The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), the global leader in pre-emptive species conservation, signed a strategic five-year partnership with Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination (ZHOPD) at ADIHEX 2019 to inspire people of determination to become conservation leaders.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two entities was signed by Mohammad Saleh Hassan Al Baidani, Director General, IFHC, and His Excellency Abdullah Al Humaidan, Secretary General of ZHO, in the presence of students from the ZHOPD.
Under the terms of the five-year partnership, IFHC will implement its ‘Conservation Education: The Houbara Model’ education programme across ZHO’s 18 centres in Abu Dhabi, which provide a range of services and humanitarian care for approximately 1,700 people of determination.
IFHC will also support the vocational rehabilitation workshops at ZHOPD. Students from ZHOPD have already crafted 1,000 Bee bags under the initiative. The bags are branded with IFHC and the Bee logos.“We have been working closely with ZHO for some time and the signing of this partnership marks a significant milestone in our relationship and our conservation education efforts. Rolling out the IFHC cross-curricular conservation education programme in ZHO centres represents a great opportunity to engage with new audiences on the importance of the Houbara in the ecosystem and the need to conserve the species and its habitat,” said Mohammad Saleh Hassan Al Baidani, Director General, IFHC. “We thank ZHO for showing the initiative and interest to share our message and empower its students to become leaders in conservation. We look forward to a fruitful relationship.”
H.E. Abdullah Al Humaidan, Secretary General, ZHOPD, commented: “We welcome this joint agreement with IFHC, the result of the continuous efforts between us. We are very proud to be part of enhancing cultural and heritage programmes among various community segments including people of determination. We are also introducing braille programmes and are also translating them where applicable into sign language, which will represent a real opportunity to engage all students and raise awareness about the Houbara bustard. These efforts will allow them to recognise the importance of Houbara, their habitats and sites and their importance to the heritage of the UAE.”
Following the signing of the MoU, a Steering Committee, comprising two members from each entity, will now be established to explore further collaboration.
