Nikhil Seth
Director, Division for Sustainable Development, UN-DESA
Nikhil Seth is currently the Director of the Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and he was also Head of the Rio+20 Secretariat.
As Head of the Rio+20 Secretariat, he spearheaded the preparations for the UNCSD Conference in Rio.
During his career with the United Nations since 1993, Mr. Seth has served as Special Assistant and Chief of Office to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Chief of the Policy Coordination Branch in the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, as Secretary of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Second Committee of the General Assembly, and as Director of the DESA Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, where he guided the ECOSOC's work in implementing several new key mandates, including its Annual Ministerial Review and Development Cooperation Forum.
Before joining the UN Secretariat, he was a delegate to the UN in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and involved with various UN conferences and summits including the Rio Summit on Environment and Development, the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development, the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, the Mauritius Conference on Small Island Developing States, the Millennium Summit, World Summit on Sustainable Development and the UN World Summit.
He joined the Indian diplomatic service in 1980 and his diplomatic assignments included Geneva, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
As Head of the Rio+20 Secretariat, he spearheaded the preparations for the UNCSD Conference in Rio.
During his career with the United Nations since 1993, Mr. Seth has served as Special Assistant and Chief of Office to the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Chief of the Policy Coordination Branch in the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, as Secretary of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Second Committee of the General Assembly, and as Director of the DESA Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, where he guided the ECOSOC's work in implementing several new key mandates, including its Annual Ministerial Review and Development Cooperation Forum.
Before joining the UN Secretariat, he was a delegate to the UN in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations and involved with various UN conferences and summits including the Rio Summit on Environment and Development, the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development, the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, the Mauritius Conference on Small Island Developing States, the Millennium Summit, World Summit on Sustainable Development and the UN World Summit.
He joined the Indian diplomatic service in 1980 and his diplomatic assignments included Geneva, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.