UNITED NATIONS(TIP): Indian-origin UN official Satya S Tripathi joined the long list of Indians with the United Nations. He has been appointed as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Tripathi, who will succeed Elliott Harris of Trinidad and Tobago, has since 2017 served as senior adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at UNEP.

A development economist and lawyer with over 35 years of experience, Tripathi has worked for the United Nations since 1998 in Europe, Asia and Africa on strategic assignments in sustainable development, human rights, democratic governance and legal affairs, spokesman for the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric told reporters at United Nations.

Tripathi was previously the Director and Executive Head of the United Nations Office for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries Coordination in Indonesia, as well as for the United Nations Recovery Coordinator for the $7 billion post-tsunami and post-conflict recovery efforts in Aceh and Nias.

He participated as Chair of the Committees on Laws and Treaties for the United Nations-mediated Cyprus unification talks in 2004.

Earlier in his career he acted as a Senior Distinguished Fellow on Natural Resources Governance with the World Agro-forestry Centre and on the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Forests.

 Tripathi holds honors in bachelor’s and master’s degrees in commerce; and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from Berhampur University, India.