Kaveh Zahedi

Prior to joining FAO, from 2016 to 2023, Mr Zahedi served as the Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Bangkok, Thailand, overseeing ESCAP’s programmes on environment, climate change, natural disasters, finance, energy, trade, transport, social development, and statistics, all in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

From 1995 to 2016, Mr Zahedi served at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in positions of increasing responsibility, including as Regional Director and Representative for 

Asia and the Pacific (Bangkok, Thailand); Deputy Director of the Economy Division and Climate Change Coordinator (Paris, France); Acting Director/Deputy Director of the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (Cambridge, United Kingdom); Regional Coordinator (Mexico City, Mexico); and Environmental Affairs Officer (Nairobi, Kenya). Mr Zahedi started his career in 1993 as Economic Consultant at the non-governmental organization Cooperation for Development (London, United Kingdom), where he was responsible for managing agricultural credit and microfinance projects in Latin America and the Middle East. 

Mr Zahedi is a national of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Kingdom, holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from The Fletcher School at Tufts University in the United States, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics (1st class honours) from University College London in the United Kingdom.