President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (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 realize 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 served as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of COP28 Presidency.
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.
Secretary General, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi
Her Excellency 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.
Director, Conservation & Policy at the Zoological Society of London
Dr Andrew Terry leads the Conservation and Policy Directorate at ZSL through the implementation of a new conservation plan across major ecosystem programmes in Europe, Africa, and Asia. He supports the development of the organisation's conservation strategy and lead the delivery of that strategy across their international field programmes in Benin, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, and India.
Andrew is also deeply committed to changing how conservation is delivered with the goal of seeking out new and and innovative approaches that engage future leaders for conservation who have traditionally not been included in the process.