Messner

Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner is President of the German Environment Agency since 2020. Prof. Messner holds a PhD degree in Political Science and earned his post-doctoral qualifications at Freie Universität Berlin.

He previously served as Director of the Institute for Environment and Human Security of United Nations University (UNU-EHS) in Bonn, Germany, and Vice Rector of the United Nations University (UNU). Prior to becoming Director of UNU-EHS in October 2018, Prof. Messner had been Director of the German Development Institute from 2003-2018.

Prof. Messner is an internationally recognised expert on globalisation / global governance, transformation pathways to sustainability, decarbonization of the global economy, sustainability and digital change, and international cooperation and societal change. He has also been a member of a number of high-ranking policy advisory councils, including co-chairing the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Germany and the Science Platform Sustainability 2030. Prof. Messner also served as a member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED).