Razan Al Mubarak becomes first woman from the Arab world to head IUCN

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak performing a laparoscopy on a Green turtle before release. Image: As originally published by Mongabay.

Staff Reporter, Mongabay | September 8, 2021

Razan Al Mubarak, the Managing Director of both the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, was today elected President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one of the world’s largest and best-known conservation institutions.

Ms. Al Mubarak is the first woman from the Arab world to head IUCN and only the second woman to run lead the 73-year-old conservation organization. She will succeed Zhang Zinsheng.

Ms. Al Mubarak said she was “honored” to be selected for the presidency.

“I am truly honored to have been elected as the 15th President of the IUCN, especially in this critical moment when we need to elevate nature conservation to the forefront of the global sustainability agenda,” she said in a statement. “I am grateful to the UAE leadership and its institutions for their support, trust, confidence, and their belief not only in me but in the importance of elevating the issue of nature conservation globally.

“I am truly honored to pay homage to a conservation journey commenced by our forefathers and foremothers, led by our Founder, the late Sheikh Zayed and institutionalized by so many organizations in the UAE which have continued to nurture and embrace this rich legacy of nature and its conservation.”

Ms. Al Mubarak got her start in conservation in 2001 when she helped start Emirates Nature, an NGO affiliated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). She went on to build and run the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZ Fund), which has distributed to more than 2,250 conservation projects in over 180 countries since 2008, and served as the youngest Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), a government agency.

In an interview published by Mongabay last week ahead of today’s election, Ms. Al Mubarak said she has four priorities if elected to the IUCN’s presidency: doubling down on IUCN’s strengths, enhancing collaboration between different stakeholders to make conservation more relevant to more people, consistency and good governance, and communication. She said inclusivity is critical for conservation efforts to be successful.

“The only way to solve a multidimensional problem like biodiversity loss is to ensure that all stakeholders have a seat at the table – women, young people, and people from all geographies,” Ms. Al Mubarak told Mongabay. “For example, indigenous peoples make up five percent of the world’s population and they are protecting over 80 percent of Earth’s biodiversity. Their experience with resilience and how to live in balance with nature provide the world with invaluable insights on how to conserve biodiversity while adapting to climate change.”

Ms. Al Mubarak was elected during IUCN’s World Conservation Congress, which started last week and runs through Saturday. This year’s congress is taking place in Marseille, France and is being held as a hybrid in-person and virtual event.

IUCN members also elected 28 Regional Councillors for the Africa, Meso and South America, North America and the Caribbean, South and East Asia, West Asia, Oceania, East Europe, North and Central Asia and West Europe regions.

IUCN is a membership organization composed of 1,400 government bodies and NGOs. The group is perhaps best known for its Red List of Threatened Species, which helps set conservation priorities worldwide.

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