UN chief Kofi Annan has selected Achim Steiner, a German national, to take-over the helm of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Annan's spokesman said Wednesday.
Steiner, currently director of the World Conservation Union, will succeed fellow German Klaus Toepfer as UNEP executive director, according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric. An Oxford University graduate, Steiner has worked around the world on conservation and environmental projects.
He has a masters degree from the University of London with specialisation in development economics, regional planning, and international development and environment policy, according to the WCU. He has studied at the German Development Institute in Berlin and Harvard Business School. He also currently serves on the China Council for International Co-operation on Environment and Development, and the Environmental Advisory Council of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.