UN-WATER REPRESENTATIVES, MEMBERS AND PARTNERS IN RIO+20 (See their CVs below)

UN-Water • Michel Jarraud, Chair, UN-Water • Bert Diphoorn, Vice-Chair, UN-Water • Kenza Robinson, UN-Water Secretary

Integrated Water Resources Management: Benefiting Countires for a sustainable and equitable future • Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) • Peter Koefoed Bjornsen, Director, UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment • Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General for Natural Resources, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) • Letitia Obeng, Chair, Global Water Partnership

A push towards global commitment on universal access to water and sanitation • Joan Clos, Executive Director, UN HABITAT • Maria Neira, Director, Public Health and Environment, World Health Organization (WHO)

Water and Sanitation as a Human Right • Jack Moss, Senior Advisor, Aquafed • Olcay Ünver, Director, United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)

International Year of Water Cooperation • Irina Bokova, Director General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) • Karin Lexén, Director, Swedish Water House initiative at SIWI, Chair of the Swedish IHP Committee

Page 1 of 10 Michel Jarraud, Chair UN-Water and Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization Michel Jarraud is Chair of UN-Water taking over his 2 year appointment in 2012. Michel Jarraud was appointed Secretary- General of the World Meteorological Organization by Fourteenth World Meteorological Congress and took up his post on 1 January 2004. He was re-appointed by Fifteenth World Meteorological Congress for a second four-year term starting 1 January 2008. Before joining the WMO Secretariat as Deputy Secretary-General in January 1995, Mr Jarraud devoted part of his career to the internationally renowned European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). He was appointed Deputy Director of the Centre in 1991, having been Director of the Operational Department since 1990. From June 1978 to December 1985, he was a researcher in numerical weather prediction at ECMWF. Mr Jarraud started his career with the French National Meteorological Service, Météo-, as a researcher (September 1976-May 1978). He joined Météo-France again in January 1986 as Director of the Weather Forecasting Department, until December 1989. Mr Jarraud is a scientist and a meteorologist with degrees from the prestigious French Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole de la Météorologie Nationale. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society (USA), a member of the Société Météorologique de France, the Royal Meteorological Society () and the African Meteorological Society, as well as an Honorary Member of the Chinese Meteorological Society and the Cuban Meteorological Society.

Bert Diphoorn, Vice-Chair UN-Water and Director of the Human Settlements Financing Division and Chief of the Water, Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch, UN-HABITAT Mr. Diphoorn has over twenty years of experience in operational management and the provision of technical assistance and policy advice in the area of water and sanitation. He is currently the Director of the Human Settlements Financing Division and Chief of the Water, Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch at UN-HABITAT in Nairobi, Kenya. He leads the Human Settlements Financing Division in formulating its periodic work programmes and implementation strategy to increase pro-poor investment in slum upgrading, water and sanitation, housing and associated infrastructure including transport and energy, by attracting domestic capital and international support through innovative collaborations with international, regional and national financial institutions. Prior to his work at UN-HABITAT, Mr. Diphoorn was seconded in October 2003 by the Dutch Government to the African Development Bank (AfDB) as Senior Adviser to the Vice President, Policy, Planning and Research. At the Bank, he was tasked with the establishment of the African Water Facility, implementation of the AfDB/Netherlands water partnership program, and coordination of the

Page 2 of 10 African input in the Fourth World Water Forum. Mr. Diphoorn has also worked as Head of the Water Support Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for the overall approaches to water resources within Netherlands Overseas Development Assistance. He was responsible for the organisation of the Second World Water Forum in the Hague (2000) and the Water Dome during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

Kenza Kaouakib-Robinson, Secretary of UN-Water and Senior Sustainable Development Officer, Water, Energy and Strategies Branch/DSD/ United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Kenza Kaouakib-Robinson was appointed Secretary of UN-Water in March 2011. She is a Senior Sustainable Development Officer in the Water, Energy and Strategies Branch of the Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York. Her experience in the United Nations system spans more than twenty years, including a five year assignment at the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, as well as stints in various peacekeeping missions. She has managed, for many years, national and regional water resources projects notably in Africa and the Middle East. She has also been involved in Water and Gender issues, and served as Chair of the Gender and Water Task Force of the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality. In 2008, she was designated the UN Focal point for the International Year of Sanitation. She holds a Master’s Degree and the Diplôme D’études Approfondies (DEA, 3ème cycle) in Land Management (Aménagement du Territoire) from the Institut de Géographie of the Université d’Aix-Marseilles II.

Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director and Under- Secretary-General of the United Nations Acting on the nomination of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the UN General Assembly in 2006 unanimously elected Achim Steiner as the Executive Director of UNEP for a four- year term. He became the fifth Executive Director in UNEP's history. At its 83rd plenary meeting in 2010, the UN General Assembly, on the proposal of the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, re-elected Mr. Achim Steiner as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for another four-year term. The Secretary-General also appointed Mr. Steiner as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON), where he served from March 2009 to May 2011. Before joining UNEP, Mr. Steiner served as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) from 2001 to 2006, and prior to that as Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams. His professional career has included assignments with governmental,

Page 3 of 10 non-governmental and international organizations in different parts of the world including India, Pakistan, , Zimbabwe, USA, Vietnam, South Africa, Switzerland and Kenya. He worked both at grassroots level as well as at the highest levels of international policy-making to address the interface between environmental sustainability, social equity and economic development. Mr. Steiner, a German and Brazilian national, was born in Brazil in 1961. His educational background includes a BA from the University of Oxford as well as an MA from the University of London with specialization in development economics, regional planning, and international development and environment policy. He also studied at the German Development Institute in Berlin as well as the Harvard Business School. Mr. Steiner also chairs two UN system wide entities: HLCP - High-level Committee on Programmes of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB); and EMG - United Nations Environment Management Group. He serves on a number of international advisory boards, including the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED).

Peter Koefoed Bjornsen, Director, UNEP-DHI Centre on Water and Environment Peter K. Bjornsen is Director of the UNEP-DHI Centre on Water and Environment, located at DHI Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Denmark. The Centre provides expertise to support UNEP’s Water Policy and Strategy focusing on global assessments, integrated water resources management and coordination among organisations working in the field of water resources and the environment. Dr. Bjornsen holds a Ph.D. degree in aquatic ecology from University of Copenhagen, where he also held positions as Research Assistant, Assistant Professor and Associate Professor. He contributed to the understanding of the impacts of climate change and nutrient over- enrichment on aquatic ecosystems. The results are recorded in more than 30 scientific papers published in international scientific journals and quoted in more than 2000 other scientific publications. Dr. Bjornsen has broad expertise in environmental assessment, State of Environment reporting, environmental monitoring and public environmental management in developed as well as developing countries, covering natural resources management, aquatic ecosystems, environmental health, and climate change issues. He has operational experience from multilateral and bilateral donor organisations (UN Agencies, World Bank, Danida, and EU), and working experience from more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Page 4 of 10 Alexander Muller, Food and Agriculture Organzation (FAO)

Alexander Muller is the Assistant Director-General of the Natural Resources Management and Environment Department of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. From 2001 to 2005, he was State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture. From 1995 to 2001, he was a member of German parliament and chaired the Caucus of the Green Party. He was also a member of the Committee of Environmental Affairs, the Finance Committee and the Committee for New Media. From 1992 to 1995, he was the State Secretary for the Hessian Ministry of Youth, Family and Health Affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany. Alexander holds a master of social sciences focusing on sociology and political sciences from the Philipps Universitat, Marburg, Germany.

Letitia A. Obeng Chair, Global Water Partnership (GWP) Letitia Obeng, a Ghanaian, holds a Ph.D. in public health and water resources engineering from Imperial College, University of London. She is the current Chair of the Global Water Partnership, an international network with 13 Regional and over 80 Country Water Partnerships. There are over 2000 GWP Partners who work together to form a neutral and inclusive platform for dialogue and to facilitate change processes. GWP’s mission is to support the sustainable management and development of water resources at all levels. As Chair, Letitia is spokesperson for the Partnership, and among other things, provides strategic guidance on the work of the Partnership and Network. A key aspect of the current GWP Strategy, is working to get decision- makers at the highest possible levels to take ownership of the agenda for sustainable management of water resources because of the major impact water has on social and economic development. Letitia spent 25 years at the World Bank before joining the GWP. Letitia has extensive experience in water and sanitation service delivery in Africa. She spent many years, working with sector ministries and communities, on policies, strategies, project preparation, implementation and evaluation while partnering with other aid assistance groups and organizations. Over the years she has also worked on other sustainable development areas such as water resource management, environment, environmental health, growing capacity, waste management, community development and rural development. Letitia held managerial and director positions in Africa, Middle East and North Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean and, at the Corporate Level as Director, Office of the President while at the World Bank.

