Guterres appoints Indian economist Noronha as NY office head
United Nations, February 26
UN chief Antonio Guterres has appointed leading Indian economist Ligia Noronha as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Noronha will succeed fellow Indian and development economist Satya Tripathi to whom Secretary-General Guterres is “grateful for his leadership and dedicated service during his tenure,” according to a statement here on Thursday.
Noronha is an economist with over 30 years of international experience in the field of sustainable development. She has worked since 2014 as Director of UNEP’s Economy Division based in Nairobi, leading UNEP’s work on climate mitigation and energy transitions; on inclusive green economies, sustainable consumption and production, as well as on trade and sustainable finance, and the nexus of environment, pollution and health, the statement said.
Prior to joining the UNEP, Noronha worked at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi as Executive Director (Research Coordination) and as Director of the Division on Resources, Regulation and Global Security, it said. She served as the Secretary of the Asian Energy Institute and as coordinator of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnerships (REEEP), South Asia and worked with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada on ecosystem approaches to human health. Noronha joins a growing list of women from India appointed to helm key UN agencies. Last week, Guterres appointed leading investment professional Usha Rao-Monari of India as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Noronha has served on various boards, expert panels and advisory committees on ecosystems, natural resources and minerals and metals. According to her profile on the UNEP website, she has been a member of the Planning Board of the Government of Goa and member of the Goa Jubilee Development Council, a member of Shell International’s External Review Committee on Sustainability Reporting. PTI
