Dr. Thiaw is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) since 31 January 2019. Mr. Thiaw started his career in Mauritania, his home country, where he served in the Ministry of Rural Development for ten years.
Mr. Thiaw has almost 40 years of experience in sustainable development, environmental governance and natural resource management. He served in many senior roles in United Nation Agencies. Before joining the United Nations, he was the Regional Director for West Africa, and later Acting Director General, of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
