Gino Van Begin is since 2013 Secretary General of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the leading global network of more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to building a sustainable urban future. 

Gino joined ICLEI in 2000, became the Regional Director for Europe in 2002 and Deputy Secretary General in 2007. Over his 24 years at ICLEI, he has consistently worked towards ensuring ICLEI’s quality as a not-for-profit, responsible and forward-looking local government organisation, empowering its members around the world to implement sustainable solutions to the increasing challenges they face. 

He has been a Member of the Steering Committee of the European Sustainable Cities and Towns during 2000-2012; served as a member of the Jury of the EU Green Capital Award during 2006-2011; and was a Member of the Board of the Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) during 2012-2021. 

He serves as a Board Member of SLOCAT since 2018 and is the Co-chair of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 Initiative of UNDRR since 2023. 

Gino Van Begin was born in Belgium in 1964 and graduated from the University of Brussels as a lawyer. Before joining ICLEI, Gino worked in Russia for seven years as an advisor and Team Leader of the EU-funded Environmental Centers for Administration and Technology in Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg. Prior to that, he worked in Brussels, Belgium, for five years at the European Commission.