Simon Stiell Appointed as New Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat

About the Appointment

The appointment of Simon Stiell as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat has been endorsed by the Bureau of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and confirmed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

About Simon Stiell

Simon Stiell was a senior minister in the government of Grenada from March 2013 to June 2022, holding various ministerial positions, including Minister for Climate Resilience and the Environment, Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Minister of State for Human Resource Development and the Environment, and a junior minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.

Additionally, Stiell served as a member of Grenada’s Upper House of Parliament, the Senate, where he held the position of Leader of Government’s Business throughout his tenure.

Before moving back to Grenada, Stiell had a successful 14-year career in the technology industry, working as a senior executive for several industry-leading companies, including Silicon Valley tech startups and big companies like Nokia and G.E.C.

Stiell holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Westminster in the UK and will be based in Bonn, Germany.

About the UNFCCC

With 197 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.

The main aim of the Paris Agreement is to keep a global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The ultimate objective of all agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.

Conclusion

The appointment of Simon Stiell as the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat is a significant development in the global efforts to address climate change. With his extensive experience in government and the technology industry, Stiell brings a unique perspective to the role.

FAQs

* What is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)?
The UNFCCC is an international treaty that aims to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
* What is the Paris Agreement?
The Paris Agreement is an international agreement aimed at keeping global average temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and driving efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
* What is Simon Stiell’s background?
Simon Stiell has a strong background in government and the technology industry. He served as a senior minister in the government of Grenada and had a successful 14-year career in the technology industry, working for industry-leading companies.