Simon Stiell Appointed as Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change Secretariat

#Grenada, August 22, 2022 – Grenada’s former Environment Minister Simon Stiell is the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat.  The appointment has been endorsed by the Bureau of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Stiell is a veteran advocate for climate ambition from a vulnerable Caribbean island state. On the global stage, his calls for a rapid reduction of emissions have put him at odds with big emerging economies like China.  Also, his lobbying for climate finance has met resistance from wealthy countries like the United States and the European Union.

The former Environment Minister will replace Patricia Espinosa, who finished her second term as executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in July.

Diplomatic sources have stated that Stiell would take the helm of the UNFCCC a few months before Egypt hosts the next U.N. climate conference, COP27.  This comes after a year of global economic uncertainty and geopolitical issues that have countries backslide on their climate pledges.

The post is based at the UNFCCC headquarters in Bonn, Germany.  Stiell will lead approximately 400 staff from over 100 countries.