BirdLife International has announced the election of Assad Serhal of Lebanon, Director General of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL), and Fadi Naim Naser of Jordan, Director General of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), as the Middle East’s regional representatives on BirdLife International’s Global Council for the next four years.
The results were announced during BirdLife International’s Global Partnership Meeting in Nairobi, where representatives of the BirdLife family gathered from around the world to shape the Partnership’s governance and future conservation priorities.
Serhal and Naser will represent BirdLife Partners across the Middle East, carrying the region’s conservation priorities, experience and challenges into the Partnership’s highest governance body. Their election recognizes their longstanding leadership in biodiversity conservation, institutional development, community engagement and the protection of migratory birds and their habitats.
Assad Serhal has played a leading role in advancing community-based conservation in Lebanon and reviving the traditional Hima approach as a contemporary model for the sustainable and equitable management of natural resources. Under his leadership, SPNL has expanded the national Hima network, empowered local communities and strengthened Lebanon’s contribution to regional and global conservation efforts.
Fadi Naim Naser leads RSCN, one of the Middle East’s foremost conservation organizations, bringing extensive experience in biodiversity conservation, protected-area management, ecotourism and community-based sustainable development in Jordan.
The newly elected Global Council brings together regional representatives from across the BirdLife Partnership:
- Africa: Dr Tiwonge Mzumara-Gawa of Malawi, Dr Sheku Kamara of Sierra Leone and Dr Hanneline Smit-Robinson of South Africa.
- The Americas: Yenifer Diaz of Panama, Rodrigo Soria of Bolivia and Rosa Maria Vidal of Mexico.
- Asia: Dian Agista of Indonesia and Ishana Thapa of Nepal.
- Europe and Central Asia: Alejandro Quecedo of Spain, Kjetil Solbakken of Norway and Lieven De Schamphelaere of Belgium.
- Middle East: Assad Serhal of Lebanon and Fadi Naim Naser of Jordan.
- Pacific: Kate Millar of Australia and Nunia Thomas of Fiji.
The Council will be chaired by Dr Mike Rands, with Cristi Nozawa serving as Deputy Chair and Martin Birch as Treasurer. The co-opted members include Christie Constantine, Beccy Speight, John Gregory and Mahima Sukhdev.
SPNL warmly congratulates Assad Serhal, Fadi Naim Naser and all newly elected representatives and office holders. Their collective leadership comes at a decisive moment for nature, as biodiversity loss, climate change, habitat degradation and threats to migratory birds increasingly transcend national and regional boundaries.
Strong Middle Eastern representation on the Global Council will help ensure that the region’s unique biodiversity, vital migratory flyways and successful community-led conservation experiences remain firmly reflected in BirdLife International’s strategies, decisions and global action.
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