SEOUL – August 22, 2016 – Dr. Frank Rijsberman, the former CEO of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Consortium, has been appointed as the Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). Dr. Rijsberman will lead the Seoul-based international organization for a four-year term, beginning on October 1, 2016, succeeding Yvo de Boer.
“The opportunity to support developing countries to achieve their economic growth ambitions while reducing poverty and minimizing the environmental impact is inspiring and very motivating to me,” Dr. Rijsberman said. “While GGGI is a relatively young organization, it has already established a strong track record in laying the policy foundations for green growth, increasing green investment flows, and sharing its knowledge and experience with partner countries. I look forward to building on this success and driving the Institute’s work towards achieving its vision of a resilient world with strong, inclusive, and sustainable green growth.”
The appointment of Dr. Rijsberman became effective following the unanimous agreement by the GGGI Assembly, GGGI’s supreme organ. “On behalf of GGGI’s 26 Member countries, I warmly welcome Dr. Rijsberman to the Institute,” said H.E. Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of GGGI. “We are confident that under Dr. Rijsberman’s leadership, GGGI will accelerate its Members’ transition to a new model of growth, aligned with their Nationally-Determined Contributions to the Paris Climate Agreement and the internationally-agreed Sustainable Development Goals.”
At CGIAR, Dr. Rijsberman led the Consortium’s transformation from 15 independent research centers towards a single integrated organization. This included a process of cultural and institutional change towards results-based management, including the development of the Consortium’s 2016-2030 Strategy and new portfolio of research programs for 2017-2022, building an integrated organization and governance structure, and developing its policies and procedures to ensure accountability.
Prior to leading CGIAR, Dr. Rijsberman was the first Director of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he developed a strategy to help achieve universal access to sustainable sanitation services using radical new technologies and innovative market-based mechanisms. Dr. Rijsberman also has worked as Program Director at Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, where he led grant making in the public health initiative and was responsible for programs and partnerships in health, disaster response, geo-informatics, and climate-change adaptation. Before Google Dr. Rijsberman was Director-General of the International Water Management Institute, an international research institute with HQ in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Originally from the Netherlands, Dr. Rijsberman received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Delft University of Technology, and earned a multi-disciplinary Ph.D. in water resources planning and management and civil engineering from Colorado State University.
About GGGI
Based in Seoul, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote green growth. The organization partners with countries to help them build economies that grow strongly, are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. To learn more about GGGI, see https://gggi.org and visit us on Facebook and Twitter.