Chair: H.E. Mr. Francis Nhema, Minister of Environment and Tourism (Zimbabwe)

Mr. Francis D.C. Nhema was elected by the Commission on Sustainable Development as the Chair of its 16th session (CSD-16). He is the Minister of Environment and Tourism of Zimbabwe and has been a Member of Parliament since 2000.

Mr. Nhema joined the Ministry of Information and Tourism in 1981. During 1983-1987, he served as a diplomat in the US and Canada. In 1988, he was appointed Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and was later promoted to Assistant Chief of Protocol and State Occasions in the President's Office.

During his current appointment, Mr. Nhema has been instrumental in establishing several Trans-frontier Conservation Areas between Zimbabwe and its neighbors. Mr. Nhema has won several awards for his conservation efforts and outstanding public services.

Mr. Nhema holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Zimbabwe and a master's degree in Marketing from Strathyde University, Scotland. He is a trustee of Zimbabwe Health Care Trust and Zimbabwe Children's Rehabilitation Trust.

• Message from the Chair of CSD-16
• Statements by the Chair of CSD-16
  • Remarks at the Meeting of the Chairpersons of the functional commissions with the Bureau of the Economic and Social Council (29 January 2008)
  • Opening Remarks at the Asia and the Pacific Regional Implementation Meeting (26-27 November 2007, Jakarta, Indonesia
     

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Vice-chair: Mr. Tri Tharyat (Indonesia)

Prior to assuming his current position as the Deputy Director for Economic Development and Environmental Affairs with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Tharyat served as the First Secretary responsible for economic and sustainable development issues with the Indonesian Permanent Mission to the UN (2003-2007) and Second Secretary of the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, responsible for UNEP and UN Habitat matters.

Mr. Tharyat has long been active in environment and development issues and has participated as facilitator and negotiator at many UN conferences. He chaired the Asia and the Pacific Regional Implementation Meeting of the 16th Commission for Sustainable Development and has also been a member of steering committees for various intergovernmental bodies.

Mr. Tharyat holds a Master’s degree in International and Comparative Law from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree in International Law from the University of Padjajaran (Indonesia).

He is also a co-author of a number of publications related to environment and sustainable development issues.
 

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Ambassador Daniel Carmon is currently Deputy Permanent Representative of Israel at the United Nations.

After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, he was first posted in the Communications Division, and was later appointed as Section Head in the same department. From 1978 to 1982, he served as Embassy Attach・in Washington, D.C.
 

From 1983 to 1985 he served as the Commercial Director of a high tech company, before returning to the Foreign Ministry. Upon his return, he served in the Personnel Division, followed by a posting as Consul and Administrative Officer and later as Deputy Chief of Mission in Buenos Aires. In 1995 he was appointed Head of the Situation Emergency Room in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.

From 1996 to 2000, he served as Head of the Information and Internet Division in the Department of Public Affairs. Before his current posting, from 2000 to 2004, he served as Head of the Bureau for Coordination, and Director in the Director General's Bureau.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Hebrew University.

He speaks Hebrew, English, Spanish, and French.
 

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Vice-chair: Mr. Sasa Ojdanic (Serbia)

Mr. Ojdanić is currently Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the United Nations.

Before his present assignment, Mr. Ojdanić served as Second Secretary in the Mission of Serbia to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, from 2000 to 2004. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1998.

Mr. Ojdanić obtained his M.A. in international relations from the Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels. He graduated from the University of Belgrade.