Mon 29th Jan
10:00AM - 10:02AM - National Anthem
10:02AM - 10:04AM - Welcome (Master of Ceremony)
10:04AM - 10:13AM - Opening Ceremony
10:13AM - 10:21AM - Opening Speech by HE Shaikha Al Dhaheri, Secretary General, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi
10:21AM - 10:29AM - Keynote Address by H.H. Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President & CEO, UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA)
10:29AM - 10:37AM - WEEC Welcome Note by Mario Salomone, Secretary-General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
10:37AM - 10:45AM - Voice of Youth by Elizabeth Wathuti, Founder & Executive Director, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya
Secretary General, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, UAE
President and CEO, UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA)
Secretary General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
Kenyan Youth Activist, Founder & Executive Director, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya
Mon 29th Jan
10:55AM - 11:05AM Keynote address by HE Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak,, President, IUCN
11:05AM - 11:15AM HH Sheikha Dr Shamma Bint Mohammad Bin Khaled Al Nahyan, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural and Educational Institutions
11:15AM - 11:30AM Keynote address by Jack Dangermond, President, Environmental Systems Research Institute ESRI
President, IUCN
Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural and Educational Institutions (SMBKI)
President, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), USA
Mon 29th Jan
Deputy Regional Director, UNEP, West Asia Office, Lebanon
Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates
Director General, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya
Former Education Minister, Italy
Senior Education Specialist, Environmental Protection Agency - USA
Mon 29th Jan
Distinguished Professor and Director, Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes University, South Africa
Professor Emeritus Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, USA
Secretary General, Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED)
Senior Programme Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Chief of Section, Capacity Development & Water Sciences, Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), UNESCO, Paris
Tue 30th Jan
Executive Director, Earth Charter International
Regional Advisor for Africa, UNU/RCE Chair, Council of Earth Charter International, Costa Rica (Video Message)
Dean of Education; Research Chair in Environment and Sustainability Education, Rhodes University , South Africa
Tue 30th Jan
Secretary-General, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection
Emirati poet, Artist and Film Director, UAE
Artist, Cartoonist, Illustrator and Naturalist, India
Wed 31st Jan
Advisor, International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), UAE
Professor and Chair, Indigenous Knowledges, Senior Research Fellow, Nulungu Institute Research, University of Notre Dame, Broome, Australia
Faculty of Education, Université du Québec à Montréal Canada (Video Message)
Director, UN Champions of the Earth Winner, Rewilding Academy
Wed 31st Jan
Program Specialist Researcher - Sustainability Education/Global Health, Uppsala University, Sweden
Secretary General, The Club of Rome, Spain
Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), USA
Founder and Director, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), India
Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Environmental Education, Denmark
Wed 31st Jan
Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), USA
Conservation Outreach and Citizen Science, Emirates Nature WWF
Land-based Lecturer, Cambian Lufton College, UK
Senior Environment Education Consultant, UNEP
Thu 1st Feb
Efforts and Challenges in EE for Early Childhood Education
Organizational Culture Advisor, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, UAE
Director, National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, USA
Former President, Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) - Australia
Professor of Early Childhood Education (ECE), Göteborg University, Sweden
Specialist Early Childhood & Environment Education, IndependenConsultant, India
Thu 1st Feb
Entrepreneur, Economist, and Author, Switzerland
Inaugural Director, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), India
Acting Provost and a Professor of Natural Language Processing, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)
Director, Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute, The George Washington University, USA
Thu 1st Feb
Professor of Didactics of Biology and Environmental Education, University of Parma, Italy
Chair | Advisor, Environmental Information, Science and Outreach Management, 12th WEEC Socio -Scientific Committee | Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Professor, Simon Fraser University , Vancouver, Canada
Senior Environment Education Consultant, UNEP
Thu 1st Feb
Vice Chair | Executive Director, Environmental Information, Science & Outreach, 12th WEEC Local Organising Committee | Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Thu 1st Feb
Secretary General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
10:55AM - 11:05AM Keynote address by HE Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak,, President, IUCN
11:05AM - 11:15AM HH Sheikha Dr Shamma Bint Mohammad Bin Khaled Al Nahyan, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural and Educational Institutions
11:15AM - 11:30AM Keynote address by Jack Dangermond, President, Environmental Systems Research Institute ESRI
President, IUCN
Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural and Educational Institutions (SMBKI)
President, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), USA
President, IUCN
Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is a United Arab Emirates native who for more than twenty years has supported her country’s efforts to realise a more sustainable future while spearheading progressive environmental protection, species conservation, and global climate action. She was elected President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it, in September 2021. She is the second woman to lead the organization in its 75-year history and its first president from West Asia. Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak serves as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of COP28 Presidency, which will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12, 2023.
Her diverse experience leading the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the largest environmental regulatory agency in the Middle East, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, an international philanthropic organization supporting species conservation projects worldwide, and Emirates Nature – WWF, an Emirates-based NGO focused on citizen engagement, earned her recognition as one of the top 100 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2018.
Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural and Educational Institutions (SMBKI)
An Emirati woman who believes in the value of community work. She has specialized academically in the study of history and sociology, especially social security. Emirati identity remains her primary issue, in addition to her interest in spreading reading and the cultural and cognitive construction of the Emirati citizen. By enhancing the role of reading and knowledge, and building the critical mind of the emerging generations, based on its intellectual and cultural role that it plays through the institutions of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan, of which it chairs the Board of Directors, and also through effective partnerships across other cultural and humanitarian institutions inside and outside the United Arab Emirates.
