
Secretary-General, and Administrator of the UN Development Programme.
More information.
UK DEFRA APPOINTS ROBERT WATSON AS CHIEF SCIENTIFIC
ADVISOR
The UK’S Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
has appointed Robert Watson as its new chief scientific advisor. Watson
has previously served as Chief Scientist and
Director for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD)
at the World Bank. He has also served as Chair of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Chair of the Global Environment
Facility’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel.
More information.
UNCCD
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY RESIGNS
Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD), submitted his resignation to the UN
Secretary-General effective 19 June 2007. Diallo tendered his
resignation to correspond with his election as a member of the National
Assembly of Burkina Faso, in accordance with UN Rules and Regulations.
Grégoire de Kalbermatten, the Deputy Executive Secretary, has been
designated Officer-in-Charge while the Secretary-General initiates a
search process, which is expected to be done in consultation with the
Bureau of the Conference of Parties (COP), and with a view to completing
the process before the September 2007 COP.
More information.
JUNE
ROBERT ZOELLICK CONFIRMED AS WORLD BANK PRESIDENT
On 25 June 2007, the Executive Directors of the World Bank confirmed
Robert Zoellick’s nomination to head the organization.
Zoellick will succeed Paul Wolfowitz, the
departing World Bank President, and will take office effective 1 July
2007.
Link to further information
World Bank Press release, 25 June 2007
UNEP APPOINTS REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has appointed Jean Christophe
Bouvier (France) as the Regional Director for its Regional Office for
Europe (ROE). Bouvier has most recently served as Regional Director for
the UNOPS Regional Office for Central Asia, North Africa, Near East and
Europe.
Link to further information
UNEP website, 25 June 2007
UNESCO NAMES NEW WWAP COORDINATOR
On 22 May 2007, UNESCO named Olcay Ünver as the new coordinator of the
organization’s World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP).
Link to further information
World Water Assessment Programme website, 25 June 2007
SRGJAN KERIM
ELECTED NEW UNGA PRESIDENT
On 24 May 2007, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) elected Srgjan Kerim
(former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) as the President of its upcoming
session. Srgjan Kerim, who will assume his new role at the start of the
Assembly’s sixty-second session in September 2007, served as his
country’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2001-2003, as well as
in several positions within his national government.
Link to further information
UN Press release, 24 May 2007
UNGA PRESIDENT
APPOINTS CHAIRS FOR REFORM CONSULTATIONS
The President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Sheikha Haya Rashed Al
Khalifa stated in a letter on 25 May 2007 that, following extensive
consultations with Member States to establish a transparent and
inclusive process on System-wide Coherence, she has appointed
Christopher Hackett (Barbados) and
Jean-Marc Hoscheit (Luxembourg) as
Co-Chairs to lead the System-wide Coherence consultations. They were
expected to convene the first meeting to consider the High-Level Panel's
report and the Secretary-General's recommendations on 6 June 2007. On 24
May 2007, Sheikha Haya announced that the Permanent Representative of
Mexico, Claude Heller Roussant, will take over the role as facilitator
for International Environmental Governance from his predecessor Enrique
Berruga.
Links to further information
UNGA President’s letter appointing System-wide Coherence Co-Chairs,
25 May 2007
UNGA President’s letter on Heller Roussant appointment, 24 May 2007
ROBERT
ZOELLICK NOMINATED TO HEAD THE WORLD BANK
The US has nominated Robert Zoellick to succeed Paul Wolfowitz as
President of the World Bank. Standard procedures require the World
Bank’s Board of Directors to receive additional nominations before
taking a decision on the position. Therefore, additional nominations
will be accepted until 15 June 2007, and the Board is expected to
present its decision by 30 June 2007, which is slated to be Wolfowitz’s
final day as President.
Link to further information
The World Bank website, 30 May 2007
CHIEF FOR THE
URBAN ENVIRONMENT SECTION AT UN-HABITAT APPOINTED
After seven years with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)
in Zurich, Marco Keiner has been appointed as Chief for the Urban
Environment Section at the UN-HABITAT.
