Mr. Nitin Desai is an economist and international civil servant. He was Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations from 1992 to 2003. Earlier, he was Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India between 1987-1990. He is widely credited as one of the initiators of the concept of “Sustainable Development” in the landmark report: “Our Common Future”, and through his substantive work at the UN from the Rio to Johannesburg summits. Since his retirement from the United Nations, Mr. Desai has served in various senior leadership positions including as the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Internet Governance, the Member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change and Member, National Security Advisory Board. He was co-Chair of the India-UK Roundtable, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Oxfam International and Distinguished Visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. He remains active in global climate governance and research, with leadership roles at institutions such as the Foundation for Ecological Security, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Shakti Foundation and writes a regular column for Business Standard.
