Primary Job Title Director General Primary Organization 
IUCN
Location Gland, Vaud, Switzerland Regions Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Gender Female
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Inger Andersen, a Danish national, is the Director General of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature.Inger Andersen has been passionate about environmental sustainability and conservation since the beginning of her career. Prior to assuming this role in January 2015, she was the Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa at
the World Bank, and was responsible for leading the Bank's strategy as well as policy and operational engagement with the Region during a time of complex and challenging historic transition.
Inger joined the World Bank in 1999, and her work has focused on water, environment, and sustainable development with special focus on Africa and Middle East. In 2010, she was named Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank and Head of the CGIAR Fund Council.
In this position, she led the Bank’s work with developing countries to provide key infrastructure, enhance food security, promote environmental sustainability, develop social accountability, provide support for climate change mitigation and resilience, and support countries in disaster risk management.
In 2012, following the Arab Spring, Inger was appointed Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa Region. In addition to overseeing the Bank’s lending portfolio, she mobilized substantial government and donors resources for fragile and conflict states and development priorities.
Inger Andersen began her career working for an NGO in Sudan in 1982 providing support to rehabilitation and dryland management in the post-drought emergency. In 1987, after five years in Sudan, she joined the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office in New York. With the establishment of the Global Environment Facility, Inger Andersen was appointed UNDP’s Coordinator for the Arab Region in 1992, a position she held until 1999 when she moved to the World Bank.
Upon joining the World Bank, Inger Andersen worked in the Environment Vice Presidency on water resources and regional seas issues with special emphasis on large and contested river basins. She subsequently worked in managerial positions in the World Bank’s Africa and Middle East Regions, managing the sustainable development programmes and projects.
Inger holds a Master’s degree in development economics and African politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She speaks English, French, Danish and Arabic.
