Regional Vice Chair, West Asia
Mahnaz Kadhemi is a member of the Environmental Citizenship Program, one of Bahrain Women Association for Human Development’s programs. She joined IUCN in 2002. Professionally, she has held positions as the Personal Assistant for Top Executives in an Arbitration Centre and in different Offshore Banks, for the past 38 years. She studied at Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada and she is fluent in Arabic, English and Persian. She strongly believes that every human should live a life of purpose and serve to make this world a better place. She has come to realise her immense passion for ecology throughout her 38 years of being immersed in jobs that feel distant from connection with our Mother Earth. She realizes that influencing change in the way that people perceive nature and the ecosystem as a whole is a tedious process that requires addressing obstacles and challenges. With this in mind, she began her self-learning journey in everything relating to the ecosystem, engaging in intensive volunteer work--despite her job as a full-time employee and a mother--working within environmental project teams that won international awards and drawing strategies that address environmental issues on the local level, hand in hand with stakeholders and activists. She made it her life mission to change the way that people perceive and interact with the natural world--inspiring the circle of people around her and conveying the need to change behaviors and practices toward the planet until we fulfil everyone’s dream: a world where all creatures live in peace and harmony.

Deputy Regional Vice Chair, West Asia
Environmental engineer with 7- year experience in the field. Samar holds a master's degree in water and environmental science specializing in remote sensing. Climate change activist volunteering with Arab youth Climate Movement (AYCM)-Palestine to address the climate crises. Strong believer of the importance of conserving our Mother Nature and sustaining its ecological resources for the coming generations.