Page 5 of 10 Joan Clos, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT Appointed Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) at the level of Undersecretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly, Dr. Joan Clos took office at the Programme’s headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya on 18 October 2010. Born in Barcelona on 29 June 1949, he is a medical doctor with a distinguished career in public service and diplomacy. He was twice elected Mayor of Barcelona serving two terms during the years 1997-2006. He was appointed Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade of Spain (2006-2008) under President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. In this role, he helped rationalize the Iberian Energy Market in line with European Union Policies. Prior to joining the United Nations, he served as Spanish ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan. He is a medicine graduate from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB), specialized in Public Health and Epidemiology, at the University of (Scotland). Dr. Clos then joined the Barcelona Municipal Government as Director of Public Health in 1979. As a city councillor between 1983 and 1987, he earned a reputation for improving municipal management and for urban renewal projects, notably managing the renovation of downtown Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district. From 1990 to 1994 he was Deputy Mayor in change of Finance and Budgeting, playing a key role during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Joan Clos is also widely credited with inspiring far reaching investment programmes for Barcelona. One of the most ambitious was the Barcelona@22 programme which gave the city’s dilapidated industrial zones a facelift. In 2004 one of these newly refurbished neighbourhoods near the old dockyards was chosen as the site for the second gathering of UN-HABITAT’s World Urban Forum, the premier global conference on cities. At the international level, in 1998 he was elected President of Metropolis, the international network of cities. Two years later, he was elected President of the World Association of Cities and Local Authorities, (WACLAC). Between 2000 and 2007, he served as Chairman of the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities, (UNACLA). And between 1997 and 2003, he was member of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, (CEMR). Dr. Clos received a number of awards which include a gold medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1999 for transforming Barcelona. In 2002, he won the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour Award for encouraging global cooperation between local authorities and the United Nations.

Page 6 of 10 Dr. Maria P. Neira, Director, Public Health and Environment, World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Neira is Director of the Department of Public Health and Environment at the Word Health Organización (WHO). Between September 2002 and August 2005, she was the President of the Spanish Food Safety Agency and Vice Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs in Spain. In 1999 Dr Neira was appointed as Director of the Department of Control, Prevention and Eradication of WHO. Prior to that, Dr Neira had been working fo WHO Geneva since 1993, as Coordinator of the Gllobal Task Force on Cholera Control. Dr María P. Neira is a Spanish national who holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery (Unicersity of Oviedo, Spain), and a Maters degree in Public Health from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, in , France. She especialized in Endocrinology and metabolic Diseases at the Université René Déscartes, then, in Nutrition at the Conservatoire National d’Arts et Métiers, both in Paris, and she obtained an International Diploma in Emergency Preparedness and Crisis Management from the University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. Among other distintions, Dr Neira has been awarded the Médaille de l’Ordre national du Mérite by the Government of France.

Jack Moss, Senior Water Advisor, AquaFed -The International Federation of Private Water Operators Jack Moss is currently a senior advisor to AquaFed – The International Federation of Private Water Operators. He holds an Honours Degree in Geography, and professional qualifications in construction project management. Mr Moss has 20 years of experience in the private sector side of the water services industry. This has taken him to work in water services development in many different situations and countries around the world. He is particularly interested in the commercial, institutional, human rights, regulatory and governance aspects of water supply and sanitation. He has written papers and presented in conferences on these subjects, including for the OECD, World Bank, United Nations etc. Mr Moss has been a staff member of AquaFed since the organisation was constituted on 2005. He is also an active member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's (WBCSD) water team, a member of the International Scientific and Programme committee for the World Water Week in Stockholm and member of the interim steering committee of the Water Integrity Network (WIN).

