IMPAKTER ESSAY: The Unlikely Journey to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

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Olav Kjørven

Olav Kjørven was appointed Director of UNICEF’s Public Partnerships Division in July 2014, and coordinates the organization’s public resource mobilization and its work with governments on multi-lateral affairs as part of its mission to fulfill the rights of every child, everywhere. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Kjørven held a number of senior positions within the United Nations, including as the Special Adviser to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme on the Post-2015 development agenda. He was Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau for Development Policy for over six years, leading UNDP’s work on accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the post-2015 agenda, including initiating an international conversation on ‘The World We Want' through national, regional and global dialogue. As Director of Policy for UNDP he was a senior advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General on the ‘Sustainable Energy For All’ initiative and led the UN’s engagement with the G20 Development Working Group. Mr. Kjørven advanced an integrated approach to sustainable development, bridging social, economic and environmental concerns as well as issues related to democratic governance. He was a key figure behind the establishment of the Commission for the Legal Empowerment of the Poor. Before his appointment as Assistant Secretary-General in 2007, Mr. Kjørven was the head of UNDP’s Environment and Energy Group for two years. While there, he spearheaded the group’s work on mainstreaming environmentally sustainable solutions into development plans and programmes, and enhancing capacities to access environmental financing to address climate change, environmental degradation, and poverty. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Kjørven was State Secretary for International Development with the Government of Norway. He began his career in development as an Environmental Specialist with the World Bank in 1992. Mr. Kjørven is a national of Norway and holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from George Washington University.