Based on her belief in the value of women and their role in society, she adopted the philosophy of achieving fair equality between the sexes, expressing her support for the state’s effort to achieve balance through her public lectures, articles she wrote in many newspapers and magazines, and her academic studies.
Her Highness launched and supported many environmental initiatives within the Shamma Mohammed Program for Environmental Education under the slogan “Green, Blue Permanent” which supports sustainability efforts in the country.
She actively contributed to enriching Emirati cultural life by launching the Thought and Knowledge Council, which is the first women’s literary salon in the Emirates, in 1996 when she saw that cultural work needed to unite thinking and knowledgeable minds under a knowledge system capable of influencing cultural life.
President, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), USA
Advisor, International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), UAE
Professor and Chair, Indigenous Knowledges, Senior Research Fellow, Nulungu Institute Research, University of Notre Dame, Broome, Australia
Faculty of Education, Université du Québec à Montréal Canada (Video Message)
Director, UN Champions of the Earth Winner, Rewilding Academy
Advisor, International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), UAE
Mohammed Saleh Hassan Al Baidani holds a Masters' degree in Agronomy from Temeriazev Agriculture Academy in Moscow, Russia, began his career in wildlife conservation with the National Avian Research Centre (NARC) and the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD).
Dedicating his career to the conservation of the UAE’s natural beauty, his gained experience as a field technician, international collaboration coordinator and administration manager, before becoming Acting Director of NARC in 2009, then appointed in 2010 as the Director General of the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) up to 2023. He is now holding a position of IFHC advisor.
Inspired by his international exposure to the Houbara, he is actively involved in the management and supervision of different activities across all the Houbara breeding and conservation centers under the umbrella of IFHC. He is fluent in Arabic, Russian and English.
Professor and Chair, Indigenous Knowledges, Senior Research Fellow, Nulungu Institute Research, University of Notre Dame, Broome, Australia
Prof. Anne Poelina, PhD, PhD, MA, MEd, MPH&TM, Co-Chair of Indigenous Studies and Senior Research Fellow Nulungu Institute, University of Notre Dame Australia, is a Kimberley, Nyikina Warrwa Indigenous woman; Chair, Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, an active community leader, human and earth rights advocate, and filmmaker. She holds membership to national and global Think Tanks. A Peter Cullen Fellow, Adjunct Professor, College Indigenous Education Futures, Arts & Society, Charles Darwin University with Visiting Fellowships at the Australian National University, Canberra, Charles Darwin University and the Institute for Post-Colonial Studies, Melbourne.
Faculty of Education, Université du Québec à Montréal Canada (Video Message)
Professor Sauvé is the founder and co-responsible of the UQAM postgraduate program in environmental education. She is co-founder and director of the international research journal Éducation relative à l’environnement – Regards, Recherches, Réflexions. Lucie Sauvé has a strong experience of international cooperation projects in Latin America (Amazonian region) and won in this context two excellence awards. Her current research focuses on environmental health education (agriculture, food and water issues), energy education, ecocitizenship education and environmental educators’ and community leaders’ professional development. She received an honorary Ph.D. from the Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico, in 2015, as recognition of her deep involvement as a researcher in ecosocial movements aiming to address crucial environmental issues.
Director, UN Champions of the Earth Winner, Rewilding Academy
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman is a wildlife biologist and environmental educator from Assam, India. She is more popular and known as “Hargila Baido,” aka “Stork Sister" globally because of her story of restoring an endangered bird Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius). She is the founder of the Hargila Army, an all-female conservation initiative dedicated to protecting the greater adjutant stork in Assam, India. Through the Hargila Army, she has mobilized 10,000 rural women, giving them a voice for the bird and biodiversity, and has educated thousands of children through her environmental education program over the last 20 years.
In 2022, she was awarded with the UN Champions of the Earth Award in the Entrepreneurial Vision category, which is the highest environmental honour of UN from UNEP. In 2017, Purnima was the recipient of Nari Shakti Puraskar, the highest civilian award for women, presented by the President of India. In the same year she was also awarded with the Whitley Award, knows as Green Oscar Presented by HRH Princess Anne.
Executive Director, Earth Charter International
Regional Advisor for Africa, UNU/RCE Chair, Council of Earth Charter International, Costa Rica (Video Message)
Dean of Education; Research Chair in Environment and Sustainability Education, Rhodes University , South Africa
Executive Director, Earth Charter International
Regional Advisor for Africa, UNU/RCE Chair, Council of Earth Charter International, Costa Rica (Video Message)
Dr. Akpezi Ogbuigwe is a respected practitioner in the field of environmental law, environmental education and education for global futures. She is an accomplished speaker and author and founder of many inventive initiatives such as Anpez Center for Environmnet and Development; The Star Advantage Network and Okenyi integrated farms ltd.
Akpezi was a former Head, Environmental Education and Training and Coordinator, Ecosystem Sub-programme, UNEP, former Dean, Faculty of Law, Rivers State University (RSU) where she was appointed Reader in 1999. She currently serves as Adviser for African Region, UNU-RCE’s and Chairperson, Earth Charter International Council.
