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In Memoriam - Olivier de Munck (1965 - 2018)

With immense sadness, we announce the death of our dear colleague Olivier de Munck. He was a supremely dedicated colleague who joined the Secretariat in 1999. For almost two decades Olivier helped develop and then lead the Clearing House Mechanism, the backbone of the Convention's information management system. He was generous with his time and his expertise. Olivier will be much missed and mourned by the colleagues, partners and focal points all across the world with whom he shared his passion for using technology to better protect biodiversity.


Olivier grew up in Africa and gained his degree in electrical engineering and his MBA in his home country of Belgium. Earlier in his career he worked with the private sector in Brussels and London, and with a technical co-operation project in the Seychelles. His experience with the UN began with UNIDO in Haiti and Costa Rica. Before coming to Montreal he worked as coordinator for a PAHO/WHO project, the Regional Disaster Information Center for Central America and the Caribbean.


Olivier was a very kind colleague, mentor and friend. His optimism, enthusiasm and decency made the Secretariat a better place to work. He always strove for perfection. Over the last period he fought his illness, cancer, with immense courage and fortitude. He loved his work and he very much loved his family and he fought to stay with us all for as long as he could. The Secretariat offers its sincere condolences to his family, including his parents Marguerite and Roland, his brother Rainier, his elder son Tristan, his wife Gabriella and their son Roland.


A dedicated email address condolences@cbd.int is being set up to transmit messages of condolence to Olivier's family.