RAMSAR SECRETARIAT
APPOINTS REGIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICER
The Ramsar Convention Secretariat has announced the appointment of
Alexia Dufour to the new position of Regional Affairs Officer. Dufour is
expected to take up her new post in late July 2007.
Link to further information
Ramsar website, 30 May 2007
MAY
EGYPT AND NORWAY TO
LEAD CONSULTATIONS ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
Ambassador Maged A. Abdelaziz Adbelaziz (Egypt) and Ambassador Johan
Ludvik Løvald (Norway) have been requested by
UN General Assembly (UNGA) President
Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa to
lead the consultation process to prepare a “Follow-up Conference on
Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey
Consensus” in the second half of 2008.
Link to further information
UNGA President’s Announcement
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, WORLD BANK PRESIDENT, RESIGNS
Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, presented his resignation
on 17 May 2007, effective 30 June 2007, following disagreements with the
Staff Association and the Bank’s shareholders, represented by the Board
of Directors, over the management of arrangements to promote and
transfer a World Bank employee with whom he had a personal relationship.
Links to further information
World Bank Press Release, 17 May 2007
New York Times news story, 17 May 2007
Washington Post continuing coverage
ANADA TIEGA NAMED NEXT RAMSAR SECRETARY GENERAL
The Ramsar Standing Committee unanimously
selected Anada Tiéga (Niger) as the new Ramsar Secretary General, to
succeed Peter Bridgewater in August 2007. Tiéga served as Regional
Coordinator for Africa for the Ramsar Convention for nearly six years.
Link to further
information
Ramsar News Release
UN
SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS CLIMATE ENVOYS
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
has appointed three special envoys on climate change. The envoys are
former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, Chile’s former
President Ricardo Lagos Escobar, and Han Seung-soo of the Republic of
Korea, who was President of the 56th Session of the UN General Assembly.
All three have a history of working on sustainable development and
environmental issues. “The work of the Special Envoys will assist the
Secretary-General in his consultations with Governments and other key
stakeholders on how he might facilitate progress in the multilateral
climate change negotiations within the UN,” said a UN spokesperson.
UN News Centre, 1 May 2007.
APRIL
DSD NAMES NEW
CHIEF FOR MAJOR GROUPS AND PARTNERSHIPS BRANCH
Juwang Zhu has been named Chief of the Programme Coordination, Major
Groups and Partnerships Branch of the Division for Sustainable
Development (DSD) of the UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs (DESA), where he has most recently served as Senior Economic
Affairs Officer. He replaces Kathleen Abdalla, who had been
officer-in-charge of this branch since October 2006. Abdalla remains
Branch Chief for the National Information, Monitoring and Outreach
Branch, DSD (IISD sources).
RAMSAR
APPOINTS SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT OFFICER
Edgar Kaeslin (Switzerland) has been appointed to the new position of
Scientific and Technical Support Officer for the Ramsar Convention. The
position was created to provide enhanced scientific and technical
capacity in the Secretariat, in particular to support the work of the
Scientific and Technical Review Panel, the Convention’s subsidiary body
charged with preparing scientific and technical reports and guidelines
for the implementation of the Convention.
More information.
AKASAKA BEGINS TENURE AS CHIEF OF UN DPI
Kiyotaka Akasaka (Japan) began his tenure on 2 April 2007 as the new
chief of the UN Department of Public Information (DPI). He succeeds
Shashi Tharoor (India) as the Under-Secretary-General for Communications
and Public Information. Akasaka’s most recent posting had been to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris,
where he served as Deputy Secretary-General since August 2003.
More information.
CRISTIAN
SAMPER NAMED ACTING SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
Cristián Samper, a national of US and Colombia, born in Costa
Rica, was named Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the
world’s largest museum complex. He had been head of the Smithsonian
National Museum of Natural History, as well as a Chair of the Subsidiary
Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention
on Biological Diversity.
More information.
MARCH
CO-EXECUTIVE
SECRETARY OF THE ROTTERDAM CONVENTION ANNOUNCED
Peter Kenmore was appointed Co-Executive Secretary of the Rotterdam
Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous
Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and Chief of the Plant
Protection Service of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
His appointment was effective 27 February 2007.
Rotterdam Convention Press Release, 16 March 2007.