Dean of Education; Research Chair in Environment and Sustainability Education, Rhodes University , South Africa
Prof. Eureta Rosenberg is a Full Professor and Chair of Environment and Sustainability Education in the Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University, South Africa, where she is also the Dean of the Education Faculty, and the Chair of the Faculty Research Ethics Committee. Prof Rosenberg is currently the Country Co-Director (South Africa) in the TRANSECTS programme, focusing on Transdisciplinary Education Collaborations for Transforming Sustainability. Her background includes an M.Sc. in Medical Science, an Honours in Psychology, a Masters in Environmental Education and a PhD (1995) that focussed on transformative research methodology.
Distinguished Professor and Director, Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes University, South Africa
Professor Emeritus Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, USA
Secretary General, Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED)
Senior Programme Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Chief of Section, Capacity Development & Water Sciences, Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), UNESCO, Paris
Distinguished Professor and Director, Environmental Learning Research Centre, Rhodes University, South Africa
Professor Emeritus Department of Social Sciences, Michigan Technological University, USA
Barry Solomon is a professor emeritus of environmental and energy policy in the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Technological University. He is a past president and the founder of the United States Society for Ecological Economics. Previously, he was a senior economist in the Acid Rain and Climate Change Divisions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C., where he helped to design and implement the first national system of emissions credit trading, and before that he was senior staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy (EIA). From 1989-1991, he worked with the staff of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. He is coauthor or co-editor of 8 books, 80 refereed journal articles and over 130 other publications, most recently The Dictionary of Ecological Economics (Edward Elgar, 2023). He has received research funding from the EPA, DOE, NSF, Michigan Economic Development Corp., Caterpillar, Inc., and has consulted for the United Nations Environment Programme, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Postal Service, American Association for the Advancement of Science, United States Academic Decathlon, National Geographic Society, and the European Science Foundation.
Secretary General, Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED)
An architect by training, Najib Saab is Secretary General of the Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED), and publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia (Environment & Development), the leading pan-Arab magazine on sustainable development. He started his career working for UNEP under Mostafa Kamal Tolba, and continued the relation in various capacities, most recently as member of the High Level Group (HLG) overseeing Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6). He participated as head of delegation, adviser, delegate and/or speaker in all key international conferences on environment and sustainable development. He has played a pivotal role in shaping regional positions towards climate and green economy. He is a laureate of the United Nations Environment Programme's Global 500 Award in 2003 for environmental achievements, and of the Zayed International Prize for Environment in 2011 for environmental leadership leading to change in society. He is editor of the series of annual reports published by AFED on the state of Arab environment (2008-2018), which have become a main source on sustainable development matters and have triggered major policy changes across the region.
Senior Programme Officer, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Kavita Rai is a Senior Programme Officer at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). She is a renewable energy and development professional with 30 years international experience in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Small Island Developing States designing and delivering a range of programs including capacity development, entrepreneurship development, financing, and policy. Prior to joining IRENA, she was working as a Principal Consultant for the World Bank, US Millennium Challenge Compact, and the climate fund- Mitigation Facility. Kavita holds a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Bonn, Germany. At IRENA, she is the lead on energy access including the Empowering Lives and Livelihoods Initiative focusing on the nexus of renewables with agri-food and health sectors.
Chief of Section, Capacity Development & Water Sciences, Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), UNESCO, Paris
Dr. Rahmah Elfithri is an environmental scientist and sustainable water resources management specialist, currently hold a post as Chief of Section for Capacity Development and Water Family Coordination (CDW) in the Division of Water Sciences (HYD), Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. She is responsible for Ecohydrology, Water Quality and Water Education related activities in UNESCO. Prior to joining UNESCO, she worked at the Global Water Partnership Southeast Asia (GWP-SEA) as Deputy Regional Coordinator (2021-2022) and at the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI) within the National University of Malaysia (UKM) as Visiting Professor (2019-2021); Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow (2009-2019); Lecturer/Research Fellow (2007-2009) and has more than 15 years research and academic experience especially in the field of water, environment and sustainable development. She has published more than 300 publications in the form of journals, books/chapter in books, proceedings, etc. She is bringing a wealth of experience on ecohydrology, sustainability science, IWRM, water education and capacity development, watershed and community-based water management and multi-stakeholders’ water partnership at various levels.
Program Specialist Researcher - Sustainability Education/Global Health, Uppsala University, Sweden
Secretary General, The Club of Rome, Spain
Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), USA
Founder and Director, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), India
Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Environmental Education, Denmark
Program Specialist Researcher - Sustainability Education/Global Health, Uppsala University, Sweden
Dr Shepherd Urenje is a Programme Specialist in Sustainability Education with the Centre for Research and Education on Learning for Sustainable Development and Global Health (SWEDESD) at Uppsala University, Sweden. Dr Shepherd Urenje has been supporting universities and government ministries in integrating sustainable development strategies into teacher education and university curriculum in order to implement quality and relevance in Higher Education in line with the global sustainable development goal 4. His current work supports teaching and learning within and among countries in Scandinavia, Africa and Asia.
Secretary General, The Club of Rome, Spain
Carlos Alvarez Pereira is a senior professional combining more than 30 years of experience in research and innovation, entrepreneurship, and business management, with a passion for complexity thinking and transdisciplinarity. He is keen on exploring the cultural transformation required to cross the threshold towards equitable human well-being within a healthy biosphere.
Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), USA
Judy Braus brings to her role as NAAEE Executive Director a wealth of experience in the environmental education profession, with a focus on conservation education, diversity and inclusion, and using the power of education to help create healthier communities that empower local communities, stakeholders, and individuals to help restore and protect the environment. She comes to NAAEE from the National Audubon Society, where she was the Senior Vice President of Education and Centers, overseeing an extensive nationwide network of nature centers and educators. Prior to that, she led the education programs at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the U.S. Peace Corps, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
Founder and Director, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), India
Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Environmental Education, Denmark
Efforts and Challenges in EE for Early Childhood Education
Organizational Culture Advisor, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, UAE
Director, National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, USA
Former President, Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) - Australia
Professor of Early Childhood Education (ECE), Göteborg University, Sweden
Specialist Early Childhood & Environment Education, IndependenConsultant, India
Organizational Culture Advisor, Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, UAE
Layla's role as a senior advisor, which reports to the Director General, is focused on building and maintaining a unique internal organisational culture. I also led the development, launch and implementation of the Parent-friendly Label initiative, a workplace award program for the semi-government, private sector and third sector that specifies criteria for organisations to be recognized for their parent-friendly policies and culture. She supports and advises on internal communications and engagement and employee engagement. She is also a member of the Leadership Team, which steers the organisation.
Director, National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, USA
Bora Simmons serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) initiated the Project in 1993 to help educators develop and deliver effective environmental education programs. The Project has drawn on the insights of literally thousands of educators across the United States and around the world to craft guidelines for top-quality environmental education.
Former President, Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) - Australia
Dr. Pearson is the Former President of Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) (2010 – 2014 & 2018 – 2020) and Convenor of AAEE WA Chapter (2002 – 2022). She had an extensive career in teaching from Pre-primary through to University pre-service primary and early childhood education has enabled her to advocate for education for sustainability.
Professor of Early Childhood Education (ECE), Göteborg University, Sweden
Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson is a professor in Early Childhood Education and holds a UNESCO chair in ECE and Sustainable Development. She is the immediate past world president of OMEP (Organisation Mondiale pour l’Education Préscolaire). Her main research area is young children’s learning and well as conditions for learning in the early years.
Specialist Early Childhood & Environment Education, IndependenConsultant, India
Radhika Suri is an educationist with a remarkable career spanning over 3 decades in India. Formerly the Director of Environment Education at the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), India, she led the programme across the country reaching millions of students, youth and educators. She also played a pivotal role as the Global Education Coordinator, spearheading transformative initiatives across 60 countries.
A true educator at heart, Radhika possesses extensive expertise in teaching, curriculum development, school establishment, and educator capacity building. She has an exceptional track record in seamlessly executing organisational transformation projects, implementing path-breaking best practices, and leveraging optimal pedagogical knowledge to enhance the learning experience of children and youth. Throughout her career, Radhika has collaborated with Indian and UN organisations, NGOs, State & National Education Boards , Ministries, and various institutions. She actively engages in policy advocacy with national and state education bodies, ensuring that her expertise directly influences educational policies and practices.
Radhika specialises in early childhood education, environment education, and literacy.
Entrepreneur, Economist, and Author, Switzerland
Inaugural Director, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), India
Acting Provost and a Professor of Natural Language Processing, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)
Director, Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute, The George Washington University, USA
Entrepreneur, Economist, and Author, Switzerland
Gunter Pauli was born in Antwerp, Belgium in March 1956. In 1979, he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Loyola University (now the University of Antwerp) in Belgium and received his master’s degree in business administration from INSEAD in 1982 in Fontainebleau, France, on a Rotary International Foundation scholarship. During his studies, he worked at a variety of jobs to “support his family, his education, and to save money, which allowed him to travel extensively during the summer vacations.” In 1978, he was elected national president of the student union AIESEC.
Inaugural Director, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), India
Anantha Duraiappah served as the inaugural director of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), a UNESCO Category 1 Research Institute in the Asia Pacific since 2014-2023. He is responsible for developing the Empathy, Mindfulness, Compassion, Critical inquiry (EMC2) model -the institute’s novel approach to Social and Emotional Learning- to achieve SDG 4. A strong believer in personalized learning and Artificial Intelligence for good, he initiated and, oversaw the development of the Institute’s AI -powered, GDPR compliant learning platform FramerSpace- now being used across many countries.
He is an academic and a science policy advocate at heart and is a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and World Academy of Arts and Sciences (WAAS). He was the co-chair of the International Science and Evidence-based Education Assessment (ISEEA) and the Biodiversity synthesis group of the Kofi Annan commissioned Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. He continues to publish extensively in the field of economics, environment, education. He is also an avid Kendo Player.
Acting Provost and a Professor of Natural Language Processing, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)
Tim Baldwin is Acting Provost and a Professor of Natural Language Processing at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), in addition to being a Melbourne Laureate Professor in the School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne.
Tim completed a BSc(CS/Maths) and BA(Linguistics/Japanese) at The University of Melbourne in 1995, and an MEng(CS) and PhD(CS) at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1998 and 2001, respectively. He then worked as a Senior Research Engineer at the Center for the Study of Language and Information,
Stanford University, before taking up a faculty position at The University of Melbourne in 2004. In 2022, he relocated to Abu Dhabi as Chair of the NLP Department and Associate Provost at MBZUAI.
Tim's research has been funded by organisations including the Australian Research Council, Google, Microsoft, Xerox, ByteDance, SEEK, NTT, and Fujitsu, and has been featured in MIT Tech Review, IEEE Spectrum, Reuters, CNN, The Times, and ABC News. He is the author of over 450 peer-reviewed publications across diverse topics in natural language processing and AI, with over 22,000 citations and an h-index of 70 (Google Scholar), in addition to being an ARC Future Fellow, ACL President in 2022, and the recipient of a number of awards at top conferences including AACL, ACL, EACL, EMNLP, and *SEM.
Director, Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute, The George Washington University, USA
Dr. Costis Toregas is the director of the Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute at The George Washington University, where he manages and conducts education, research and service projects in cybersecurity and privacy. His current research interests include cybersecurity risk assessment and organizational strategies, the role of insurance in cyber risk management, the use of block chain in Disaster Risk Reduction, apprenticeships and exploring a fuller utilization of Community Colleges in cybersecurity workforce strategies. He is a consultant to the National Cybersecurity Training and Education Center where he is responsible for international program expansion and East Coast representation to academia, industry and government. He serves on several non-profit boards including the National Cyber League, Ecocity Builders, Women in Cyber Security, and is a Trustee of the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics at UCLA.
Deputy Regional Director, UNEP, West Asia Office, Lebanon
Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates
Director General, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya
Former Education Minister, Italy
Senior Education Specialist, Environmental Protection Agency - USA
Deputy Regional Director, UNEP, West Asia Office, Lebanon
Dr Haddad has over 25 years of expertise in the fields of sustainable development, environmental management and climate change. He assumed his duties as the Deputy Regional Director for UNEP in 2018. He has been responsible for overseeing the development of regional programmes to respond to national and regional priorities for environment protection, climate change,
pollution control and resource efficiency. He developed, managed and now supervise from UNEP side the strategic cooperation programme with the Ministry of Environment, Water and
Agriculture. Earlier, he played a leading role in scaling up climate finance in the region and assisting countries meeting their obligations under UNFCCC and Paris Agreement as well as
developing projects to reduce green gas house emissions and build resilience through adaptation planning and implementation. Mr Haddad worked at UNEP Headquarters in Kenya as Global Task Manager for Capacity Building for implementation of Rio Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Biological Biodiversity (CBD) and Combating desertification (UNCCD). Between 1998- 2003, he coordinated a large regional programme for marine conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia after serving Sustainable Development Advisor with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen. Before joining the UN, Mr Haddad was Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Sanaa’ Yemen. Mr Haddad holds a Doctorate degree in Biology from the University of York, UK.
Minister of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates
Director General, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya
Mamo is the Director General of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya, has more than 25 years of experience in Public Service in Environment Sector and served in various leadership positions in his close to two decades at NEMA, Kenya. He has served in several Boards and also as the Chair of the Natural Sciences Committee at Kenya National Commission to UNESCO
Mamo is a recipient of the Elder of the Order of the Burning Spear (EBS), a Presidential Award, in recognition of his distinguished service to Kenya.
Mamo holds a bachelor's Degree from Egerton University and a Master's Degree in Environmental Education from the School of Environmental Studies, Kenyatta University. He is an Alumni of the prestigious International Leadership Development Program (IVLP), Washington DC, USA (2013)
Mamo was recently awarded the Africa’s Public sector CEO of the Year and the top 50 public sector leader in the Environment Sector in Africa.
Under his leadership, NEMA was recognized as the UN persons of the Year 2022 (runners up) and also as the Africa Environmental Regulator of the Year 2022. He was the head of the Government delegation to the second session of the intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution held at UNESCO HQs, in Paris, France.
Former Education Minister, Italy
Lorenzo Fioramonti is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences of the University of Surrey (UK), where he directs the Institute for Sustainability. After spending two decades in South Africa, he returned to his birth country, Italy, to be appointed as a Member of Parliament and the Minister of Education, University and Research (2018-2019). One of his first decisions was to make education on sustainable development mandatory in all schools. The news made headlines worldwide, as Italy became the first country globally to take such a decision.
Senior Education Specialist, Environmental Protection Agency - USA
Ginger Potter is the Senior Education Specialist in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Education (OEE). She is serves as the Project Officer for the National Environmental Education and Training program. Her other duties include providing advice and consultation on the development, implementation and management of national and international environmental education programming. She also provides strategic planning, management and organizational development expertise to EPA EE programs, activities and products. She is responsible for research, evaluation and program assessment and strategic planning. Ms. Potter also serves as the co-chair of the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP).
Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), USA
Conservation Outreach and Citizen Science, Emirates Nature WWF
Land-based Lecturer, Cambian Lufton College, UK
Senior Environment Education Consultant, UNEP
Executive Director, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), USA
Judy Braus brings to her role as NAAEE Executive Director a wealth of experience in the environmental education profession, with a focus on conservation education, diversity and inclusion, and using the power of education to help create healthier communities that empower local communities, stakeholders, and individuals to help restore and protect the environment. She comes to NAAEE from the National Audubon Society, where she was the Senior Vice President of Education and Centers, overseeing an extensive nationwide network of nature centers and educators. Prior to that, she led the education programs at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the U.S. Peace Corps, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).
Conservation Outreach and Citizen Science, Emirates Nature WWF
Arabella heads up the Conservation Outreach & Citizen Science team at Emirates Nature-WWF, the local environmental charity that works in association with WWF, the global conservation organization. A marine biologist with excellent people skills, Arabella is known for her work with Hawksbill turtles as well as the enthusiasm with which she leads some of UAE’s most exciting environmental outreach programmes. Her primary focus at Emirates Nature-WWF is on harnessing the power of community, to create transformative impact that leads to an optimistic future for our planet and society. To this end, she steers the development and implementation of a wide range of hands-on experiences, engaging digital activities, dialogue, field volunteering and citizen science initiatives. These include Emirates Nature-WWF’s civil society mobilization programme Leaders of Change, which uses experiential learning to equip and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to take action towards a net zero and nature positive future. As well as numerous citizen science initiatives which allow the general public to contribute to scientific research and conservation work. Arabella has also been instrumental in the development of the youth movement Connect with Nature which gives UAE youth access to learning and leadership opportunities, one-ofa- kind experiences, and thrilling adventures.
