Joakim Harlin

Chief, Freshwater Ecosystems Unit and Chief Manager, UNEP-DHI Centre on Water & Environment


Biography

Water resources and international development professional, manager and leader. A citizen of Sweden, raised in Zimbabwe, with a more than 30-year long career spanning the areas of international policy, business and organizational development, partnerships and all forms of water related projects. He has been long-term based in Zimbabwe, Kenya, USA and Sweden and worked on short term project assignments in more than 25 countries across the globe. He holds docent, doctor and master’s degrees from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.

He brings a combination of in-depth technical and practical understanding of water related topics with policy making and organizational leadership. This broad experience base has been gained through holding progressively higher positions within research institutions, government agencies, private companies and since 2004 within the UN system (UNDP and UNEP).

In his current position heading up both the Freshwater Unit of UN Environment and the UNEP-DHI Centre on Water & Environment he is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of global policy and programmes guided by UNEP’s Freshwater Strategy for 2017 – 2021. This includes, among others, monitoring and reporting on Sustainable Development Goal 6 targets on ambient water quality, water resources management and water-related ecosystems, and supporting countries to address water-related risks and disasters stemming from climate change and the degradation of freshwater ecosystems.

He serves as UNEP’s representative on UN-Water and leads its Expert Group in support of Agenda 2030.

 

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