Council Members

United Arab Emirates

Butti Almheiri works as an analyst at the office of strategic affairs in Abu Dhabi. He holds a masters degree in Climate change, management & finance from Imperial College London, achieving distinction in his thesis: "The Contribution of Carbon Pricing to Decarbonise Future Economies". Butti has worked on a consultancy project for Climax Community to develop a marketing and branding strategy for climate change awareness and action among SMEs in the UK. The Emirati national was part of the Emirati delegation to COP26 in Glasgow, participated in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) formal meetings, and gave tours within the UAE pavilion around the UAE Climate action Timeline. He also was chosen by the Federal Youth Authority as a member of the first formation of the Global Youth Council in the UK. Butti completed internships at the Office of Strategic Affairs in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Office, and the Federal National Council.

Egypt

Ahmed Sabaaellail is a climate and environmental activist and director of Al-manakh website. The Egyptian national holds multiple grants and fellowships pertaining to the environment in the MENA region.

Ahmed participated in numerous programs, such as COP, UNESCO, and UNDP, with the aim to fight climate change. He launched the Green Parliament project that seeks to improve air quality in Egypt. Ahmed shares his media experience with young journalists, and continues to write and investigate on environmental and climate-related matters.

He completed a knowledge management course from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.

Egypt

Ahmed Fathy is the founder and CEO of YLE Foundation, who took the organization from local to international. He is an observer at UNEP, partner of the UNEP‐MAP Barcelona Convention, national coordinator for PACJA in Egypt, national focal point for World Cleanup Day, and a member of the GEF CEO Network.

The Egyptian national participated in COP25 in Madrid, all African Ministerial Conferences on the Environment (AMCEN) since 2015, all Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Conferences on Environment and Climate Action since 2017, and all CCDA Conferences since 2017.

Saudi Arabia

Hanan Alnuwaiser is currently the Senior Analyst of Environment & Sustainability at the Public Investment Fund for the Local Real Estate Investments Portfolio. She has previously worked as a Sustainability Manager at Al-Dabbagh Group Holding Company where she set a ""Nature Positive"" strategy for nine diverse Portfolio Businesses. Hanan represents Saudi Arabia in her position at the Arab Youth Council for Climate Change and is assuming the role of the Impact Officer of WEF's Global Shapers Jeddah Hub. Her educational background constitutes a Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Sciences and a Master's in Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine from Cardiff University, UK. In addition, she obtained an Executive Education in Corporate Sustainability Management from Yale University and is certified in ESG reporting.  

Her mission remains the same as she continues to build bridges between various disciplines, sectors, and borders to navigate environmental challenges, such as climate change, through pragmatism and science-based evidence.

Morocco

Hatim Aznague is a climate justice advocate and president of the Sustainable Development's Youth organization, an NGO in Morocco that aims to promote the concepts of sustainable development to young people. And he's currently pursuing his graduate studies in International Studies and Diplomacy.

Aznague has been active with the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP, working to ensure that younger voices are heard. At a young age, he was selected for the children’s parliament in Morocco, a body for dialogue and consultation among children, where worked on a strategy to improve the mental health of Moroccan children. Years later, he was nominated as a Commissioner in the United Nations High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit (also known as the International Conference on Population and Development+25) that follows-up and reports progress related to the resolutions of the summit and he continues to work to ensure promises made at the Nairobi Summit are kept even as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to turn back the clock for women’s health and rights. He also led a focus group for ICPD+25 responsible on the issue of maternal mortality. Furthermore, he successfully represents UN MGCY's coordination and substantive engagement in the lead to and follow-up of the CSW as well as topics related to SDG5.

In 2018, he won the United Nations SDGs Award in the mobilizer category. Chosen as a Moroccan delegate of the Youth4Climate initiative convened by the Government of Italy that aims to amplify the work of young climate leaders and celebrate the power of the young generation to drive ambitious climate action. In 2022, he was selected to the Arab Youth Climate Change Council as a council member in Dubai, Aznague holds several training and appreciation certificates in the field of human rights and sustainable development and offers experience in youth empowerment decision- making and advocacy. He is highly committed to building a more just, peaceful, and inclusive world.

Lebanon

Maissam El Kouche is the Sustainability Manager at Majid Al Futtaim-Holding. In her current role, Maissam is responsible for implementing the company-wide sustainability strategy of Majid Al Futtaim. Maissam brings over six years of experience in corporate sustainability and one of her top priorities is to enhance and drive the social sustainability & ESG agenda and sustainability-related reporting and communications across the company’s different business units.

