Secretary-General appoints Luc Gnacadja of Benin Executive Secretary

of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

 

Following the endorsement by the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Luc Gnacadja as the new Executive Secretary of UNCCD.

Mr. Gnacadja participated in UNCCD meetings in his former capacity as Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development in Benin and had served for several years as head of delegation to the Conference of the Parties to all three Rio Conventions.  He also served as Chairman of the African Ministers Conference on the Environment.

In March 2003, Mr. Gnacadja received the “Green Award 2002” from the World Bank in recognition of his contribution to the improvement of our planet’s environment.

He will succeed Mr. Hama Arba Diallo from Burkina Faso, who resigned on 19 June 2007.

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For information media • not an official record