Secretary General

Gino has worked for ICLEI since 1 January 2000. In his former positions as Regional Director for Europe and Deputy Secretary General, and now as Secretary General since 2013, he has consistently worked towards ensuring ICLEI performs as a responsible, forward-looking, not-for-profit local and regional government organization serving its Members worldwide.

Throughout his 25 years at ICLEI, Gino has witnessed cities becoming home to over half of the global population, while facing an increasing number of challenges. At the same time, he worked with and witnessed local and regional governments as they respond to these challenges, despite their sometimes limited means. Without waiting for nations to take action, over the years, local and regional governments have found solutions to mitigate the effects of urbanization, climate change, inequity and ecosystem degradation, while increasing their resilience, lowering their dependent on fossil fuels and becoming more sustainable overall.

In his position as Secretary General, Gino also ensures that ICLEI takes every opportunity to decisively influence global negotiation processes and increase the presence of local and regional governments on the global stage, in order to promote the sustainability agenda at all levels.

Gino Van Begin was born in Belgium and graduated with a law degree from the University of Brussels. Before joining ICLEI, Gino worked in Russia for seven years as an advisor and as team leader at the EU-funded Environmental Centers for Administration and Technology in Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg. Prior to that, he worked in Brussels for five years at the European Commission, DG Environment.