Inger Andersen (born 23 May 1958) is a
Danish economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
and
environmentalist
An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
. In February 2019, she was appointed as the Executive Director of the
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
.
Prior to her appointment, at UNEP, Andersen was Director General of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
(IUCN), Vice President for Sustainable Development at the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
and Head of the
CGIAR
CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food ...
Fund Council and then World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa.
Family, early life and education
Inger Andersen is the daughter of Aagot la Cour Andersen and Erik Andersen. She is the granddaughter of Danish historian and archaeologist . Her brother was Hans la Cour, author and film maker, known in the world of sail sport and environmental documentaries.
Andersen was born in
Jerup, Denmark. She graduated from Midtfyns Gymnasium secondary school in 1977. Andersen obtained a BA in 1981 from the Polytechnic of North London (now
London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public research university in London, England. The University of North London (formerly the Polytechnic of North London) and London Guildhall University (formerly the City ...
) and in 1982 gained an MA degree from the
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ...
at
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...
, with a specialization in development studies focusing on economics and development.
Career
Andersen started her career in Sudan in 1982 where she worked initially as an English teacher under the UK funded English teachers programme. In 1985 she joined SudanAid, the development and relief arm of the
Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference The Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference (SCBC) consists of all the archbishops and bishops of South Sudan and Sudan.
Conference history
The first meeting of the Ordinaries of Sudan held in Khartoum in late 1929, during the visit of the Apostolic ...
. Her work focused on famine, drought relief, and rehabilitation.
United Nations
Andersen worked at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
in New York for 12 years at the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office (UNSO), (now the Global Policy Centre on Resilient Ecosystems and Desertification based in Nairobi) where she worked on drought and
desertification
Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused ...
issues. In 1992, she was appointed the
Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (PO ...
Coordinator for MENA at
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
, where she oversaw the global environment portfolio in 22 Arab countries.
World Bank
Andersen joined the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
in 1999 as Coordinator of the UNDP-World Bank International Waters Partnership between 1999 and 2001 In the following years she worked in various roles, focussing on water, environment, and sustainable development, with the Middle East and North Africa as her main area of work.
From 2010 until 2011, Andersen served as the World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development and Head of the
CGIAR
CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food ...
Fund Council. During her tenure she oversaw the creation of the CGIAR Fund Council and the CGIAR Consortium. As Vice President for Sustainable Development, Andersen profiled a number of World Bank priorities, including: agricultural productivity and enhancing food security; infrastructure investment; climate change resilience; green growth; social accountability; disaster risk management; and culture and development.
During her tenure as Sector Director, she oversaw the scaling-up of the World Bank’s analytical and investment support to underpin resilient infrastructure development for access to energy, water, and transport as well as investments in the agriculture and environment sectors. She placed special emphasis on the need to relieve climate and water stress in the region, both of which she argued pose key threats to peace and stability.
Andersen co-chaired the 2012 international donor meeting for Yemen Riyadh with the then
Finance Minister
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
of Saudi Arabia,
Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf
Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Assaf ( ar, إبراهيم بن عبد العزيز بن عبد الله العساف; born 28 January 1949) is a Saudi politician who served as finance minister, foreign minister, and state minister of Saudi ...
. As Vice President for MENA, Andersen was also outspoken on the humanitarian consequences of the war in Gaza in 2014, and called for access to imports and freedom of movement in Gaza and the West Bank, while stressing the imperative of mutual assurance of security in both Palestinian territories and Israel.In 2011, Andersen represented the World Bank in the G8/G7 Finance Minister’s Deauville meetings which sought to provide additional support to the Arab Region.
International Union for Conservation of Nature
Andersen was appointed Director General of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
(IUCN) in January 2015. As Director General, Andersen was responsible for IUCN’s operations in its 50 plus offices worldwide
Under Andersen's leadership, IUCN held its 2016 World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, United States. The 2016 Congress was the largest international conservation event held in the United States. It was opened by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
on the eve of the formal opening
During Andersen’s tenure at IUCN she emphasized the importance of nature conservation in efforts to achieve sustainable development. “Nature is not an obstacle to human aspirations, but an essential partner, offering valuable contributions towards all our endeavours.”
UNEP
On 21 February 2019, the
General Assembly of the United Nations
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
elected Andersen as Executive Director of the
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
(UNEP). She was appointed for a four-year term.
Other activities
International organizations
*
United Nations Global Compact
The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is a princi ...
, Member of the Board
*
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on ...
(UNEP), Member of the Financial Inquiry Advisory Committee
Corporate boards
*
Nespresso
Nestlé Nespresso S.A., trading as Nespresso, is an operating unit of the Nestlé Group, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Nespresso machines brew espresso and coffee from coffee capsules (or ''pods'' in machines for home or professional use) ...
, Member of the Sustainability Advisory Board (NSAB)
Non-profit organizations
* Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), Member of the High-level Leadership Council
*
Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), Member of the Advisory Board
* The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (
TEEB), Member of the Advisory Board
*
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
(WEF), Global Agenda Trustee for Environment and Natural Resource Security
* 2030 Water Resources Group, Member of the Governing Council and Steering Board
* Eco Forum Global, Member of the International Advisory Council (EFG-IAC)
*
International Gender Champions
International Gender Champions (IGC) is a network of female and male leaders of member states, international organizations, and civil society working for gender equality. It is an initiative of Women@TheTable, and was founded in 2015 by Caitlin Kr ...
(IGC), Member
*
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
(IOC), Member of the Sustainability and Legacy Commission
Selected publications
* Andersen, I., and George Golitzen, K., eds
The Niger river basin: A vision for sustainable management World Bank Publications, 2005.
* Prof Wolf T., Aaron eds,
Sharing Water, Sharing Benefits: Working towards effective transboundary water resources management: A graduate/professional skills-building workbook, UNESCO Oregon State University. 2010.
* Gladstone, W. et al
Sustainable Use of Renewable Resources and Conservation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Elsevier, Vol 42. 1999.
*Andersen, I
Healthy Oceans: The Cornerstone for A Sustainable Future Impakter.com. 2017
Honors and awards
* International Road Federation 2013 Professional of the Year
*
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
Dr. Jean Mayer Award 2014
References
External links
Inger Andersen IUCN
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andersen, Inger
1958 births
Living people
20th-century Danish economists
Danish women economists
Danish environmentalists
Danish women environmentalists
Alumni of SOAS University of London
Alumni of the University of London
World Bank people
People associated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Danish officials of the United Nations
People from Frederikshavn Municipality
21st-century Danish economists