IMO Head of Air Pollution & Energy Efficiency

Head of Unit, Sustainable Energy and Climate Change, DG DEVCO

Associate Professor UCL, Director UMAS, Getting to Zero Coalition

Director, UNFCCC

President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan

Kazuhiko Takeuchi graduated from the Department of Geography, the University of Tokyo in 1974. He obtained M.Agr. and Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Agriculture, the University of Tokyo. He has served as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University; an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture, a Professor in the Asian Natural Environmental Science Center, and a Professor in the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science at the University of Tokyo; and as Director and Professor, Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) at the University of Tokyo. He also served as a Vice-Rector and Senior Vice-Rector at United Nations University from 2008 to 2016 and as an Assistant Secretary-General at the United Nations from 2013 to 2016. Since 2016, he has served as a Senior Visiting Professor at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). He has been Director and a Project Professor of IR3S at the University of Tokyo since 2017. He took up the position of Chair of the Board of Directors, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in July 2017.

Prof. Takeuchi specializes in landscape ecology, landscape planning, and sustainability science. He engages in research and outreach activities on creating eco-friendly environments for a harmonious coexistence of people and nature, especially focusing on Asia and Africa. Recently, he has been working toward establishing a global foundation for developing the field of sustainability science aiming to build a sustainable society. He is deeply involved in the SATOYAMA initiative, aiming at the restoration and revitalization of socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes around the world, and Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) initiated by FAO.

Team Leader (Sustainable Energy), Division for Sustainable Development Goals, UN DESA

Minoru Takada is Senior Policy Advisor on Energy in the Strategic Planning Unit of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. He is the focal point for coordinating the activities of the Sustainable Energy for All High-Level Group. Previously, Mr. Takada was Head of the Sustainable Energy Programme, Environment and Energy Group of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. In this capacity, he was involved in policy and strategy development to expand access to modern energy services for the poor. He was also the UNDP’s lead focal point for technology transfer discussions in relation to climate change and has significant field experience in Angola and Ghana, where his work focused on energy and environment issues, as well as youth mobilization and community development projects. Mr. Takada has written widely on renewable energy applications and energy and development. He obtained a PhD in renewable energy applications from Mie University in Japan, and Masters in Nuclear Engineering from the Hokkaido University, Japan.

Head of Ocean Science Section, IOC-UNESCO

Chief, Policy Analysis Branch, Division for Sustainable Development, UN-DESA

Shantanu presently heads the policy and analysis branch in the Sustainable Development Division within the UN's Department for Economic and Social Affairs. He is is a micro-economist with interests in poverty, health and sustainability. A particular area of focus in his current position is enhancing the impact of science, technology and innovation in advancing sustainable development.

Prior to this, he led the research unit of UNDP’s Human Development Report through two report cycles, preceded by a stint as head of UNDP’s global MDG policy work. In that position, he worked with national planning, finance and sector ministries in many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Some of his most interesting experiences during this period were in Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Ghana, Togo and Yemen.

Shantanu began his career with the Indian Government in various areas of development policy planning, implementation and finance.

He earned a PhD in Economics from Princeton University in 2006, and also holds advanced degrees in Public Policy and Physics.

Deputy Director, Climate and Environment Division, FAO

OECD Principal Analyst on Climate Change

UN DESA

Head of Programmes, African Women's Development & Communication Network, Representative of UN Major Groups and Other Stakeholders

Coordinator, UN System Standing Committee on Nutrition