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Director of the United Nations Environment Programme for a four-year term, and subsequently for a further four years in 2010. Following the decision of the 68th General Assembly of United Nations, Mr Steiner’s mandate has been extended for two years up to June 2016. From March 2009 to May 2011, he was also Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON). Before joining UNEP, Mr Steiner served as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 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 organizations in different parts of the world including India, Pakistan, Germany, Zimbabwe, USA, Vietnam, South Africa, Switzerland and Kenya. 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. Mr Steiner serves on a number of advisory councils and boards including as the International Vice Chair of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED). His educational background includes a BA from the University of Oxford as well as an MA from the University of London with specialization in development economics and policy.  He also studied at the German Development Institute in Berlin as well as the Harvard Business School.associated with the substance.In a similar vein, UNEP has also tackled the problem of mercury poisoning through the Minamata Convention, which will have states legally bound to phase out and phase down mercury use in a number of products and processes.This nexus between health and the environment is a key topic at the second United Nations Environment Assembly alongside discussions on implementing the Paris Agreement and achieving the SDGs. This biennial Parliament of the Environment, hosted by UNEP at its headquarters in Nairobi, sees world leaders, environment ministers, business executives and civil society meet to discuss the biggest issues facing the environment today. As we work toward the 2030 Agenda and tackling climate change, UNEA will continue to be platform from which we can accelerate action. Much remains to be done, of course. But the path toward success becomes more defined and easier to travel with every action taken. It is more urgent than ever that we work together to that end. ■ABOUT THE AUTHORThe United Nations General Assembly in 2006 unanimously elected Mr Achim Steiner as Executive