United Nations, March 15 (IANS) The UN General Assembly has extended for two years the appointment of Achim Steiner as executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), beginning June 15, the UN spokesperson’s office said here Friday.

The General Assembly made the decision following the recommendation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the UN Office said in an emailed message to the media, Xinhua reported.

Nominated by the UN secretary general, Steiner was first elected to a four-year term in 2006, winning re-election in 2010.

Before joining the UNEP, Steiner served as director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature from 2001 to 2006, and prior to that as secretary general of the World Commission on Dams.

“His professional career has included assignments with governmental, non-governmental and international organisations across the globe, including India, Pakistan, Germany, Zimbabwe, USA, Vietnam, South Africa, Switzerland and Kenya,” it said.

“He worked both at grassroots level as well as at the highest levels of international policy-making to address the interface between environmental sustainability, social equity and economic development.”

The UNEP, founded in 1972, is the principal UN body in the field of the environment. It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development in the UN system, and serves as an authoritative advocate of the global environment.