Deputy Executive Secretary, UN ESCAP
Kaveh Zahedi is the Deputy Executive Secretary for Sustainable Development of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). He oversees ESCAP’s work on social development, environment, energy, disaster risk management and information communications and technology.
Prior to ESCAP, Mr. Zahedi was Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). He managed UNEP’s technical and policy support programmes and represented the organization in the region.
Mr. Zahedi has previously served as Deputy Director of UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP-DTIE), overseeing work on green economy, resource efficiency and climate change. At UNEP-DTIE he also set up and headed the Climate and Clean Air Coalition for reducing short lived climate pollutants.
Over two decades Mr. Zahedi worked in UNEP’s offices in Kenya, Mexico, UK, France and Thailand. Before UNEP, Mr. Zahedi worked at an NGO as project manager for micro credit and development projects.
An Iranian and British national, he holds a Master’s degree from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, USA, and a BSc first class degree in Economics & Geography, from University College London.