Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer

Former Executive Director

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Mr. Töpfer was born in Waldenburg, Silesia. He became Executive Director of UNEP and Director General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) in February 1998. He was also appointed Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements from 1998 to 2000.

Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Töpfer held several posts in the Federal Government of Germany, including Federal Minister of Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development, Coordinator of the Transfer of Parliament and Federal Government to Berlin; Federal Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Previously, he was State Minister of Environment and Health of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatine (1985-1987) and State Secretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Environment for the same state (1978-1985).

Mr. Töpfer was Full Professor at the University of Hannover where he directed the Institute of Regional Research and Development (1978-1979). He was Head of the Department of Planning and Information in the State Chancellery of the Federal State of Saarland (1971-1978) and Head of the Economics Department of the Central Institute for Regional Planning of the University of Münster (1970-1971).

Mr. Töpfer is the recipient of several honours including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1986), the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1989), and the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1997 and 1998 he was bestowed Honorary Professor of Tongji University, Shanghai, China and Honorary Doctor of the Technical University of Brandenburg, Cottbus, Germany. In 2002 he became Honorary Doctor of the Free University of Berlin and of the University of Essen. In 2002 he was awarded the Bruno H. Schubert Environment Prize and the German Environment Prize which is held to be the most prestigious such prize in Europe. He holds a doctorate in Philosophy and a degree in Economics.