Heartiest CONGRATULATIONS to Prof Amran Hamzah who has been elected as an IUCN Regional Councilor during The World Conservation Congress that was held in Hawaii from 1 to 10 September. There were more than 10,000 registered participants at the congress that ended with elections by about 1,300 members representing government agencies and non-governmental organisations to elect the President, Treasurer, 6 Commission Chairs and 28 Regional Councilors (5 from Asia).
Nominations for the various positions started around nine months ago involving a rigorous process and Prof Amran, the outgoing Co-Chair of the Theme on Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, Equity and Protected Areas (TILCEPA), was the only candidate from Southeast Asia. Prof. Amran is now one of the 28 Regional Councilors elected for the 4-year term from 2016 to 2020 and the first Malaysian to be elected. With his election, Prof. Amran will become a member of the IUCN Council, which is the principal governing body of IUCN responsible for setting the strategic direction and policy guidance for the work of the Union and provide oversight and guidance on the performance of IUCN.
IUCN stands for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and it is the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. It has more than 1300 Member organisations worldwide and the input of around 16,000 experts. IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
When contacted, Prof. Amran said that “I have held several positions in IUCN for the past 6 years at the regional and Commission levels and I am honoured to be given the mandate and trust during this Congress as a Regional Councilor. I would like to thank those who voted me in, which came not only from Asia but also from the other regions of the world. I believe that my proven track record and good networking with IUCN members across the world had helped me in getting elected and I am in good company given that the former Ambassador to Malaysia, Masahiko Horie, has also been re-elected. Alhamdulillah but I am also very well aware that this prestigious position comes with a huge responsibility.
This 26th Congress also brought extra joy to me because I became a grandfather for the first time two days before being elected as a Regional Councilor”. Prof Amran ended by indicating he was ready for the challenge and would certainly do his best to represent Asia, Malaysia and UTM. Learn more about IUCN at https://www.iucn.org/.