ICBA welcomes new board of directors

In line with a resolution issued by H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, a new board of directors has been appointed at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) with immediate effect.

H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri congratulated the new board members on their appointment and thanked the outgoing board members for their contribution and guidance provided to ICBA during their tenure.

The eleven-strong board will serve a three-year term and comprises renowned leaders, scientists and experts from governmental and non-governmental agencies, donor institutions, as well as research and development organizations from Australia, Brazil, China, Finland, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Togo, the UAE, and the USA.

The board will be chaired by H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director of the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak said: “I am honored to have been appointed to chair ICBA’s new board of directors. EAD and ICBA have a long history of strategic partnerships and for nearly two decades have collaborated on a number of major projects in the UAE. These include a comprehensive soil survey for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and more recently the mapping and classification of the soils in the UAE according to the World Reference Base. As ICBA is a unique center not only in the region, but also globally, I am looking forward to working with the incoming board members to support its noble mission.”

For her part, Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Acting Director General of ICBA, said: “On behalf of ICBA, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all our outgoing board members. They provided a new direction to ICBA’s mission and strategy and played a central role in the continued success of the center. We are also delighted to welcome our new board members. We are convinced that ICBA will continue to build on its history of achievement and progress under the leadership and guidance of the incoming board members. We look forward to continuing ICBA’s growth as a global center of excellence for research and innovation and a trusted partner in providing solutions for better food, nutrition and income security of farming communities in different parts of the world.”

The board members also include Eng. Mohammad Jamal Alsaati, Special Advisor to the President, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Saudi Arabia; Ms. Aysha Al Suwaidi, Project Manager, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the UAE; Mr. Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO, Plug and Play, the USA; Dr. Khaled Amiri, Director, Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the UAE; Mr. Scott Hansen, Director General, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia; Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Togo; Mr. Celso Moretti, President, Embrapa, Brazil; Dr. Emilia Nordlund, Team Leader, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Finland; Dr. Ren Wang, Director General, China National GeneBank, and Member, Board of Directors, BGI Group, China; and Dato’ Dr. Mohamad Zabawi bin Abdul Ghani, Director General, Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysia.

Established in 1999, ICBA is a global center of excellence focused on developing tailor-made solutions for marginal environments - the areas of the world which face the problems of salinity, water scarcity and drought, among other things. ICBA has partners in more than 50 countries, enabling it to leverage a vast and diverse pool of expertise to achieve a greater impact on the ground.

Over the years, the center has carried out research-for-development activities and programs in some 40 countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, the South Caucasus, and sub-Saharan Africa.