Achim Steiner is an expert on environmental issues and politics. He was Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP from 2006-16.
Before joining UNEP, he was Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams. As of 2016 he became director of the Oxford Martin School.
From 1991-97 he worked for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Southern Africa and Washington DC. He was Chief Technical Adviser of the Mekong River Commission 1997-98 before becoming Secretary-General of the World Commission on Dams. In 2001 he returned to IUCN as Director-General before being elected as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme.
As well as environment and sustainability, Steiner’s expertise spans the broader field of development, climate change and transitioning to a green economy. As the Chair of the German Agora Council on Mobility Transition, Steiner is also experienced in the future of mobility.
Steiner also serves as Germany’s Envoy for disaster Displacement, meaning he is involved in displacement related to war, disaster and climate change related displacement.
