People behind AEWA - Sharif Jbour

Bonn, 23 November 2015 - Sharif Jbour works for BirdLife International’s Middle East Partnership Secretariat and has been involved with AEWA since 2004 during the implementation of a project on sustainable hunting in the Mediterranean as well as within the framework of the “Wings Over Wetlands” project. Later in 2011, he became one of the Southwestern Asia regional representatives to the AEWA Technical Committee fostering collaboration with AEWA, which Sharif feels has since been further strengthened and a real partnership has developed between the AEWA Secretariat and partners in the region.  

“AEWA has facilitated over the past decade collaboration between countries in the region and beyond. It has addressed vital transboundary environmental issues related to the conservation of globally threatened waterbirds and critical wetlands through the various tools that have been adopted including Single Species Action Plans and the development of the AEWA conservation guidelines,” says Sharif.

Sharif’s best AEWA memory goes back to the spring of 2010 during the implementation review process for the conservation of the Sociable Lapwing in Syria. He was privileged to be part of the review process during the mission to Syria, which was a great success. During the mission meetings took place with governmental agencies, NGOs, conservationists, hunters and local communities in areas where the critically endangered Sociable Lapwing stops during migration and concrete measures were taken to protect it.

“AEWA’s work has been fundamental in the Middle East region in the sense that it has successfully managed to make a difference not only in terms of outputs but also in tackling the root causes of the problems” he added.

Last updated on 25 November 2015