NEW DIRECTOR UN DOALOS
V�clav Mikulka (Czech
Republic) began his tenure as
the new
Director of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UN
DOALOS), Office of Legal Affairs, on 1 March 2007. Mikulka was formerly
the director of the Codification Division. He replaces Vladimir
Golitsyn.
More information.
FEBRUARY
SECRETARY-GENERAL MAKES HIGH-LEVEL APPOINTMENTS
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named four new senior
officials to his cabinet while retaining a dozen others. Among the new
appointments named on 9 February 2007 was Ambassador Sha Zukang,
currently China�s Permanent Representative to the UN Office at Geneva,
as Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. He will
succeed Jos� Antonio Ocampo of Colombia.
More information.
WTO APPOINTS
CHAIRPERSONS FOR 2007
The WTO General Council appointed on 7 February its chairpersons for
2007, including Muhamad Noor (Malaysia) for the General Council; Manuel
A.J. Teehankee (the Philippines) for the Committee on Trade and
Environment; and Yonov Frederick Agah (Nigeria) for the TRIPs Council.
The
announcement.
ELCI NAMES
NEW DIRECTOR
Environment Liaison Centre International (ELCI) has named a new
Executive Director, Tanveer Arif, who was appointed on 8 February 2007.
Before taking up his new post, Arif had been CEO of the Society for
Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE) Pakistan since 1999.
ELCI was originally established in the 1970s to act as the civil society
interface with UNEP and �bring civil society competence to the
intergovernmental environmental table.� (IISD Sources).
JANUARY
NEW DIRECTOR OF THE IMO SECRETARIAT�S MARINE
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION APPOINTED
Miguel Palomares (Spain) has stepped up to become Director of the
International Maritime Organization�s (IMO) Secretariat�s Marine
Environment Division following the retirement of Jean-Claude Sainlos.
Stefan Micallef (Malta) becomes Deputy Director of that Division and
Head of its Sub-Division for Pollution Response and Technical
Co-operation Co-ordination. The appointment became effective from 1
January 2007.
Link
to further information
IMO News Release, 8 January
2007
CANADIAN PM NAMES NEW ENVIRONMENT MINISTER
Canada�s Prime Minister Stephen Harper has named Treasury Board
President John Baird as the country�s new environment minister. He
replaces Rona Ambrose, who was criticized in some circles for not
successfully selling the government�s clean air policies. Ambrose was
President of the UN Climate Convention Conference of the Parties for
most of 2006, following Canada�s hosting of the first meeting of parties
to the Kyoto Protocol in December 2005 and a change in government in
Canada in early 2006.
Links
to further information
CBC news, 4 January 2007
The Toronto Star,
4 January 2007
UNEP NAMES
FOUR DIRECTORS
The UN Environment Programme has named new Directors for four of its
Divisions.
-
Sylvie Lemmet, a French
national, has been appointed Director of the Division of Technology,
Industry and Economics (DTIE), located in Paris. Lemmet has worked
with the private sector, NGOs, international organizations and most
recently as Senior Auditor with the French Cour des Comptes.
-
Peter Gilruth, a national of
the US, has been appointed Director of the Division of Early Warning
and Assessment (DEWA). He brings to UNEP more than 20 years of
experience as an environmental scientist, project manager and
strategist from the US Government, academia, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and currently the private sector.
-
Ibrahim Thiaw has been
appointed Director of the Division of Environmental Policy and
Implementation (DEPI). A national of Mauritania, he brings to UNEP
more than 22 years of expertise in the fields of natural resource
management and environmental policy at the national, Pan African and
global levels, including most recently as Acting Director-General of
IUCN.
-
Janos Pasztor, a Hungarian
national, has been appointed Chief of the Environment Management
Group (EMG) Secretariat. He joined the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development in 1990, and since 1993 has held senior
positions with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), where he is currently the Coordinator of the Project-based
Mechanisms Programme with a team of more than 50 staff.
(IISDRS Sources and
http://www.unep.fr/shared/docs/about/sl_appointment_en.pdf).
If you
would like to submit details of
recent appointments or departures,
send a message to
Diego Noguera, IISD
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Appointments, Departures