Tina Birmpili of Greece appointed as UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary

Bonn, 22 July 2020 – UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw announced today the appointment of Tina Birmpili of Greece as the next Deputy Executive Secretary of UNCCD. 

Ms. Birmpili will assume the position on 1 October 2020.  She is currently serving as the Executive Secretary of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and its Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Ms. Birmpili will succeed Pradeep Monga of India to whom the Executive Secretary is grateful for his dedicated service to the UNCCD secretariat and the Global Mechanism.
 
Ms. Birmpili brings to the position over 25 years of experience in policy analysis and implementation on sustainable development related issues and management at all levels of governance. She is a former Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change in Greece. Prior to joining the Ozone Secretariat in 2013, she served as Ambassador of Greece to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in Paris. Throughout her career, which included assignments with the Athens Development Agency, the Open University of Greece and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in different capacities, she has been engaged in issues related to environment and sustainable development.

Ms. Birmpili holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and a Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Management and Economics from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London.

Contact

For more information contact: Yukie Hori yhori [at] unccd.int (yhori[at]unccd[dot]int)
For media inquiries contact: Wagaki Wischnewski press [at] unccd.int (press[at]unccd[dot]int)

About UNCCD

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is an international agreement on good land stewardship. It helps people, communities, and countries to create wealth, grow economies and secure enough food and water and energy, by ensuring land users have an enabling environment for sustainable land management. Through partnerships, the Convention’s 197 Parties set up robust systems to manage land degradation and drought promptly and effectively. Good land stewardship based on a sound policy and science helps integrate and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, builds resilience to climate change and prevents biodiversity loss. Land also plays a key role in the prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, securing rural livelihoods and creating green jobs, supporting community resilience and maintaining the sustainable delivery of ecosystem services.