Pakistani academic appointed president of WWF-International

Globally renowned Pakistani academic and policy expert Dr Adil Najam was named the new president of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International and replaced outgoing interim president Neville Isdell.

Director General of WWF-Pakistan Hammad Naqi Khan said, “Adil Najam is an outstanding individual to take on the role of President of WWF’s International Board. It is an extremely proud moment for Pakistan that Dr Adil is now spearheading the largest environmental conservation organisation in the world. Over the years he has been a true friend of WWF-Pakistan and I am confident that he will provide the right leadership required in these challenging times.”

While accepting his new role and responsibilities, Najam commented, “I am greatly humbled to be invited to become the next President of WWF at a time when its long-standing mission of working to heal and sustain the natural world and its life-supporting systems has become more urgent than ever.

I am deeply honoured to be able to work again with dedicated ‘pandas’ all across the world – members, partners, experts, and colleagues – whose dedication and commitment to creating a just, fair and sustainable planet for all its people and nature has always been a source of great inspiration for me.”

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Dr Najam served as the vice chancellor for the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and undertook several roles as a celebrated public scholar whose teaching, research and public engagement focus on issues of global public policy, especially those related to conservation and environment, sustainable and human development, and climate change in the Global South.

He is also the founding editor of the award-winning blog Pakistaniat.com.

Najam is also the dean emeritus of the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and teaches as a professor of international relations, earth and environment. He has also taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, at Tufts University.

His accolades also include being the lead author for the third and fourth assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and writing over 100 scholarly papers and book chapters.

He is a former trustee of the International Board of WWF International (2011-2019) and has frequently served as an advisor to international organisations, NGOs, and governments across the world.

In 2010, he was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence), one of Pakistan’s highest civil awards by the president of Pakistan.

Dr Najam begins his new role as President on July 01, 2023