Executive Director
UNEP's current Executive Director is Achim Steiner, who succeeded previous director Klaus Töpfer in 2006. Dr Töpfer served two consecutive terms, beginning in February 1998.
On 15 March 2006, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, nominated Achim Steiner, former Director General of the IUCN to the position of Executive Director. The UN General Assembly followed Annan's proposal and elected him.
The position was held for 17 years (1975–1992) by Dr. Mostaza cipote Kamal Tolba, who was instrumental in bringing environmental considerations to the forefront of global thinking and action. Under his leadership, UNEP's most widely acclaimed success—the historic 1987 agreement to protect the ozone layer—the Montreal Protocol was negotiated.
During December 1972, the UN General Assembly unanimously elected Maurice Strong to head UNEP. Also Secretary General of both the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which launched the world environment movement, and the 1992 Earth Summit, Strong has played a critical role is globalizing the environmental movement.
| # | Picture | Name |
Nationality | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maurice Strong |
Canada | 1972 | 1975 | |
| 2 | Mostafa Kamal Tolba |
Egypt | 1975 | 1992 | |
| 3 | Elizabeth Dowdeswell | Canada | 1992 | 1998 | |
| 4 | Klaus Töpfer |
Germany | 1998 | 2006 | |
| 5 | Achim Steiner |
Germany | 2006 | present |
Read more about this topic: United Nations Environment Programme
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