Jan-Gustav Strandenaes
UN Advisor | Diplomat | Environment Expert
Jan-Gustav Strandenaes began working with the UN on environment, development and governance in the 1970s, and a first UN assignment brought him to Latin America. He has taught and written about the UN for more than five decades, worked with the UN Commission for Sustainable Development for 15 years, worked as NGO liaison officer at the UN HQ in New York, worked as a diplomat for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway, at embassies in Botswana and Uganda, was for 15 years the director of a Norwegian aid/environment-NGO with projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
He has worked 6 years in Africa, has extensive stakeholder experience through 50 years of work on all continents, speaks several languages, is a seasoned university lecturer, has guest-lectured all over the world on UN issues; has evaluated projects and organisations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, advised governments, chaired UN meetings, facilitated UN processes such as environment policies, negotiated the SDGs, has translated and authored books and numerous articles on governance, the environment, and sustainable development.
He once crossed the Kalahari Desert in an old Land-Rover and when he is not travelling the world fighting for the environment, he writes and comments on environment, sustainable development, good governance and democracy issues from his home outside Oslo, Norway.