Guest Speakers from UNESCO and UNEP

On December 10, Professor Anand's IO class welcomed guest speakers from UNESCO and UNEP who presented the inner workings of these two United Nations organizations and their role in global governance.

James Vener of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) described the increasingly important role that UNEP plays in helping to manage environmental issues worldwide. His presentation included personal experiences from his work, as well as insight into the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun (COP 16). Mr. Vener is the Program Manager of the Energy Finance and Carbon Finance Units at the UNEP Division of Technology, Industry Economics (UNEP DTIE) office in Paris. His work examines investment and financing schemes for energy services with a focus of sustainable development policies. James Vener holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from Columbia University, a Master in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida, and a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering from Cornell University.

Clinton Robinson of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) works as a Senior Program Specialist in the Education sector of the organization. Based in paris, he supports the coordination of the UN Literacy Decade and has worked with the coordination team for the "Education for All" project. He previously worked for NGOs (SIL International) and as an independent consultant in education and development, undertaking studies, evaluations, strategic planning and capacity development across Asia and Africa, and at a global level. He holds Master's degrees from Oxford University (Modern Languages), Université de Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle (Linguistics) and Reading University (Rural Social Development) as well as a Ph.D. from Reading University.