UNDP Executive Board welcomes appointment of Achim Steiner as new Administrator:
The President of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday welcomed the appointment of Achim Steiner as the Organisation’s new Administrator.
Steiner’s nomination for UNDP Administrator was forwarded by Secretary-General António Guterres to the General Assembly, which yesterday confirmed him as the Administrator of UNDP for a term of four years. UNDP supports countries around the world to eradicate extreme poverty, strengthen good governance and prevent and respond to crises.
President of the UNDP Executive Board, Ib Petersen, Permanent Representative of Denmark to the UN, said: “I know that I am speaking on behalf of all members of the Executive Board and all UNDP staff in warmly welcoming Achim Steiner as UNDP’s new Administrator.
“Achim Steiner brings a wealth of experience, expertise and dedication to this hugely important role. I am certain he will make an enduring and positive impact on UNDP’s development work around the world,” he added.
Steiner said: “I am honoured by the Secretary-General’s decision to appoint me as the next Administrator of UNDP and grateful for the trust and confidence Member States have expressed in the General Assembly today. I am very much looking forward to working with all UNDP staff and Member States to continue the fight to end poverty, protect the planet and promote peace and justice around the world.”
Steiner has been a respected global leader on sustainable development, international cooperation and global diplomacy for nearly three decades. He is a vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals and the need for unprecedented global cooperation to deliver on this ambitious agenda.
Prior to joining UNDP, Steiner served in roles across the UN, non-government organisations and high-level advisory bodies shaping public policy.
This included tenures as United Nations Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme; as Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi and as Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Mr Steiner is currently the Director of the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford and Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.
- UN.org
ACHIM STEINER
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultations with the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), wrote to the President of the General Assembly requesting the General Assembly to confirm Achim Steiner of Germany as the new Administrator of UNDP for a term of four years. The General Assembly confirmed the nomination on April 19, 2017.
Steiner succeeds Helen Clark of New Zealand to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her leadership over the past eight years as UNDP Administrator and Chair of the United Nations Development Group. A highly effective communicator and champion of development, environmental protection, democratic governance and institutional reform, she has advocated for the rights of the poor and marginalized, particularly women, LGBTI, refugees and migrants, and people with HIV/AIDS.
Currently Director of Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford and Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford (since 2016), Mr. Steiner brings to the position extensive senior leadership experience both at the grassroots and at the highest levels of international policymaking addressing environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic development.
His professional career includes assignments with Governmental and non-governmental, as well as international organisations in different parts of the world, most recently as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (2006-2016) and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (2009-2011), as well as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (2001-2006) and Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams, South Africa (1998-2001).
Born in 1961, his educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oxford, as well as a Master of Arts from the University of London with specialization in development economics, regional planning, and international development and environment policy. He also studied at the German Development Institute in Berlin, as well as the Harvard Business School.
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