Solheim has been the head of the environmental program since 2016. The 63-year-old was advised because of his many trips in the criticism. According to a published two months ago UNO test report Solheim estimated in his first 22 months in the job about 4.1 million Norwegian kroner (about 424,000 euros) for his tours.
In addition to the climate and cost implications, the UN body concluded that Solheim had not sufficiently documented that all trips were actually official. Sweden and Denmark had then stopped their subsidies.
Solheim assumes errors in the test report
Solheim justified himself by the fact that extensive travel was important in order to make the work of the Unep visible. „The test report is full of mistakes,“ Solheim told the Norwegian newspaper „Dagens Næringsliv“ from Nairobi, where the environmental program is based. „It was a response to being the leading reformer in the UN, and many resisted the reforms and contributed to making this report.“
Uno boss Guterres thanked Solheim for his work and announced that Solheim’s deputy Joyce Msuya from Tanzania would temporarily take over the post until a new leader was found.
