Expert, Expert committee

Independent Consultant on Sustainable Development Policies, GFHS

Dr. Ralph D. Wahnschafft, Independent Advisor on Sustainable Development Policies, currently assists the Secretariat of the Global Forum on Human Settlement (GFHS) in an advisory capacity. He previously worked with the Division for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in New York. His earlier UN duty stations included Southern Africa, the Middle East (UN ESCWA), and South-East Asia (UN ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand). His priority professional interests relate to international affairs, political economy, development concerns and sustainable development, in particular with regard to urban development and transport, analysis of market trends, renewable energy, tourism, LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, and all aspects of environmental concerns, including air pollution and climate change.

Dr Wahnschafft has initiated a considerable number of technical cooperation and technical assistance projects in developing countries, in particular in Asia. He holds a PhD degree from the University of G?ttingen, Germany. He has written and edited a considerable number of publications and technical papers, both within the UN system and outside, on a range of topics including tourism. He was a leading team member in organizing and servicing the Rio+20 UN Conference.