Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on 31 January 2019.
Mr Thiaw brings to the position almost 40 years of experience in sustainable development, environmental governance, and natural resource management. In 2018, he was Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for the Sahel. Prior to this position, he served as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where he played a key role in shaping the organization's strategic vision and mandate.
Mr Thiaw joined the United Nations in 2007 as Director of UNEP’s Division for Environmental Policy Implementation. Before joining the Organization, he was the Regional Director for West Africa, and later Acting Director General, of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
