Franz Baumann
Franz Baumann is a visiting research professor at New York University. He started his career at the European Parliament in Luxembourg before transferring to the European Commission in Brussels, joining Siemens in Munich and, in 1980, the United Nations, where he served in four cities on three continents in various roles. His last assignment was special adviser on Environment and Peace Operations with the rank of assistant secretary-general. Baumann has a Ph.D. in political science (African Studies) from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
- Opinion by Franz Baumann
- • May 25, 2021
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In September 2016, the German parliament unanimously adopted the Paris Agreement. The government then translated Germany’s commitments under the agreement into a Climate Protection Law, which was approved by the Bundestag in November 2019 with a wide majority, making…
- Categories: Climate Change, OPINIONS
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- Opinion by Franz Baumann
- • October 6, 2018
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When United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres spoke passionately about the frightening prospect of a climate catastrophe recently, he called it “the defining issue of our time.” Everything in his powerful speech was backed by science. Yet, because secretaries-general cannot say everything,…
- Categories: Climate Change, OPINIONS
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- Opinion by Franz Baumann
- • November 2, 2017
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Two years ago, the governments of the world unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a remarkable blueprint of the world’s most pressing long-term predicaments that the United Nations is good at lifting into the global conscience. Cataloguing…
- Categories: Climate Change, OPINIONS, SDGs
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- Opinion by Franz Baumann
- • August 2, 2016
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How green is the United Nations’ own environmental policies? Shepherding the Paris climate agreement to conclusion in December 2015 has been a major achievement of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The agreement got more than 190 states to commit to hold…
- Categories: OPINIONS
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- Opinion by Franz Baumann
- • May 14, 2016
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After more than 30 years of service, I retired from the United Nations as an assistant secretary-general, Special Adviser on Environment and Peace Operations, at the end of 2015, but to officially conclude my tenure with the UN, there…
- Categories: OPINIONS
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