IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak convenes 109th Council Meeting

IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak convenes 109th Council Meeting

ABU DHABI, 24th May, 2023 (WAM) -- Razan Al Mubarak is presiding over the 109th Council Meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which began yesterday and will run until 25th May.

Al Mubarak, who has been at the forefront of important local and international environmental initiatives for years, was elected to a four-year term as President of IUCN in September 2021. She is the second woman to lead the prestigious conservation organisation and the first one from the Arab world.

One of the key issues on the agenda in Gland, Switzerland, this week is incorporating nature and biodiversity conservation into the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) process. COP28 will take place at Expo City Dubai from 30th November to 12th December, 2023.

“It is already a fact that species are going extinct as a direct result of climate change,” said Al Mubarak, who also serves as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of COP28 UAE.

“Rising levels of greenhouse gasses and the corresponding temperature rise and other adverse effects are putting additional pressure on thousands of species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,” she said. “At the same time, natural ecosystems provide key services