Unep director general Achim Steiner (pictured) has signed off his last major assignment at Gigiri before heading to Oxford University, where he will become a professor. Steiner, a German-Brazilian citizen, is retiring from Unep after serving for 10 years.
His last major assignment was the UN Environment Assembly – known as the world’s de facto environment parliament – which closed late Friday night in Nairobi.
Former Norwegian Environment minister Erik Solheim, who officially reports to Gigiri on June 15, will succeed him. President Uhuru Kenyatta praised Steiner for helping raise the profile of environmental issues in the world. “Kenya will undoubtedly miss you. Wherever the world takes you, always know that you have a home in Kenya,” he said.
Uhuru congratulated the incoming director, who currently heads the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s committee on development assistance in Paris, and serves as Unep’s special envoy for environment, conflict and disaster.
“We are sure you’re up to the task and we look forward to a warm partnership with you,” he said. Uhuru had fronted Kenya’s permanent representative to the UN in New York Macharia Kamau for the Unep position. Kamau was, however, dropped in the preliminary stages of the interviews. He was instead made a UN special envoy on El Niño and climate. The last highest position held by a Kenyan at Unep was deputy executive director,
by Amina Mohammed, the current Foreign Affairs CS.