Kishan Khoday

Functional Title: Regional Team Leader - Nature, Climate and Energy (MENA)
Institution: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Email Address: kishan.khoday@undp.org
Phone Number: +962 6 200 3156

Bio
Kishan Khoday is Regional Team Leader for Nature, Climate and Energy with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he leads cooperation for a green transition across the Arab region. He has been with the UN for over 25 years leading partnerships on climate change and environmental sustainability across Asia and MENA regions, with past assignments in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. UNDP is today the UN’s largest implementer of grant assistance for a green transition, with a $4 billion portfolio of local initiatives around the world today to build climate resilient food and water systems, reduce the risks from climate induced disasters, accelerate the transition to sustainable energy, restore critical ecosystems and advance the sustainable use of biodiversity. Kishan is a thought leader on the sustainability agenda, with over thirty publications in UN reports and peer reviewed journals. Most recently he served as a contributor to the global and regional editions of UNDPs Human Development Report, as a global advisor on the energy implications of the war in Ukraine in the UN Secretary General’s Global Crisis Response Group, and speaks regularly in regional dialogues on the planetary crisis. Kishan holds a Juris Doctorate degree in international and environmental law, a MSc in natural resource management and a BSc in environmental science.

Governance and Institutional

SDGs Expertise:
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
GOAL 13: Climate Action
GOAL 14: Life Below Water
GOAL 15: Life on Land
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal


Countries of Expertise:
Arab region


  • Communication
  • Programming
  • Strategic planning
  • Team management
Degree Title University Graduation Date
Juris Doctor in Law (International and Environmental Law) Vermont Law School, USA 2000-05-05
Masters of Science in Natural Resources Antioch New England Graduate School, USA 1996-05-05
Title Completion Date
Leadership Development Programme, UNDP and Harvard University, USA 2012-05-05
Post-Graduate Certificate in Cross-Sector Partnerships, Cambridge University, UK 2005-05-05
Title URL Author/Co-Author
Rethinking Development in an Era of Planetary Transformation, Background Paper No.1 for the Global HDR (UNDP/HDR, New York - 2020) https://hdr.undp.org/content/rethinking-human-development-era-planetary-transformation-0 Author
Accelerating a Green Transition in the Arab Region, Ch6 in Arab HDR (UNDP, New York 2022) https://arab-hdr.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/UNDP-Arab-HDR-full-report-for-web-103122.pdf Author