Vijay Samnotra is an Indian civil servant and former international career diplomat who served in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. He formerly served as head 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 Declaration of the United Nati ...

in India and as senior adviser to the United Nations resident coordinator on climate change and urbanization.

Early life

Samnotra's parents and grandparents were Partition-era refugees to India from former West Pakistan, what is today the modern-day nation of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Career

Samnotra joined the

Central Secretariat Service Central Secretariat Service (; abbreviated as CSS) is the Public administration, administrative Civil Services of India, civil service under Group A and Group B of the Central Civil Services of India, Central Civil Services of the executive bra ...

after qualifying through the

Civil Services Examination The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a standardized test in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to higher Civil Services of India, civil services in the Government of India, such as the All India Service ...

. He served as under secretary to

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

and then served as private secretary to then Minister of State

Maneka Gandhi Maneka Gandhi (also spelled Menaka; ''née'' Anand) (born 26 August 1956) is an Indian politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. She served as a member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, and is a member ...

. He later resigned from the civil service and joined the

. He served in the United Nations for 25 years and worked in the

United Nations Office at Nairobi The United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON, ) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is one of four major United Nations office sites where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. Established in 1996, it is the UN's official headquarte ...

and

. He also worked as

speechwriter A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches to be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are employed by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors. They can also be em ...

to two under-secretaries-general of the United Nations, assisting in conceptualizing the themes and information campaigns for World Environment Day and annual "Clean Up the World" campaigns. In 2016, Samnotra established the India Country Office of the United Nations Environment Programme in New Delhi. As a senior advisor to the United Nations Resident Coordinator on Climate Change and Urbanization, he also contributed to collaborative projects and programmes for other autonomous associate agencies of the UN, including the

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

Strategic Plan on Capacity Building and Technology Transfer for quality assurance of UNEP's projects and programmes. As a senior adviser to the United Nations Resident Coordinator in India on Climate Change and Urbanization, Samnotra coordinated the project on Circular Economy in India, leading to the publication of "Ahead of the Curve"; drafted the plan to make the United Nations in India carbon neutral; advised the UN resident coordinator on all issues relating to climate change and urbanization in his interactions with the United Nations Secretary-General's Office; and drafted the UN-India partnership proposal on climate change, innovation and urbanization.

Awards

* INVC International Award for environmental diplomacy

References

External links

Directory of UN Environment Programme Executive Office
(Archived) UNEP
Multisectoral Workshop on Air Pollution
WHO, UN
Works in Progress 2003
United Nations University

Hindustan Times * [https://www.newscentral24x7.com/reducing-carbon-footprint-and-waste-generation-is-the-need-of-the-hour-says-indian-environmentalist/ Reducing Carbon Footprint and Waste Generation is the Need of the Hour, Says Indian Environmentalist] News Central 24x7 {{DEFAULTSORT:Samnotra, Vijay Living people Indian civil servants Indian government officials Central Secretariat Service officers United Nations officials Indian officials of the United Nations Speechwriters St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Delhi University alumni Academic staff of Delhi University 1955 births