Ahmed Djoghlaf

Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf is a leading international diplomat whose United Nations career culminated in his role as UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montréal (2006-2012). He holds a Doctorate in Political Science from Université de Nancy II (1983), a Master of Arts in Political Science and a Certificate in International Law and Diplomacy from St. John's University, New York (1990), and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Algiers (1976). He held key positions at the United Nations Environment Programme, including Deputy Executive Director (2003-2005) and Executive Coordinator of the Global Environment Facility (1996-1998) in Nairobi. Ambassador-Advisor at the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2013-2018) and Associate Professor at the Université de Sherbrooke (2019-2024), he also co-chaired the preparatory committee of the Paris Climate Agreement (2014-2015) and served as Rapporteur-General of the preparatory committee of the Rio Earth Summit (1990-1992) — a career Maurice Strong, first Executive Director of UNEP, described as that of one of the most brilliant negotiators of his generation. He is the recipient of several distinctions, including the 2010 Green Award for the successful celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity.