UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Erik Solheim, the executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The former Norwegian diplomat announced in a statement posted on the UN Environment Programme's website that he was stepping down with effect on Thursday after receiving the final report of the audit of his official travel by the UN's internal watchdog on Saturday.
Solheim, a former Norwegian environment minister known as the "green politician," was recently criticized for his extensive traveling and management practices, media reports said, citing a leaked UN draft audit.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the UN chief has accepted the resignation of Solheim, who was appointed in spring 2016 to a four-year term.
"The secretary-general is grateful for Solheim's service and recognizes that he has been a leading voice in drawing the world's attention to critical environmental challenges, including plastics pollution and circularity; climate action; the rights of environmental defenders; biodiversity; and environmental security," the spokesman said.
"He has led advocacy at the highest levels of government, business and civil society to drive the transformational change needed to make a real difference in the lives of people and promote the cause of the environment," Dujarric said.
Published reports said Solheim was criticized for his extensive travels and a management style that prompted a few Scandinavian and other countries to withhold contributions to donor-funded UNEP until the criticism was answered.
The draft audit reported UNEP management charged 488,518 U.S. dollars in travel from May 2016 to March 2018, resulting in Solheim spending 529 days of his 22 months as UNEP chief and "an absence rate of 79 percent from the duty station," published reports said.
However, some critics, the published reports said, acknowledged that at least some of Solheim's globe-trotting had raised UNEP's profile.
The internal audit is not expected to be officially filed by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) until Dec. 17, according to the OIOS website.
Solheim said in the statement that he has been and remains "committed to doing what I believe to be in the best interest of UN Environment and the mission we are here to achieve."
He also expressed hope that his resignation, "after deep reflection and in close consultation with the secretary-general," proves to be in the best interest of UN Environment and the wider UN."
Solheim's deputy, Joyce Msuya of Tanzania, will be appointed as the acting chief of the UNEP while the secretary-general tries to find a successor to Solheim, the spokesman said.