Page 7 of 10 Dr. Olcay Ünver, Coordinator, United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)

Dr. Ünver is Coordinator of the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) - the flagship programme of UN-Water - and the Director of the UNESCO Programme Office on Global Water Assessment in , Italy. Housed in UNESCO, WWAP monitors freshwater issues in order to provide recommendations, develops case studies, enhances assessment capacity at a national level and informs the decision-making process. Its primary product, the World Water Development Report (WWDR), is the flagship UN-WATER report and is a periodic, comprehensive review that provides an authoritative picture of the state of the world’s freshwater resources. Dr. Ünver holds a Bachelor’s and Master's degree in Civil Engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, and a Ph.D. - also in Civil Engineering - from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining UNESCO in 2007, he was with Kent State University, USA where he was a distinguished professor of water resources between 2004 and 2007. Dr Ünver previously served as President of the Southeastern Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration in Turkey as a water resources engineer for the Lower Colorado River Authority in the USA, and as a research scientist at the University of Texas. Dr. Ünver has also undertaken leadership positions in various international organizations, such as Board Member and Treasurer of World Water Council (1995-2003); Vice-President and Secretary-General of International Water Resources Association (2001-2006), and Council Member of International Hydropower Association (1997-2000). In 1999 he was named “a European Visionary” by Time Magazine.

Irina Bokova, Director General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova, born on 12 July 1952 in (), is a Bulgarian diplomat and politician, and has been the Director-General of UNESCO since 15 November 2009. She is the first woman to have been elected head of the Organization. She was also Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador of Bulgaria. Having graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the University of Maryland (Washington) and the John F. Kennedy School of Government (), in 1977 Irina Bokova joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, where she was responsible for human rights issues. Appointed in charge of political and legal affairs at the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the United Nations in New York, she was also a member of the Bulgarian Delegation at the United Nations conferences on the equality of women in Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985) and Beijing (1995). Elected as a deputy of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (1990-1991 and 2001-2005), she participated in the drafting of Bulgaria’s new Constitution, which contributed significantly

Page 8 of 10 to the country’s accession to the European Union. She launched the first seminar of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the European Convention on Human Rights. As a polyglot (Bulgarian, English, French and Spanish), she was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Coordinator of Bulgaria-European Union relations (1995-1997) and subsequently Ambassador of Bulgaria (2005-2009) to France, and UNESCO. In the course of her career, she has also represented Bulgaria at the United Nations. While serving as State Secretary on European Integration and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Bokova always promoted European integration. As an active member of many international expert networks and of civil society and, in particular, as Chairperson and founding member of the European Policy Forum, she has worked to overcome European divisions and to foster the values of dialogue, diversity, human dignity and human rights.

Karin Lexén, Director, Swedish Water House initiative at SIWI, Chair of the Swedish IHP Committee Ms Karin Lexén is a skilled director with expertise in international environmental politics and advocacy. In 2007, she became the Director for the Swedish Water House initiative (SWH). The Swedish Water House was established in 2003 by the Swedish Government with the overall objective to support international policy development and cooperation in the water and development field by generating knowledge, disseminating it and building partnerships. As Director of SWH, Ms Lexén applies her extensive talent and training in leadership, networking and policy development to forge productive cooperation between Swedish-based, internationally ori¬ented academic institutions, consultants, government agencies, NGOs, research in¬stitutes and other stakeholders. In addition, Karin Lexén is the SIWI focal point for international cooperation on climate policy processes. Ms Lexén has a strong background in policy and advocacy. Before joining SIWI, Ms Lexén was the International Policy Director at the Church of Sweden. There, she developed and managed the policy department with responsibilities ranging from global analy¬sis, policy creation, opinion building, to dialogue with decision makers on issues such as the environment, global economy, human rights and conflict management. Prior to this, Ms Lexén was Head of Section for the Swedish Ministry for the Environment. There she worked with policy work and EU/UN- negotiations related to Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Marine Environment. Ms Lexén is an environmental chemist and researched organic pollutants and their environmental impact at Stockholm University and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency from 1988 to 1994.

Page 9 of 10 REMEMBER • 19 June 2012 is UN-Water Day in Rio+20 http://t.co/5qyRzXfr • Rio+20 Water Calendar http://bit.ly/NzHCaa • Information Note - questions and answers on Water in Rio+20 http://bit.ly/LZx6t0

Media contact: Ulrike Kelm (Ms.) [email protected] - +34 976 478346 www.un.org/waterforlifedecade

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