Ashok Khosla, chairman, Development Alternatives, India - was announced as the new president of International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Members of IUCN are celebrating the announcement of their new president, Ashok Khosla at the world’s oldest and largest environmental network, held at its World Conservation Congress in Barcelona.

Ashok Khosla will take over the position from outgoing President Valli Moosa, who took up the post four years ago at IUCN’s previous World Conservation Congress in Bangkok, Thailand. IUCN is a democratic union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and some 10,000 volunteer scientists in more than 150 countries.

“Given its critical role in maintaining life - and the systems that support life - conservation of biodiversity now needs at least the same level of attention that other global environmental issues have garnered,” says IUCN’s new President, Ashok Khosla. “This will have to be mobilized not only by international agencies and governments but also by the scientific community, civil society and the public at large,” adds Khosla. “We must form new partnerships among the best institutions to bring together their different insights and to generate meaningful solutions that deal effectively with the inter-related issues of population, natural resources, environment and development.”

Ashok Khosla is Chairman of Delhi-based Development Alternatives, a social enterprise devoted to promoting commercially-viable, environmentally-friendly technologies for rural communities in the global South. He was earlier a director in the United Nations Environment Programme.

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice.

For more information about Ashok Khosla and Development Alternatives enter here.
For more information about the IUCN enter here.