UN Announces Annan's Candidates for New Environment Chief

07/03/2006

Environmental leaders from Northern Europe Central America and South Asia are on short list of candidates to head the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as selected by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and announced today in advance of the 1 April 2006 end of the long-running tenure of Klaus Toepfer.

Candidates include Borge Brende the former environmental minister of Norway; Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Echandi the Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica; Shafqat Kakakhel of Pakistan the Deputy Executive Director of UNEP; Rajendra Pachauri of India the Director-General of the Energy and Resource Institute; and Achim Steiner of German the Director-General of the World Conservation Union.

Mr. Toepfer’s tenure which began in February 1998 saw the Programme restructured into five priority areas: environmental assessment and early warning development of policy instruments enhanced coordination with environmental conventions technology transfer and support to Africa according to the Office of the Secretary-General. Mr. Annan’s office said that Mr. Toepfer who had previously been Germany’s environmental minister has also been instrumental in integrating environmental concerns and economic development.