Andy Raine - New Executive Secretary of CMS and ASCOBANS
Andy Raine begins term as New Executive Secretary of CMS and ASCOBANS
Bonn, 1 June 2026 - Andy Raine has been appointed as Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), effective Monday, 1 June 2026. In his role, Mr. Raine will also serve as the Executive Secretary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS).
Mr. Raine brings over two decades of experience in international environmental law and governance, including in multilateral environmental processes. He has served with the United Nations since 2009 through posts in New York with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in Bangkok with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and most recently in Nairobi at UNEP headquarters, where he served as Deputy Director of the Law Division and Head of International Environmental Law.
“I am excited to join the CMS Secretariat at this critical moment for biodiversity. Migratory species connect ecosystems, countries, and people, sustaining the natural systems on which communities, livelihoods and economies depend,” said Andy Raine.
Prior to serving with the United Nations, Mr. Raine worked in the private sector for six years with leading international law firms in the United Kingdom and Australia, where he qualified as a lawyer.
He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Business (Management) from the University of Queensland, as well as a Master of Laws (Environmental Law and Policy) from University College London. He also served as a Visiting Academic at Oxford University.
Mr. Raine succeeds Amy Fraenkel, who served as Executive Secretary of CMS and ASCOBANS from 13 May 2019 to 31 May 2026.
As the Convention advances its global mission to conserve migratory species and their habitats, Mr. Raine will lead the CMS Secretariat through a new intersessional period following the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties, held earlier this year in Brazil.
The CMS Secretariat extends a warm welcome to Mr. Raine and looks forward to working under his leadership in the years ahead.