Worldwide Offices

Mr Chipeta, a national of Malawi, holds a B.Sc. (Honours) in Forest Products and an M.Sc. in Forest Industries from the University College of North Wales, UK. He started his career in 1973 serving with the Malawi Government as Forestry Officer in the Forestry Department. From 1977 to 1979, he worked as Assistant Manager for the Forest Industries Division and, from 1979 to 1981, as Manager of the Blantyre Sawmill. In 1981, he became Senior Forestry Officer of the Government/World Bank Wood Energy Project in the Southern Region and, a year later, joined the Imperial Group Ltd. in Malawi as Manager. Mr Chipeta joined FAO in 1981 as Associate Regional Forest Industries Adviser, FAO/UN Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 1982, he was appointed Forestry Planning Officer in the Policy and Planning Service of the Forestry Department at FAO Headquarters in Rome. From 1987 to 1991, he served as Forestry Officer in the Department's Project Operations Service, Africa Desk and, from 1991 to 1993, as Forestry Officer (Policy) in the Office of the Assistant Director-General of the Department. In 1993, he was promoted to the position of Senior Forestry Officer in the Forestry Policy and Planning Division and served in this position until he was appointed FAO Representative in Uganda in 1998. In 1999, on release from FAO, he was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in Bogor, Indonesia. In 2002, he returned to FAO as Chief of the Policy Coordinating Service in the Technical Cooperation Department, TCAR and, in 2004, was promoted to the post of Director of the Policy Assistance and Resources Mobilization Division, TCA, at Headquarters.