Husna Ahmad

Husna Ahmad
OBE
হুসনা পারভীন আহমেদ
Ahmad speaking at the launch of the Commonwealth Faith Festival in 2024
Born
Husna Parvin Ahmad

(1964-06-28) 28 June 1964 (age 60)
Dhaka, East Pakistan
NationalityBritish
EducationPhD environmental law
Alma materSchool of Oriental and African Studies
Occupation(s)Humanitarian, writer
Years active2006–present
TitleSecretary-General at World Muslim Leadership Forum
SpouseSaif Uddin Ahmad
Children6
Websiteglobalone.org.uk

Husna Parvin Ahmad, OBE (Bengali: হুসনা পারভীন আহমেদ; born 28 June 1964) is a Pakistan-born British humanitarian and writer. She is the CEO of Global One 2015, a women-led INGO.[1] She is Secretary-General of the World Muslim Leadership Forum.[2] She was the chief executive officer of the Faith Regen Foundation.

Early life

Husna Ahmad was born in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and moved to the United Kingdom at the age of four.[3] She has a PhD in International Environmental Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.[4]

Career

From June 2006 to March 2013, Husna Ahmad was CEO of Faith Regen Foundation. She was a member of Faith Regen Foundation's staff since its inception in October 2001 and has previously held the position of director of operations.[5][6]

Ahmad sat on the advisory board of the East London Mosque.[7][8] She held the role of deputy chief executive of the Forum against Islamophobia and Racism and was a principal officer in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.[9] She previously sat on the Department for Work and Pensions' Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG).[10] She also sat on the Community Development Forum of the London Health Commission. She was the co-chair of the National Council of Faiths and Beliefs in Further Education.[9]

In March 2005, Ahmad was on the judging panel for The Muslim News Awards for Excellence.[11] In 2008, she was a member of a Ministerial Working Group on Child Poverty in London.[5]

In November, 2009, Ahmad was invited to join a UK Muslim Women Delegation to the Grand Mosque in Kuwait.[12] Also in 2009, she was invited by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to join a British Muslims delegation to Iran.[13]

In 2011, Ahmad joined the Centre for the Modern Family, a think tank launched by Scottish Widows to improve the understanding of the challenges facing modern British families.[14] In 2011, she co-authored The Green Guide For Hajj, with EcoMuslim consultant Omar Faruk, the book encourages ecologically sustainable practices among Hajj pilgrims and promotes the role Muslims can play in protecting nature.[15][16][17][18][19] In 2012, she wrote Islam and Water, the story of Hajjar second wife of the Islamic prophet Ibrahim, in particular her search for water, which is commemorated every year in the Hajj. Both books were commissioned by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation.[20]

Between 2012 and 2015, Ahmad was a National Council member for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, a charity saving lives at sea in the UK and Republic of Ireland.[21] From 2012, she also held the position of Islamic Advisor to the Alliance of Religions and Conservation.[22]

From 2015 to 2022 she was a board member for Faith in Water.[23] In 2015, Ahmad also became a board member for the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance.[24]

In 2016, Ahmad became a board member for BOND, a UK network for organisations working in international development.[23] This was a position that she held until 2019.[23] Between 2016 and 2019, Ahmad also acted as an International Advisory Board Member to the Commonwealth initiative on Freedom of Religion or Belief.[25]

In 2019, Ahmad undertook her role as co-chair of the Multi Faith Advisory Council to the UN Taskforce on Religion and Development, a position that she held until 2021.[26] She remains a member of the Multi Faith Advisory Council.

In 2022, Ahmad was invited to join working group 17 of The Rockefeller Foundation and Brookings Institutes’ annual “17 Rooms” global flagship process.[27] She is also a member of the IF20 Environment Working Group.[28][29]

Ahmad continues to hold a number of positions, including Secretary General of the World Muslim Leadership Forum and Board Member MCEC Palmers Green Mosque.[2][30] She is also an Honorary Fellow of the Edward Cadbury Centre at Birmingham University, UK.[23]

Alliance of NGOs and CSOs for South-South Cooperation

Husna Ahmad is Global Coordinator for the Alliance of NGOs and CSOs for South-South Cooperation (ANCSSC). Launched in November 2018, the ANCSSC works in collaboration with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), to enhance civil society's understanding of the value of South-South Cooperation in developmental, humanitarian and related spheres.[31] The ANCSSC encourages the sharing of knowledge, expertise and contextually appropriate technologies and assets among NGOs and CSOs, particularly those that have been developed in their respective organisational and operational experiences in developing countries.[31]

In her capacity as Global Coordinator, Ahmad has convened numerous events. These include a hybrid side-event at the Global South-South Development Expo in Bangkok, Thailand.[32] Held on 14 September 2022, the event was entitled Exploring the nexus between civil society, government, and the private sector in promoting economic inclusion, digitalization, and education.[32]

Under the ANCSSC, Ahmad also held a hybrid parallel event at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HPLF) on Sustainable Development.[33] Convened in collaboration with Act Alliance on 8 July 2022, the event was hosted by Deloitte in New York, USA, under the title Reimagining our world together: Building Global South multi-stakeholder partnerships for an inclusive COVID-19 recovery.[33]

During MENA Climate Week held in the UAE on 31 March 2022, Ahmad convened a side-event, in collaboration with United Cities and Local Governments of Africa at the Dubai Exhibition Centre.[34] The side-event was entitled Local government and civil society working towards an integrated approach to building resilience and inclusion by accelerating adaptation in the MENA region and African countries.[34]