Maissam joined Majid Al Futtaim – Properties in 2015 as a temporary admin assistant for the Government Relations – Human Capital department then joined as the sustainability administrator in 2016 where she was responsible for the day-to-day support to the Head of Sustainability and the delivery of Majid Al Futtaim Group’s sustainability strategy as well as management of sustainability governance. In 2017, Maissam was promoted to join the Majid Al Futtaim – Holding as an administrator, providing support to the Chief Sustainability Officer and reporting on progress against the company-wide sustainability strategy. In 2018, Maissam was promoted as the sustainability associate, leading on all sustainability communications, including the annual sustainability report and engaging with internal and external stakeholders across Majid Al Futtaim – Holding and its subsidiaries to ensure the delivery of the sustainability strategy. Maissam has been recognised as a Top Talent across the company for three years in a row due to her continued drive to live Majid Al Futtaim’s leadership model to drive sustainable business growth. In 2021, Maissam was promoted to sustainability manager, managing the implementation of the group sustainability strategy and associated policies through the network of sustainability leads and champions in each Operating Company as well as acting as the sustainability internship advisor for the Group, the interns’ extended line manager and advisor. Maissam sits on the UAE Arab Youth Council for Climate Change,  an initiative by the Arab Youth Center in cooperation with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the Office of the UAE’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, and private sector partners under the umbrella of the Arab League. Maissam was appointed as an advisory board member for the American University of Sharjah’s Environmental Sciences Program and acts as the focal point of the Global Council on SDG13 on climate action.

United Arab Emirates

"Sara AlAmeri is an Emirati diplomat, who has worked on multiple assignments, including supervisory roles, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Her latest project involves assisting the UAE in its efforts to host COP28. Sara is Also a Member of the Arab Youth Council for Climate Change.

Previously, Sara spent a year in a company dealing with aerial, hydrographic, and land surveying, and completed four months of practical training at Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company.

Sara graduated from the United Arab Emirates University with honours, majoring in GIS and Remote Sensing and a minor in Leadership and Communication. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma from Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, and currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Sustainability at Harvard University. Sara also runs her own private business and considered as an entrepreneur.

United Arab Emirates

Sultan Al Harthi works at Abu Dhabi City Municipality as the Head of Sustainable Buildings Section.He has over 10 years of experiance and he is the first emirati green building Assessor. He is in charge of applying the Estidama Pearl Rating System in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which aims to apply the sustainability/Green Buildings  standards to any new development through it is life cycle from Design to Construction stage until the project is handed over to the client with the aim of protecting the environment and reducing energy and water consumption. Sultan is also working with different stackholders to engage youth from schools and universities through applying Sustainablity in their behaviours, daily routin and Educational projects.

Sultan holds a higher diploma in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from the Higher Colleges of Technology.

Egypt

Sherif Elrefaey is a graduate student at the School of International Studies at Peking University in China, Country Coordinator of UNFCCC – COY16 in Glasgow, and a specialist in international climate diplomacy.

The Egyptian national is a member of UNEP MGCY and the founder of Greenation organization. He represented UNEP MGCY at the UNEP Medium- Term Strategy discovery session with MGCY and the Committee of Permanent Representatives. Sherif was also the contact point on the Global Youth Consultation Survey for the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy 20222025- and Egypt’s representative at the consultation session with young climate actors in the Arab region, organized by UNESCO Beirut.

Jordan

Mustafa Hashem is an energy researcher, engineer, and Future Energy Leader (FEL-100) at the World Energy Council with a record of working in the international development and energy industries. He is currently acting as a Technical Advisor to the Jordanian-German Energy Partnership and e-Governance Project in Jordan at the GIZ. The Jordanian national is an activist and leader in the Young Mediterranean Voices network, and an alumnus of the Arab Foundation for Sustainable Development (Ruwwad Al-Tanmeya). His research and professional interests lie in the fields of energy and electricity systems, energy-economic modeling, energy policy analysis, and climate change abatement.

Mustafa completed his MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh, UK, as a Chevening and Saïd Foundation joint scholar, and holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Jordan.

Bahrain

Reem AlMuraikhi received her bachelor’s degree in German and English for Business and Communications from the German Jordanian University. She started her career in the Bahrain Science Center for SDGs as a Youth Activities Specialist, where she created, managed, and executed several educational events, programs, and projects that focused on educating youth on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She also helped design one of the largest projects in the Bahrain Science Center for SDGs which focuses on studying and designing an ecosystem that enables social entrepreneurship to thrive in Bahrain. Reem is currently utilizing her role as a teacher to continue educating youth and empowering them to contribute towards the achievement of Sustainable Development. She has also had multiple opportunities to share a space with international, like-minded youth, where powerful and meaningful conversations continue to inspire and drive her to become a positive change catalyst and leader for social and environmental justice.

Oman

Omani scientist, activist, and athlete Rumaitha Al Busaidi empowers Arab women to step into spaces previously denied to them — whether it’s a football field, volcano summit, or the frontline battle against climate change. This year, she debuted her TED talk that highlights the role of women as key to our climate future, garnering over a million views worldwide.

Rumaitha has worked with the Omani government on implementing diversification strategies, serves on the board of Environment Society of Oman, and advised the Biden administration on developing a climate resilience standard for US foreign aid with a focus on empowering women as a form of climate change mitigation.