Inger Andersen (environmentalist)

Inger Andersen (born 23 May 1958) is a Danish economist and environmentalist. In February 2019, she was appointed as the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme.[1]

Inger Andersen
Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Assumed office
19 July 2019
Preceded byJoyce Msuya
Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
In office
January 2015 – 19 July 2019
Preceded byJulia Marton-Lefèvre
Personal details
Born
Inger la Cour Andersen

1958
Jerup, Denmark
Alma materLondon Metropolitan University and School of Oriental and African Studies
WebsiteOfficial biography

Prior to her appointment, at UNEP, Andersen was Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),[2] Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank and Head of the CGIAR Fund Council and then World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa.[3]

Family, early life and education

Inger Andersen is the daughter of Aagot la Cour Andersen and Erik Andersen.[4] She is the granddaughter of Danish historian and archaeologist Vilhelm la Cour. Her brother was Hans la Cour, author and film maker, known in the world of sail sport[5] and environmental documentaries. [6]

Andersen was born in Jerup, Denmark. She graduated from Midtfyns Gymnasium secondary school in 1977. Andersen obtained a BA in 1981 from the Polytechnic of North London (now London Metropolitan University) and in 1982 gained an MA degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies at University of London, with a specialization in development studies focusing on economics and development.[7]

Career

Andersen started her career in Sudan in 1982 where she worked initially as an English teacher under the UK funded English teachers programme. In 1985 she joined SudanAid, the development and relief arm of the Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference. Her work focused on famine, drought relief, and rehabilitation. [8] [9] [10]

United Nations

Andersen worked at the United Nations in New York for 12 years at the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office (UNSO), (now the Global Policy Centre on Resilient Ecosystems and Desertification based in Nairobi[11]) where she worked on drought and desertification issues. In 1992, she was appointed the Global Environment Facility Coordinator for MENA at UNDP, where she oversaw the global environment portfolio in 22 Arab countries. [12]

World Bank

Andersen joined the World Bank in 1999 as Coordinator of the UNDP-World Bank International Waters Partnership between 1999 and 2001 [13] In the following years she worked in various roles, focussing on water, environment, and sustainable development, with the Middle East and North Africa as her main area of work.

From 2010 until 2011, Andersen served as the World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development and Head of the CGIAR Fund Council.[14][15] During her tenure she oversaw the creation of the CGIAR Fund Council and the CGIAR Consortium. [16] As Vice President for Sustainable Development, Andersen profiled a number of World Bank priorities, including: agricultural productivity and enhancing food security; [17] infrastructure investment; climate change resilience; [18] green growth; [19] social accountability; disaster risk management; and culture and development. [20]

During her tenure as Sector Director, she oversaw the scaling-up of the World Bank’s analytical and investment support to underpin resilient infrastructure development for access to energy, water, and transport as well as investments in the agriculture and environment sectors. [21] She placed special emphasis on the need to relieve climate and water stress in the region, both of which she argued pose key threats to peace and stability. [22] [23]

Andersen co-chaired the 2012 international donor meeting for Yemen Riyadh with the then Finance Minister of Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf.[24] As Vice President for MENA, Andersen was also outspoken on the humanitarian consequences of the war in Gaza in 2014, and called for access to imports and freedom of movement in Gaza and the West Bank, while stressing the imperative of mutual assurance of security in both Palestinian territories and Israel.[25]In 2011, Andersen represented the World Bank in the G8/G7 Finance Minister’s Deauville meetings [26] which sought to provide additional support to the Arab Region. [27]

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Andersen was appointed Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in January 2015. [28] [29] As Director General, Andersen was responsible for IUCN’s operations in its 50 plus offices worldwide [30]

Under Andersen's leadership, IUCN held its 2016 World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, United States. The 2016 Congress was the largest international conservation event held in the United States. It was opened by President Barack Obama on the eve of the formal opening [31] [32]

During Andersen’s tenure at IUCN she emphasized the importance of nature conservation in efforts to achieve sustainable development. “Nature is not an obstacle to human aspirations, but an essential partner, offering valuable contributions towards all our endeavours.” [33] [34]

