BENIN'S FORMER ENVIRONMENT MINISTER NAMED TO HEAD UN ANTI-DESERTIFICATION BODY

BENIN'S FORMER ENVIRONMENT MINISTER NAMED TO HEAD UN ANTI-DESERTIFICATION BODY
New York, Sep 10 2007 9:00AM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Luc Gnacadja, a former environment minister from Benin, as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (<"http://www.unccd.int/">UNCCD).

"My objective is to make the Convention a forum for dialogue between the North and the South on how to use this instrument as a tool for poverty eradication and sustainable development for over 1 billion people suffering from the scourges of desertification and land degradation," Mr. Gnacadja said in a recent statement.

The former Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban Development in Benin, Mr. Gnacadja has been an active participant in UNCCD meetings. For several years he headed Benin's delegation to talks on major environmental treaties and also served as Chairman of the African Ministers Conference on the Environment.

In March 2003, Mr. Gnacadja received the "Green Award 2002" from the World Bank in recognition of his contribution to the improvement of the global environment.

The incoming Executive Secretary will succeed Hama Arba Diallo of Burkina Faso, who resigned on 19 June.
2007-09-07 00:00:00.000

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