UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has accepted the resignation of Erik Solheim, the executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Solheim’s resignation is effective Thursday, November 22. Tanzania's Joyce Msuya, the deputy executive
director of UNEP, has been appointed as the acting executive director.
Solheim resigned because of his frequent global travels that cost the agency almost $500,000 (Sh50,000,000) in just 22 months.
"While the Secretary-General launches a recruitment
process, in consultation with member States, to find a successor to Solheim. Ms. Msuya will be granted all the necessary support to ensure a smooth transition," a UN statement reads.
Guterres
said he is grateful for Solheim’s service and recognises that he has been a leading voice in drawing the world’s attention to critical environmental challenges.
He cited plastics pollution and circularity; climate action; the rights of environmental defenders; biodiversity; and environmental security.
"He has led advocacy at the highest levels of government, business and civil society to drive the transformational change needed to make a real difference in the lives of people and promote the cause of the environment," the statement reads.
Solheim has been in office for the past two and a half years where under his leadership, several countries ratified key treaties aimed at protecting the environment.
Read: