Laila Mostafa
Abdullatif named Director General of
Emirates Wildlife
Society in association with WWF
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 1
May 2017: Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS-WWF) announced
today the appointment of Laila Mostafa Abdullatif as Director General, with an
overall responsibility to lead the organisation locally and represent WWF in the
UAE and regionally.
An EWS-WWF veteran
since 2009, Abdullatif will now strategically lead the environmental
non-governmental organisation which has deep roots and a solid legacy in the
UAE, having been on the ground since 2001. EWS-WWF’s vision is to build a
future in which people live in harmony with nature and the organisation works
with a range of partners to successfully create and implement several
conservation, education projects and initiatives across the UAE and region.
These contribute to supporting the nation’s sustainability agenda and
conserving the country’s natural heritage, whilst simultaneously assisting in
delivering WWF’s global priorities in the region.
H.E. Razan Khalifa
Al Mubarak, Managing Director, EWS-WWF stated: "On behalf of the EWS-WWF
Board and wider EWS-WWF team, I would like to congratulate Laila on her recent
appointment. Over the past eight years, Laila has significantly contributed to
the progress of the organisation, and played an important role in its
successes. With her accomplished tenure, I have no doubt that Laila is the
right leader to take the organisation, and talented team, forward into its next
exciting era."
Commenting on her
new position, Abdullatif stated: “I’m incredibly honoured to be assigned this
critical role. As an organisation our focus has been, and will continue to be
delivering high impact, science based, robust conservation solutions which
contribute to conserving the environment for the well-being of society and
future generations. However, to do this
we continue to recognise that strategic partnerships with the UAE government
and a range of partners and civil society are fundamental to our success.
Moving forwards, we will continue to nurture these partnerships, create new
collaborations and engage with the public through a diverse range of
opportunities as we highlight the vital connection between nature and
humanity.”
A zealous
Environmental Science Graduate from the American University of Sharjah,
Abdullatif’s knowledge and enthusiasm propelled her to advance at EWS-WWF with
various roles and accomplishments throughout the years. On joining the
organisation, Abdullatif’s focus was climate change, specifically the
Ecological Footprint Initiative, supporting a Steering Committee comprising of
a range of highly respected, senior government stakeholders. This project led
to the successful development of the UAE Indoor Lighting Standard (in
partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, EAD, Emirates
Standardisation and Metrology Authority and the Global Footprint Network).
Following this, another of Abdullatif’s notable achievements was spearheading the
strategic planning division which created the organisation’s latest 5-year
corporate strategy, focussed on ensuring the organisation delivers high-impact
conservation solutions through science, research, policy, education and
awareness.
Forging and
developing mutually beneficial partnerships have played a key role in EWS-WWF’s
efforts to drive conservation impact, as can be seen in Abdullatif’s work with
Fujairah Municipality and HSBC Bank Middle East Ltd in the establishment of
Wadi Wurayah National Park, the first mountain protected area in the UAE. Most recently, in her role as Deputy Director
General, Abdullatif played a key role in establishing a first-of-its-kind
Environment Endowment Fund, a joint initiative with the Mohammed Bin Rashid
Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy.
The outgoing
Director General of EWS-WWF, Ida Tillisch, will be moving on from her current
role after a decade with the organisation. “Ida has been an invaluable member
of EWS-WWF for ten years,” said H.E. Al Mubarak. “She has made a significant
contribution to the growth in the depth and breadth of our skills and
programmes over this time. Ida also established several important building
blocks for the organization that will be pivotal for the future as EWS-WWF
continues to advance towards an ambitious mission and makes a positive
difference to our environment and the UAE communities.”
Continuing her
dedicated work ethic towards protecting the UAE’s local habitat, Tillisch will
continue her connection with EWS-WWF and has accepted a role on the EWS-WWF
Advisory Board. Tillisch said: “It gives me great pride to hand over the baton
to Laila, who already is a great and inspiring leader for the team. I
congratulate Laila on her appointment and am confident that EWS-WWF will reach
new and greater heights under her leadership.”
To learn about
EWS-WWF’s corporate membership programs, volunteer programs and opportunities
for collaboration, please visit http://howyoucanhelp.uae.panda.org/
About Emirates
Wildlife Society – WWF
Emirates Wildlife
Society is a national (UAE) environmental non-governmental organisation
established in 2001 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Ruler’s representative in the western region and Chairman of
Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi. Emirates Wildlife Society works in association
with WWF, one of the world’s largest and most respected independent
conservation organisations, with offices in 100 countries. The association is
commonly known as EWS-WWF. Our vision is to build a future where humans live in
harmony with nature. Our mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most
pressing threats to the environment. We work with people and institutions in
the UAE and region, to implement conservation solutions through science, research,
policy, education and awareness. For more information please visit
uae.panda.org
About WWF
WWF's mission is to
stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future
in which humans live in harmony with nature. The Climate and Energy Practice is
WWF’s global programme addressing climate change, promoting renewable and sustainable
energy, scaling up green finance, adaptation, engaging the private sector and
working nationally and internationally on implementing low carbon, climate
resilient development.
For more
information, please visit http://uae.panda.org/
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant        |
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