Arabella is no stranger to the Middle East; she grew up travelling the world, spending four years in Oman as a teenager. She studied marine biology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and began her career on a remote island in the Maldives, educating isolated communities about biology, sustainability and marine conservation. She served as the first “Resident Marine Biologist” at Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, before moving to Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi where she developed a host of activities and initiatives that helped further the
understanding, appreciation and protection of nature on Saadiyat Island. While in this role, Arabella volunteered as the co-chair of the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Emirates Natural History Group. A vocal advocate for nature in the UAE, she has been featured in local and international media outlets including The National, Gulf News, BBC, Abu Dhabi world, Abu Dhabi Classic
FM, Dubai Eye and Etihad magazine. Her story was recently featured in “Dreamers: Where Land Meets Sea," an imaginative storybook published by the UAE Pavilion at Expo. In 2018, she was voted the winner of the Pride of Abu Dhabi Leadership Award. At work and beyond, Arabella can be found in nature, camping, hiking or snorkelling across the UAE.
Arabella heads up the Conservation Outreach & Citizen Science team at Emirates Nature-WWF, the local environmental charity that works in association with WWF, the global conservation organization. A marine biologist with excellent people skills, Arabella is known for her work with Hawksbill turtles as well as the enthusiasm with which she leads some of UAE’s most exciting environmental outreach programmes. Her primary focus at Emirates Nature-WWF is on harnessing the power of community, to create transformative impact that leads to an optimistic future for our planet and society. To this end, she steers the development and implementation of a wide range of hands-on experiences, engaging digital activities, dialogue, field volunteering and citizen science initiatives. These include Emirates Nature-WWF’s civil society mobilization programme Leaders of Change, which uses experiential learning to equip and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to take action towards a net zero and nature positive future. As well as numerous citizen science initiatives which allow the general public to contribute to scientific research and conservation work. Arabella has also been instrumental in the development of the youth movement Connect with Nature which gives UAE youth access to learning and leadership opportunities, one-ofa- kind experiences, and thrilling adventures.
Arabella is no stranger to the Middle East; she grew up travelling the world, spending four years in Oman as a teenager. She studied marine biology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and began her career on a remote island in the Maldives, educating isolated communities about biology, sustainability and marine conservation. She served as the first “Resident Marine Biologist” at Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, before moving to Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi where she developed a host of activities and initiatives that helped further the
understanding, appreciation and protection of nature on Saadiyat Island. While in this role, Arabella volunteered as the co-chair of the Abu Dhabi Chapter of the Emirates Natural History Group. A vocal advocate for nature in the UAE, she has been featured in local and international media outlets including The National, Gulf News, BBC, Abu Dhabi world, Abu Dhabi Classic
FM, Dubai Eye and Etihad magazine. Her story was recently featured in “Dreamers: Where Land Meets Sea," an imaginative storybook published by the UAE Pavilion at Expo. In 2018, she was voted the winner of the Pride of Abu Dhabi Leadership Award. At work and beyond, Arabella can be found in nature, camping, hiking or snorkelling across the UAE.
Land-based Lecturer, Cambian Lufton College, UK
Senior Environment Education Consultant, UNEP
A gold medallist at the postgraduate degree course in geography, Gayatri took her M.Phil. degree from the Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, with specialization on ‘The Human Impact on the Environment’. Since then, she has been ardently committed to spreading education and awareness about the environment. She taught for several years at university and high school before devoting 15 years at the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi, to raise the profile of environment education in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by strategizing, designing developing and implementing environment education initiatives across all sections of the society. She has travelled widely and has represented the Agency and the UAE in several international conferences and meetings on environment education.
Many of the initiatives that she had helped start and implement at the Agency have received regional and global awards. Few of those initiatives such as Enviro- Spellathon (an eco-literacy initiative) Sustainable Schools and Sustainable Campus Initiatives are still going strong and are now nationally implemented.
She has co-authored several publications and resource materials on environmental education. She has received accolades for her efforts to promote Environment Education from across the world. In 1998, she was conferred the Amateur Naturalist Award by the Emirates Natural History Group. In 2018 she received the Outstanding environment educator award in the global category by the North American Association for environment education. (NAAEE)
She currently serves as an Environment Education Consultant for UNEP India office. She coordinates global environment educational programmes implemented by Youth, Education & Advocacy unit of UNEP and also networks with various stakeholders for India specific environment educational initiatives. Currently she is engaged with the implementation of UNEP’s Tide Turner Plastic Challenge which reaches out to youth from schools and colleges across India.
She also actively contributes as Global Vice Chair and selection committee member to the Zayed Sustainability Prize (ZSP), and as an adviser to the Global Environment Education Partnership (GEEP). She also serves as an honorary Executive Director at Wildecologue, an organisation that is committed to providing real life sustainability experiences to youth and other target audiences.
