Ulf Björnholm was Secretary of Governing Bodies and Director a.i. for the UNEP Governance Affairs Office, responsible for UNEP´s policy-making organs, such as the United Nations Environment Assembly and the Committee of Permanent Representatives, and for UNEP´s engagement with major groups and stakeholders. He has served as Deputy Director for the Governance Affairs Office and Head of the Governing Bodies Unit since December 2017, contributing, among other things, to the successful organization of UNEA-4 and the online session of UNEA-5.
Ulf joined UNEP in April 2014 as Head of the UNEP Brussels Office, responsible for promoting and facilitating partnership-building between UNEP and the EU institutions as well as EU stakeholders in Brussels. He was also a member of the Heads of Agencies Team of the United Nations Offices in Brussels, and he chaired the UN Brussels Policy Group on Sustainable Development and led efforts to green the UN House in Brussels.
Prior to joining UNEP, Ulf served in the European Commission, where he contributed to developing and negotiating a new clean air policy and legislation and represented the EU in international UN negotiations relating to air pollution.
A national of Sweden, Ulf has also held several positions as a representative and diplomat for the Swedish Government, both in Stockholm and abroad. In his role as a political advisor and negotiator on international environmental affairs for Sweden, he chaired and represented the EU at several UN/EU environmental negotiations during two EU Presidencies—in New York (2001) and in Brussels (2009). For almost 8 years, he served as Environment and Climate Counsellor at the Swedish Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. In early 2000, he was appointed Second Secretary at the Swedish UN Mission in New York, responsible for the preparations of Rio + 10 in Johannesburg, where Sweden served as Vice Chair in the Bureau. During the period 1996-99, he was the Swedish National Focal Point for UNEP, attending several UNEP Governing Council and Bureau meetings. Before joining the Swedish Government, he worked for local municipalities and for a youth network under the Swedish UN Association to promote the implementation of the outcomes of the 1992 Rio conference and Agenda 21 in Sweden, and in 1995-96 he represented Swedish youth before the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York.
Ulf Björnholm has a Master of Science from the University of Lund. In addition to being fluent in Swedish, Norwegian and English, he also speaks French and Portuguese. He is married to his wife Sari and has two teenage boys. He is also an enthusiastic tennis player.
