Career
He was appointed to this position by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 20 January 2012. Mr. Dias previously served as the National Secretary for Biodiversity and Forests at the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment. In this position, he was responsible for the implementation of several programmes and for the management of four institutes attached to the Ministry.
Mr.
Dias played a key role in the Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics"s negotiations and implementation since its inception and represented his country in the Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics"s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee. Dias obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in zoology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and gained his Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from the University of BrasÃlia, Brazil.