Paris, 21 March, 2016 - UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner was on hand to officially open UNEP's new offices in Paris on Monday, alongside UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and representatives from the French Government.
The new offices will house UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) and are located in the Annex of UNESCO's global headquarters in Paris alongside delegations to UNESCO and other representative offices. DTIE works to deliver on environmental sustainability through technology, industry, and economic policy.
UNEP has developed a long-term collaboration with UNESCO on youth issues, tourism and the preservation of natural heritage. Opening the new DTIE offices represents an important step towards closer integration of the UN in working with national governments, like hosts France, to deliver the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and build on the Paris Agreement, which will be signed next month.
While opening the offices in Paris, the Executive Director was also surprised by a farewell song performed by UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres and UNFCCC Director of Communications, Nick Nuttall, to pay tribute to Mr. Steiner's legacy at UNEP. The Executive Director's 10-year tenure comes to a close in June. Read and listen: Old Colleagues Sing Farewell Song for UNEP's Achim Steiner!
