United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
René VAN BERKEL (PhD) assumes responsibility for the Regional Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in India, which covers India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. René has over 28 years professional experience in the areas of environment, industrial productivity and responsible business conduct particularly in emerging economies in Asia and elsewhere. He holds a strong track record of programme and strategy formulation and project development, management, implementation and evaluation, at national, regional and local levels covering manufacturing and related processing and service sectors.
Previously he was UNIDO Unit Chief of Cleaner and Sustainable Production and was responsible for UNIDO’s contribution to the global Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) programme which is operational in some 50 emerging and developing countries and supports the organization’s Green Industry Initiative. Between 1999 and 2006 he was Australia’s first full professor of Cleaner Production at Curtin University of Technology in Perth and between 1989 and 1999 he held various research and leadership positions at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is an environmental cientist by education and holds master’s and doctoral degrees from respectively Wageningen University and University of Amsterdam, both in The Netherlands.
Throughout his career, Dr VAN BERKEL has worked at the interface of academia, government and industry to foster the application of cleaner production, eco-efficiency and industrial ecology practices and techniques in a wide range of industry sectors, including manufacturing, minerals, griculture, food and beverages, health and services and crafts. Since 1993 he has been active in fostering the adaptation and adoption of cleaner roduction and industrial ecology in developing and emerging economies in articular in Asia and Eastern Europe.
He is a regular columnist in the Economist as well as a renowned think tank in the MSME and circular Economy.
Phone : +91-11-26160315 Fax : +91-11-26160317
Memberships / Affiliations :
- Member, International Society for Industrial Ecology (ongoing)
- Eco-Efficiency Champion for World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2002-2006)
Salient Awards & Recognitions :
- Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship, AT&T Foundation, 1995-1997
- Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship, Lucent Technologies Foundation, 1997-1999
