Michael Atchia

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Biography

Dr Atchia is a senior Mauritian consultant in the Education, Curriculum development and planning and in the Environmental Education sectors, with wide international experience especially in national and regional coordinator positions. He has been Chief, Environmental Education and Training Unit at UNEP in Nairobi, then a Programme Director of the United Nations, from 1986 to 1996, responsible during the same period for the “International Environmental Education Programme” of UNESCO/UNEP, active in over 100 member states. He has gained his professional experience in both developing countries (Africa, Asia, and South America, island states) and in Europe/North America/Australia.Dr Atchia has extensive experience as a specialist, trainer and administrator in these fields: environmental education and sustainable development education (a field now called ESD which he is credited to have launched in 1993); national curriculum development and planning; science education; integrated environmental management. From 1997 to 2003, after his retirement from the UN, he was a Director of Education in Mauritius responsible for 77 Diocesan institutions.He is a founder Fellow of the Mauritian Academy of Science and Technology, launched in July 2007, one of the 5 founder members and current animator of ‘Democracy Watch Mauritius’. Well known internationally in the field of environmental education and sustainable development education he is often invited as a speaker to conferences and meetings