Stefanos Fotiou

Director of the Office of Sustainable Development Goals at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations; Leader of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub; Rome, Italy

Dr. Stefanos Fotiou is a globally recognized environmental economist and sustainability leader with over 30 years of experience spanning academia, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector.

He currently serves as inaugural Director of the FAO Office of Sustainable Development Goals and as founding Director of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, roles in which he has pioneered strategic transformations in sustainability governance.

Throughout his career, Dr. Fotiou has been instrumental in designing and implementing integrated sustainability initiatives, raising hundreds of millions of dollars to advance environmental conservation, climate action, food systems transformation, and natural resources management. He has held senior leadership roles in FAO, UNESCAP, and UNEP.

Dr. Fotiou is known for his interdisciplinary vision and systems thinking approach, bridging research, policy, and implementation. He has advised over 60 countries, authored key UN reports and academic publications, and held visiting academic. A passionate advocate for inclusive development, he has created and led pioneering capacity-building initiatives such as the UN Youth Leadership Programme on Food Systems, the SDGs Helpdesk and the Convergence Initiative.

He holds a PhD in Natural Resource Economics, and two MSc degrees in Information Systems and in Forestry & Natural Environment.