TORONTO: Ms Noronha will succeed fellow Indian and development economist Satya Tripathi.

TORONTO: UN chief Antonio Guterres has
appointed leading Indian economist Ligia Noronha as Assistant Secretary-General
and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).

Ms
Noronha will succeed fellow Indian and development economist Satya Tripathi to
whom Secretary-General Guterres is “grateful for his leadership and
dedicated service during his tenure,” according to a statement here on
Thursday.

Ms
Noronha is an economist with over 30 years of international experience in the
field of sustainable development.

She has
worked since 2014 as Director of UNEP’s Economy Division based in Nairobi,
leading UNEP’s work on climate mitigation and energy transitions; on inclusive
green economies, sustainable consumption and production, as well as on trade
and sustainable finance, and the nexus of environment, pollution and health,
the statement said.

Prior to
joining UNEP, Ms Noronha worked at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in
New Delhi, as Executive Director (Research Coordination) and as Director of the
Division on Resources, Regulation and Global Security, it said.

She
served as Secretary of the Asian Energy Institute and as Coordinator of the
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnerships (REEEP), South Asia and
worked with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada on
ecosystem approaches to human health.

Ms
Noronha joins a growing list of women from India appointed to helm key UN
agencies. Last week, Guterres appointed leading investment professional Usha
Rao-Monari of India as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Ms
Noronha has served on various boards, expert panels and advisory committees on
ecosystems, natural resources and minerals and metals.

According
to her profile on the UNEP website, she has been a member of the Planning Board
of the Government of Goa and member of the Goa Jubilee Development Council, a
member of Shell International’s External Review Committee on Sustainability
Reporting.

She
served as a member of the Global Assurance Group of the Mining, Minerals and
Sustainable Development project, which examined how the mining and minerals
sector could contribute to the global transition to sustainable development, it
said.

She holds
a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Mumbai, as well as a
Master’s degree in Sea Use Law, Economics and Policy and a PhD from the London
School of Economics.

The
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the “leading global
environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the
coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable
development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative
advocate for the global environment.”

Last
week, the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), which focuses on providing
microfinance access to least developed countries (LDCs), said Preeti Sinha has
commenced her tenure as Executive Secretary of the UN agency.

In
January last year, Guterres appointed Gita Sabharwal of India as the United
Nations Resident Coordinator in Thailand. Sabharwal, with 25 years of
experience in development, peacebuilding, governance and social policy across
five Asian countries, previously served the United Nations in Sri Lanka as the
Peacebuilding and Development Advisor for nearly seven years.

Former
Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research Soumya Swaminathan
is the Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation.

 In 2019, Anita Bhatia of India,
an experienced leader in the area of strategic partnerships, resource
mobilization and management, was appointed by Guterres as Assistant
Secretary-General for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships and
Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and
the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).