UNEP

On 21 February 2019, the General Assembly of the United Nations elected Andersen as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She was appointed for a four-year term. [1] On 18 January 2023, the General Assembly confirmed Andersen would serve for a further four-year term, through 14 June 2027. [35]

Other activities

International organizations

Corporate boards
  • Nespresso, Member of the Sustainability Advisory Board (NSAB)[37]

Non-profit organizations

Selected publications

Honors and awards

References
  1. "UN Secretary-General appoints Inger Andersen of Denmark as Executive Director of the UN Environment". UN Environment. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  2. "Inger Andersen named IUCN Director General". IUCN. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  3. "Inger Andersen World Bank profile". World Bank. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  4. "69: Lyngby-Linien". Archived from the original on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  5. "Eight Bells ... Hans La Cour Andersen". Sail-World. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  6. "Hans la Cour". IMDb. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  7. "World Bank experts: Inger Andersen". World Bank. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  8. "69: Lyngby-Linienhttp". Archived from the original on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  9. "Inger Andersen - "We must continue work towards fairer and more sustainable world"". Thomson Reuters. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  10. "World Bank names three new vice presidents at the End of its Biggest Lending Year Ever". World Bank. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  11. "Global Policy Centre on Resilient Ecosystems and Desertification". Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  12. Wolf, Aaron T. (6 June 2010). Prof Wolf T., Aaron eds, Sharing Water, Sharing Benefits: Working towards effective transboundary water resources management. ISBN 9789231041679.
  13. Wolf, Aaron T. (6 June 2010). Prof Wolf T., Aaron eds, Sharing Water, Sharing Benefits: Working towards effective transboundary water resources management. ISBN 9789231041679.
  14. "Fund Council Chair Inger Andersen". Youtube. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  15. "Inger Andersen World Bank profile". World Bank. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  16. "Inger Andersen, Carlos Perez del Castillo and Bernard Hubert in Montpellier for the CGIAR Funders Forum". 8 April 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  17. "2020 conf - Day 2 Dinner keynote - ;Inger Andersen". Youtube. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  18. "Inger Andersen, World Bank VP for Sustainable Development at UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun". Youtube. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  19. "'Green Growth and Development -- It's Possible'". Youtube. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  20. "World Bank and UNESCO: Expanding Opportunities for Collaboration on Culture and Sustainable Development". UNESCO. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  21. "'Africa's Energy Needs - Climate Change'". Youtube. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  22. "More crop per drop in the Middle East and North Africa". World Bank. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  23. "World Bank: Arab World hit hard by climate change". US News. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  24. "'Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf and President of the World Bank, Inger Andersen chair the international donor meeting for Yemen, in Riyadh on September 4, 2012'". gettyimages. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  25. "What I saw in Gaza". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  26. "Partenariat de Deauville du G8 avec les pays arabes en transition". Tresor. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  27. "Panel Discussion on Arab Countries in Transition". Vimeo. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  28. "Inger Andersen named IUCN Director General". IUCN. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  29. "World Bank loses top management for South Asia, MENA". Devex. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  30. "About IUCN". IUCN. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  31. "Obama: No Nation, Not Even One As Powerful As The U.S., Is Immune From Climate Change". Huffington Post. September 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  32. "President Obama speaking at East-West Center". Youtube. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  33. Andersen, Inger (28 January 2015). "'Failing to protect nature's capital could cost businesses trillions'". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  34. "The natural way forward". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  35. "Ms. Inger Andersen of Denmark - Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme | United Nations Secretary-General". www.un.org. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  36. "UN Global Compact Board Members".
  37. "Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board". Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  38. "SDSN High-level Leadership Council". Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  39. "SE4All Advisory Board members".
  40. "TEEB Advisory Board members".
  41. "About: World Economic Forum's System Initiative on Shaping the Future of Environment and Natural Resource Security". Archived from the original on 26 September 2016.
  42. "UN Global Compact Board Members".
  43. Members International Gender Champions (IGC).
  44. Sustainability and Legacy Commission International Olympic Committee (IOC).
  45. Andersen, Inger (16 June 2017). "Healthy Oceans: The Cornerstone for A Sustainable Future". Impakter. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  46. "IRF Annual Report. p.9".
  47. "Mayer Award Recipients".
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