Secretary-General, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection
Emirati poet, Artist and Film Director, UAE
Artist, Cartoonist, Illustrator and Naturalist, India
Secretary-General, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection
Ms. Nouzha Alaoui, Secretary-General of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, has a wealth of experience in the field of environment and sustainable development. For last two decades, under the leadership of H.R.H Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Ms. Alaoui has led the Foundation to be evolved from an impactful aspiration into an established and recognized
institution. She is an active and committed ESD promoter as Member of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of the Kingdom of Morocco, Member of the Scientific Committees of COP22, the World Environmental Education Congress, the Education and Communication Commission of the international Union for Conservation of Nature as well as the Mission 4.7
Education Task Force of experts. Ms. Alaoui is also the Secretary-General of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of cultural heritage of Rabat.
Emirati poet, Artist and Film Director, UAE
Nujoom Alghanem is an Emirati poet, artist, and film director. She was born in Dubai, UAE, 1962 and has published 11 poetry collections in the Arabic language. Her work has been translated to several languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Turkish, and more.
Nujoom is also a renowned filmmaker. She has produced numerous films including seven feature documentaries, short fiction, short documentaries, and art films. Her films have won over 40 regional and international prizes.
Her achievements in the arts have been recognized both nationally and internationally. She is the recipient of the Pride of the UAE Medal through the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award and the Rashid Award for Scientific Outstanding.
In 2019, she was the solo artist of the UAE National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, and in 2017, she was one of five artists that had participated in the same pavilion.
Alghanem started her professional career in the early 1980s as a journalist for more than ten years and was the head of the cultural department for Dubai and the Northern Offices of Al-Ittihad Newspaper, the first regular publication of the UAE. She then became head of training and human resources development at the Emirates Media Incorporated in Abu Dhabi and finally the director of the new media division at the same organization.
She is a member of Board of Trustees of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction
Was one of the founding members of the Emirates Writers’ Union in 1984 and used to be a board member of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
In 2010, Nujoom co-founded Nahar Productions, a film production company based in Dubai. Since then, alongside her artistic endeavors, she has worked as a professional trainer in filmmaking and creative writing and as a cultural consultant.
She is the holder of a master’s degree in film production from Griffith University in Australia and a Bachelor’s degree in video production from Ohio University in the United States.
Artist, Cartoonist, Illustrator and Naturalist, India
Rohan Chakravarty, notorious for rolling up into a ball like a pangolin to avoid meeting people, is a cartoonist, illustrator and the creator of Green Humour, a series of cartoons, comics and illustrations on wildlife and nature conservation. Cartoons from Green Humour appear periodically in newspaper columns, magazines and journals. Illustrations from Green Humour have been used for several projects and campaigns on wildlife awareness and climate change. Rohan is also the author of seven books (including the Penguin publications 'Green Humour for a Greying Planet', 'Naturalist Ruddy', and 'Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints') and has won awards by UNDP, Sanctuary Asia, WWF International, the Royal Bank of Scotland and Bangalore Literature Festival for his work.
10:00AM - 10:02AM - National Anthem
10:02AM - 10:04AM - Welcome (Master of Ceremony)
10:04AM - 10:13AM - Opening Ceremony
10:13AM - 10:21AM - Opening Speech by HE Shaikha Al Dhaheri, Secretary General, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi
10:21AM - 10:29AM - Keynote Address by H.H. Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President & CEO, UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA)
10:29AM - 10:37AM - WEEC Welcome Note by Mario Salomone, Secretary-General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
10:37AM - 10:45AM - Voice of Youth by Elizabeth Wathuti, Founder & Executive Director, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya
Secretary General, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, UAE
President and CEO, UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA)
Secretary General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
Kenyan Youth Activist, Founder & Executive Director, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya
Secretary General, Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi, UAE
Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri is the Secretary General of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East, responsible for protecting and preserving our natural resources and promoting sustainable development in the emirate.
Dr. Al Dhaheri holds a PhD degree in Wildlife Conservation and Protection from the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom, which makes her the first Emirati woman to earn the accolade. She also holds two Masters degrees: in Environmental Science from UAE University (UAEU) in Al Ain, and another in Biological Conservation From the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Species from UAEU.
President and CEO, UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA)
Secretary General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
Prof. Mario Salomone has a master's degree in Theoretical Philosophy. He is an environmental sociologist, former university professor at the University of Bergamo and Milano (IULM), is teaching Environmental sociology at the University of Milano Bicocca and Torino. Journalist, lecturer in hundreds of conferences, author or co-author of handbooks, papers and book chapters on environmental education, environmental communication, ecological economics and other environmental issues, and writer of novels and tales.
Kenyan Youth Activist, Founder & Executive Director, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya, Green Generation Initiative, Kenya
Elizabeth Wathuti, a dedicated environmentalist and dynamic young climate leader from Kenya, is the driving force behind positive change. She is the visionary Founder of the Green Generation Initiative (GGI). Her efforts extend to leading and establishing the Wangari Maathai Foundation's Youth Hub, which recently played a crucial role in supporting the largest delegation of African youth at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Elizabeth's commitment to environmental preservation is further exemplified by her role as a Counties Advisory Committee (CAC) member for the Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund and the youngest Presidential Appointee in Kenya as a Commissioner representing civil society and youth at the Nairobi Rivers Commission. Her global impact is undeniable, having served as the Global South Youth Co-chair for the COP26 Civil Society and Youth Advisory Council during the United Kingdom (UK) Government's COP26 presidency and recently organized and spearheaded the Lead Coordination of the first and biggest ever African Youth Climate Assembly (ACYA), which also served as the formal youth engagement mechanism for the Africa Climate Summit.
