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ACFID National Conference 2023
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Dr Azzam Alwash

Founder and CEO - Nature Iraq

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Professional Bio

Dr. Azzam Alwash was born in Kut, Iraq in 1958 and left for the United States in 1978 to complete his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at the University of Southern California.  Dr Alwash founded ‘Eden Again’, a program spotlighting the drying of the marshes of southern Iraq, under the auspices of the Free Iraq Foundation, where he is a member of the board of directors.  After the removal of Saddam Hussein, Dr Alwash returned to war-torn Iraq to lead local communities in restoring the once-lush Mesopotamian marshlands in southern Iraq, known by many as the birthplace of civilization, that were turned to dust bowls during Saddam Hussein’s rule. 

Dr Alwash subsequently founded Nature Iraq, an Iraqi NGO focusing on the preservation of the environment of Iraq and its cultural heritage.  His efforts earned him the Takreem Award in 2011 and The Goldman Environmental Prize for the 2013 as well as being designated one of the 100 forward thinking leaders of the world by the Foreign Policy Group in 2013. The Mesopotamian marshlands were declared Iraq’s first national park that same year.

In 2006, and in recognition of the need of Iraq to improve its undergraduate education, he became a founding member of the board of trustees of the American University of Iraq – Sulaimani.  The mission of the university is to be the builder of the future leadership of Iraq and the region using the liberal arts model. 

Dr. Alwash is currently the personal advisor of President Barham Salih on climate change issues, participating officially in COP 26 and supporting preparation for COP 27.  He continues to work tirelessly on environmental issues, suggesting that water can be an instrument of peace rather than the source of tension in the future Middle East. 

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