Ulrich Graute is a former senior adviser for UN DESA in New York. Today, he works as an independent expert in international cooperation and development. He has also worked for the United Nations Secretariat, UN-Habitat, the European Union, the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment, the Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Cities Alliance, GIZ, and other governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Ulrich is fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and the Regional Studies Association.