Dubai, January 24, 2017:  Rahaf Al Saif, the lone Middle East representative at the inaugural Youth Forum for People and Wildlife, organized by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), in collaboration with the Disney Conservation Fund, in South Africa, has been inducted as a committee member of the newly formed Youth for Wildlife Conservation (Y4WC), a worldwide network of early-career conservationists, aiming to be pioneers, innovators, and instigators of positive change in the conservation arena.

A graduate of Environmental Health Management from Canadian University Dubai (CUD), Rahaf is part of a team of young people driving forward the international campaign for wildlife conservation as part of a newly formed global youth organization. Rahaf has been taking a leading role in developing the network’s communications strategy.

Rahaf’s appointment to the Y4WC committee follows her participation in the Youth Forum for People and Wildlife, where she joined 34 delegates from 25 counties to discuss some of the world’s most challenging wildlife issues.

Rahaf says: “The inspirational experience of the inaugural Youth Forum for People and Wildlife became a catalyst for the formation of Y4WC. Our mission is to support early-career wildlife conservationists with innovative ideas, empowering them to become facilitators of change in their local communities.”  

The Youth Forum took place on the sidelines of the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which went on to adopt the first ever resolution on youth, calling for engagement and empowerment of young people in conservation issues. 

The resolution also welcomed the Youth Forum for People and Wildlife and South Africa’s Youth and Conservation Programme to engage young people, and to serve as examples of ways to integrate youth in wildlife conservation. Building on the resolution, the UN World Wildlife Day for 2017 will be held under the theme, ‘Listen to the young voices’.

Rahaf has spent several years campaigning on wildlife issues, including work with IFAW in Dubai. Her experience in South Africa was an opportunity to take her campaign overseas, learn more about the movement from likeminded people, and meet key actors in the field, including the UAE delegate, Eng. Mariam Mohammed Saeed Hareb, Assistant Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water.

Rahaf revealed, “It was a privilege to hear from and speak openly to experts, who taught me more about my field of work – wildlife trade – which I have followed closely in the Gulf region. I came to realize the shocking scale and devastation of wildlife trade throughout the world; it is a complex issue that is having a huge impact on wildlife populations. 

“Nevertheless, meeting people who shared my passion and goals made me realize that there’s still hope for wildlife and the environment. By investing in other young change makers, Y4WC and its supporters will help them to find innovative solutions to the conservation challenges in their own regions.”