The long-standing ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann will move to his new role as Chairman, ICLEI Urban Agendas in 2013. Fulfillment of a goal in October 2012: ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann (center) with Seoul Mayor Park Won Soon (left) and Seoul Metropolitan Council Chair Kim Myeong-Su and members of ICLEI’s global and regional executive committees opening ICLEI’s East Asia Secretariat hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Konrad Otto-Zimmermann moves to become Chairman, ICLEI Urban Agendas

From 1 January 2013, the long-standing ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann will move into the role of Chairman, ICLEI Urban Agendas. After serving ICLEI for over 20 years and being the Secretary General since 2002, his responsibility as Secretary General of the global association will be handed over to his Deputy, Gino van Begin.

ICLEI President David Cadman pays tribute to Mr. Otto-Zimmermann on behalf of the global Executive Committee and all ICLEI members. He expresses his deepest gratitude to Mr. Otto-Zimmermann for his longstanding dedication and leadership, both in his functions as Regional Director for Europe (1992-2002) and as Secretary General of ICLEI (2002-2012), adding that he is pleased to continue to count on him in his new role as Chairman of ICLEI Urban Agendas and Founding Director of the ICLEI East Asia Secretariat.

 “Mr. Otto-Zimmermann has been showing remarkable theme leadership and creativity that has resulted in a corporate profile dynamically adapting to the changing institutional and policy environment, and two cycles of re-design of our program framework”, said President Cadman. “During his tenure as SG, ICLEI’s membership increased threefold, and four Strategic Plans he prepared were adopted by the ICLEI Council. ICLEI has forged partnerships with institutions from all sectors: United Nations, governments, Local government organizations, research and technology institutes, business organizations and NGOs. “

At the last official meeting of the year, Otto-Zimmermann spoke of his experience at ICLEI. “Over the past 20 years, I have had the unique opportunity to be the designer, builder, organizer and communicator of the most dynamic association of cities and local governments in the world. I enjoyed being a spokesperson of the future of cities and that of the future generations. It’s my pleasure to be at the forefront of such a thriving organization with true global impact.”

He praised ICLEI’s political leadership and especially the Executive Committees and Presidents who guided and supported the dedicated work of ICLEI’s senior managers and staff over two decades.

He particularly thanked his wife Monika Zimmermann, who also joined ICLEI in 1992 and led the International Training Center in Freiburg and since 2010. Currently, she is leading the Capacity Center in Bonn, which manages key pioneer programs and ICLEI’s global congresses. “I could not have been so effective without her unwavering support,” he said.

Mr. Otto-Zimmermann also expressed his gratitude to ICLEI’s partner organizations. “Without partnerships with the leading institutions in each sector we would not be where we are today,” he said, adding that he also owed special respect to ICLEI’s unique membership, which comprises of over thousand metropolises, urban regions, cities, towns and counties from over80 countries.

“It is these local-global leaders who make up our movement, who give us our mandate, who challenge us with their expectations, and who are eager to receive inspiration and guidance in order to spearhead the urban future,” he said.

In his new role, Otto-Zimmermann will continue to strengthen ICLEI’s presence in the East Asia region, build the ICLEI Global Town Hall @ Metropolitan Solutions to enhance interactions between city and business leaders, support the Resilient Cities global forum on urban sustainability and climate change adaptation as a member of the Steering Board, and continue leading, as Creative Director, the EcoMobility World Festival to be held in Suwon, South Korea, in September 2013.