Ibrahim Thiaw is Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. He brings 40 years of experience in sustainable development, environmental governance and natural resource management. Before joining UNCCD, he was Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for the Sahel, where he supported the implementation of the UN Integrated Strategy for the Sahel and the development of a UN Support Plan for the Sahel. From 2013 to 2018 he served as Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme.