Mr. Steiner, a German national, was born in Brazil in 1961, is the fifth Executive Director in UNEP's history. Before joining UNEP, Mr. Steiner served as Director General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) from 2001 to 2006.
His professional career has included assignments with governmental, non-governmental and international organizations in different parts of the world. He has worked both at grassroots level as well as with international policy-making to address the interface between environmental sustainability, social equity and economic development. Mr. Steiner serves on a number of international advisory boards, including the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) and the Environmental Advisory Council (ENVAC) of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).