Professor of Didactics of Biology and Environmental Education, University of Parma, Italy
Chair | Advisor, Environmental Information, Science and Outreach Management, 12th WEEC Socio -Scientific Committee | Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Professor, Simon Fraser University , Vancouver, Canada
Senior Environment Education Consultant, UNEP
Professor of Didactics of Biology and Environmental Education, University of Parma, Italy
Antonella Bachiorri is a Biologist, PhD in Ecology and Master in Education for Sustainability. She teaches "Didactics of Biology and Environmental Education" and "Sustainable Development" at the University of Parma (Italy) where coordinates a laboratory for interdisciplinary research in education for sustainability (CIREA) at the Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability. She is member of Editorial Boards of international Journals and has been involved in many research projects.
Chair | Advisor, Environmental Information, Science and Outreach Management, 12th WEEC Socio -Scientific Committee | Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Dr Richard John O’Brien Perry, PhD, FIEMA joined EAD in 1999 (then called ERWDA) to set up what is now EQS. He drafted the original EIA regulations for Abu Dhabi and the first Environmental Strategy in 2000. He also established the Protected Areas function and managed the GIS unit. After a brief spell working as biodiversity manager in the Australian outback he returned to Abu Dhabi in 2006 to join ADNOC and then Masdar before returning to EAD in 2010 as Programme Manager for the Abu Dhabi Environment 2030 Vision. In 2012 he was appointed as Executive Director to establish the Environmental Science, Information and Outreach Management (EISOM) Sector and he now serves as an advisor.
Professor, Simon Fraser University , Vancouver, Canada
David Zandvliet is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University and holds the UNESCO Chair in Bio-cultural Diversity and Education. He has also held Associate memberships in the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Environment at SFU. His career interests lie in the areas of science and environmental education with a special focus on the study of learning environments. He has considerable experience in the provision of teacher development and has conducted studies in school-based locations in Australia, Canada, Malaysia Sri Lanka and Taiwan. David leads environmental education programming at SFU including directing field schools in diverse locations including: Vancouver, Haida Gwaii, Hawaii, Indonesia and Australia.
Senior Environment Education Consultant, UNEP
A gold medallist at the postgraduate degree course in geography, Gayatri took her M.Phil. degree from the Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, with specialization on ‘The Human Impact on the Environment’. Since then, she has been ardently committed to spreading education and awareness about the environment. She taught for several years at university and high school before devoting 15 years at the Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi, to raise the profile of environment education in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi by strategizing, designing developing and implementing environment education initiatives across all sections of the society. She has travelled widely and has represented the Agency and the UAE in several international conferences and meetings on environment education.
Many of the initiatives that she had helped start and implement at the Agency have received regional and global awards. Few of those initiatives such as Enviro- Spellathon (an eco-literacy initiative) Sustainable Schools and Sustainable Campus Initiatives are still going strong and are now nationally implemented.
She has co-authored several publications and resource materials on environmental education. She has received accolades for her efforts to promote Environment Education from across the world. In 1998, she was conferred the Amateur Naturalist Award by the Emirates Natural History Group. In 2018 she received the Outstanding environment educator award in the global category by the North American Association for environment education. (NAAEE)
She currently serves as an Environment Education Consultant for UNEP India office. She coordinates global environment educational programmes implemented by Youth, Education & Advocacy unit of UNEP and also networks with various stakeholders for India specific environment educational initiatives. Currently she is engaged with the implementation of UNEP’s Tide Turner Plastic Challenge which reaches out to youth from schools and colleges across India.
She also actively contributes as Global Vice Chair and selection committee member to the Zayed Sustainability Prize (ZSP), and as an adviser to the Global Environment Education Partnership (GEEP). She also serves as an honorary Executive Director at Wildecologue, an organisation that is committed to providing real life sustainability experiences to youth and other target audiences.
Secretary General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
Secretary General, World Environmental Education Congress Network
Prof. Mario Salomone has a master's degree in Theoretical Philosophy. He is an environmental sociologist, former university professor at the University of Bergamo and Milano (IULM), is teaching Environmental sociology at the University of Milano Bicocca and Torino. Journalist, lecturer in hundreds of conferences, author or co-author of handbooks, papers and book chapters on environmental education, environmental communication, ecological economics and other environmental issues, and writer of novels and tales.
Vice Chair | Executive Director, Environmental Information, Science & Outreach, 12th WEEC Local Organising Committee | Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Vice Chair | Executive Director, Environmental Information, Science & Outreach, 12th WEEC Local Organising Committee | Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Ahmed Baharoon has a Batchelors degree in Business Management and is the Executive Director of Environmental Information Science & Outreach Management sector (EISOM) at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD).
For almost a decade, he has managed environmental data & information, science, outreach and education within EAD. Ahmed leads a team of professionals identifying environmental research knowledge gaps, managing extensive data collected by EAD’s field scientists, and developing and disseminating a range of scientifically credible environmental information products to stakeholders, enabling them to make better-informed decisions.
He is currently leading the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Environmental Research Network (ADERN) which is the first formal network bringing academics and researchers together to focus on addressing the environmental research priorities of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
In addition to his role as Executive Director, he is also Acting Director of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), responsible for a wide range of international scientific collaborations, including studies on Blue Carbon, Climate Change and biodiversity.
Before his appointment as Executive Director, Ahmed was the Head of Communications at the Emirates Falconers Club, Abu Dhabi, where he was involved in initiatives on falcon migration, breeding and traditional hunting activities.