Multilateralism, Security, and a World Out of Sync with Achim Steiner
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
- Venue
- SOAS
- Room
- Gallery Lecture Theatre
About this event
We are delighted to invite you to the next instalment of Global Paths: Inspirational Stories from SOAS Alumni, an alumni‑led speaker series delivered by the College of Social Sciences in partnership with the SOAS Careers and Alumni teams.
This series brings together SOAS alumni, students, and staff to celebrate the diverse paths SOAS graduates take after leaving Bloomsbury and to explore how a SOAS education translates into influence, impact, and adaptability across sectors and over time.
Our upcoming event features Achim Steiner, SOAS alumnus, former UN Under‑Secretary‑General and Administrator of UNDP, and one of the world’s leading voices in international development and diplomacy.
In conversation with Dr Alvina Hoffmann (SOAS), Achim Steiner will reflect on his professional journey, lessons learned along the way, and how global leadership is shaped in times of geopolitical uncertainty in this exclusive talk:
Reflections from the Frontlines: Multilateralism, Security, and a World Out of Sync
The evening will conclude with a reception, offering an opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni, meet students, and engage with the SOAS academic and professional community.
We hope you will join us for what promises to be an inspiring and thought‑provoking event and to help strengthen the connections between SOAS alumni and students at a pivotal moment in their journeys.
More information
Format: Fireside conversation followed by a reception
Doors open: 5:00 pm
Fireside conversation: 5:30–7:00 pm
Reception: 7:00–8:30 pm
About the speaker
Achim Steiner is a global leader in sustainable development, international diplomacy, and economic transformation. From 2017-2025 he served as UN Under-Secretary General and Administrator of UNDP, leading the UN’s largest development network, and previously as Executive Director of UNEP.
Earlier roles include Director-General of IUCN and Secretary-General of the World Commission on Dams. In 2026, he was appointed Senior Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, focusing on security futures and systemic risks. He also chairs the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) and serves on a number of international Boards. Mr. Steiner - a dual Brazilian-German national - was educated at the University of Oxford and SOAS, University of London.
Interlocutor
Dr Alvina Hoffmann is a Lecturer in Diplomatic Studies at SOAS University of London and Deputy Director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy. Her research and teaching interests are in human rights and humanitarianism, the sociology of elites and experts, transnational professionals, socio-legal studies and the UN.
Currently, Dr Hoffmann is working on her first monograph on the lived histories of human rights elites in world politics. She won the Best Article in the European Journal of International Relations award (2025), International Studies Association Theory Section Best Article Prize (2024) and the United Nations Association of Germany Best Dissertation Prize (2024). She holds a PhD from King’s College London, Master’s from Sciences Po Paris, and an MSc from LSE.
