The headquarters of the Ministry of Environment, “Beit Al-Qahira” in Fustat, witnessed the launch of the Egyptian National Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). During its inaugural meeting, the committee established its internal regulations and governance system in line with IUCN’s international guidelines.

In the presence of the six committee members, Dr. Ali Abu Senna, CEO of the Environmental Affairs Agency, was elected Chairman of the Committee, and Dr. Emad Adly, Chairman of the Arab Office for Youth and Environment, was elected Vice Chairman. Additionally, Ghada Ahmedine, Program Director at the Arab Network for Environment and Development, was appointed Secretary of the Committee.

The Egyptian National Committee of the IUCN is one of the national committees of IUCN members. It plays a vital role in facilitating cooperation among members, coordinating between national and international members of the Union, and engaging national members in the implementation of IUCN programs. The committee also enables its members to contribute to the development and evaluation of IUCN’s strategies and programs, and to participate in preparations for global nature conservation conferences. It is a non-profit entity.

According to its regulations, the chairman is responsible for communication between the National Committee and the Director General of the IUCN, or with a designated IUCN Secretariat official assigned by the Director General to communicate with the committee. The chairman will relay the Director General’s messages to the National Committee members in accordance with IUCN guidelines.

Dr. Adly explained that the IUCN allows the National Committee to invite government agencies and non-member civil society organizations to attend its meetings and contribute to discussions, although these guests do not have voting rights or permission to use the IUCN name or logo, which are reserved for members only. He added that the establishment of the Egyptian National Committee follows the IUCN’s statute, granting it autonomy and full independence. The IUCN is not responsible for the financial or legal obligations undertaken by the National Committee, which can form and elect an executive committee to manage its affairs.

Three members were elected to the Executive Office: Dr. Khaled Al-Noubi from the Egyptian Society for Nature Conservation, Dr. Amr Abdel Meguid from CEDARE, and Mr. Thabet Amin Awad from the Environmental Writers and Development Association.

The IUCN regulations assign the Committee Secretary the task of recording written minutes of all committee meetings and preparing an annual report on the committee’s activities.

The committee aims to expand its activities and increase the number of IUCN members in Egypt to 10 within the next few months, in addition to enhancing coordination with national, regional, and international committees. The committee decided to hold regular meetings every four months, with the next meeting scheduled for February 2025.