Speaking engagements

Event Title Capacity of attendance Date Location
Roundtable on Charities, Philanthropy and Communities, No. 10 Downing Street[35] Speaker March, 2023 London, UK
Saverah Women Business Awards[36] Judge February, 2023 London, UK
UN COP 15 Biodiversity and Nature Loss[37] Multiple sessions Speaker and moderator December, 2022 Montreal, Canada
Global South-South Development Expo[32] Exploring the nexus between civil society, government, and the private sector in promoting economic inclusion, digitalization, and education, held by the ANCSSC Organiser September, 2022 Bangkok, Thailand
United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HPLF) on Sustainable Development[33] Reimagining our world together: Building Global South multi-stakeholder partnerships for an inclusive COVID-19 recovery parallel event, held by the ANCSSC Organiser and speaker July, 2022 New York, USA
Cambridge Climate and Sustainability Forum[38] Guest June, 2022 Cambridge, UK
Economist Impact event[39] Religious tourism: Encouraging inclusive growth Panelist May, 2022 Chania, Greece
MENA Climate Week[34] Local government and civil society working towards an integrated approach to building resilience and inclusion by accelerating adaptation in the MENA region and African countries side-event, held by the ANCSSC Organiser March, 2022 Dubai, UAE
UN Environment Assembly: Faith for Earth Dialogue[40] Faith, Values & Ethics in Environmental Governance Speaker February, 2022 Nairobi, Kenya
World Innovation Summit for Education[41] Multiple sessions Panelist December, 2021 Doha, Qatar
UNICEF World Day of Prayer & Action for Children[42] Keynote speaker November, 2021 Dubai, UAE
United Nations COP-26[43] Multiple sessions Speaker November, 2021 Glasgow, Scotland
World Bank Annual Meetings[44] Faith Roundtable Panelist October, 2019 Washington D.C., USA
United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HPLF) on Sustainable Development[45] The Annual Kofi Annan Faith Briefings Side event organiser July, 2019 New York, USA
Women Deliver Annual Conference[46] Panelist June, 2019 Vancouver, Canada
Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) Ethics of Environment[47] Keynote speaker March, 2019 Doha, Qatar
UN BAPA+40[48] Side event organiser and speaker March, 2019 Buenos Aires, Argentina

Awards and recognition

In 2004, Husna Ahmad won the Organisation Ethnic award from the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners. The awards are open to black and minority ethnic women who start or run a business.[49]

In April 2010, she received an Ambassador for Peace award from the Universal Peace Federation.[50][51][52] In 2010, she was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours for her services to disadvantaged people for work promoting social justice with disadvantaged communities.[53][54]

Personal life

Husna Ahmad lives in New Southgate, London with her husband, Saif Uddin Ahmad, who is the Chair of McAndrew Leadership, an international development consultancy. She has six children (born between 1983 and 2005).[3][5]

Books

Year Title Publisher
2011 Green Guide to Hajj Global One
2012 Islam and Water Alliance of Religions and Conservation
2012 Islamic Farming Toolkit Global One
2019 Global One 2015, South-South in Action series of UNOSSC Global One
2021 Green Guide to Hajj and Umrah Ummah for Earth

See also

References

  1. ^ "Meet the Team | Global One".
  2. ^ a b "Cambridge Climate and Sustainability Festival".
  3. ^ a b Hayes, Alex (5 June 2010). "Cricklewood's Dr Husna Ahmad given OBE for work with Faith Regen Foundation". The Times. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Senior Management". Faith Regen Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Will, David (18 April 2010). "Dr Husna Ahmad Ambassador for Peace Award". Universal Peace Federation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. ^ "WEBINAR – Politics in Action – Faith Organisations and Regeneration". Meetup. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  7. ^ Will, David (July 2011). "Latest News". Devon Faith & Belief Forum. Retrieved 1 December 2012. Dr. Husna Ahmad OBE
  8. ^ "Women – Welcome to British Bangladeshi Power 100". British Bangladeshi Power 100. January 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  9. ^ a b "fbfe council members". fbfe website. 2012. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2012. Dr Husna Ahmad
  10. ^ "Dr Husna Ahmad, OBE". Centre for the Modern Family. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  11. ^ "MCB The Muslim News holds its fifth prestigious awards ceremony". The Muslim News. 22 March 2005. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  12. ^ "Annual Report 08-09" (PDF). Faith Regen Foundation.
  13. ^ Lord Malloch-Brown (30 June 2008). "Official Visits: Muslim Delegations". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Lords.
  14. ^ "No More 2.4: Britain Wakes up to Modern Family Forms".
  15. ^ Aburawa, Arwa (1 November 2011). "Interview With Green Hajj Expert Dr Husna Ahmed". Green Prophet. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  16. ^ "Green Guide to Hajj and Islam and Water". The Alliance of Religions and Conservation. Retrieved 1 December 2012. Dr Husna Ahmad OBE
  17. ^ "Green Guide to the Hajj launched at Assisi, Italy". Faith Regen Foundation. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  18. ^ "Green Guide to the Hajj launched at Assisi, Italy". The Alliance of Religions and Conservation. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  19. ^ "The World's First Green Hajj Guide Launched By ARC". The Eco Muslim. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  20. ^ "2012 Speaker Profiles". World Muslim Leadership Forum. 2012. Archived from the original on 23 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  21. ^ "Husna Ahmad". LinkedIn.
  22. ^ "Delegate Biographies" (PDF). Alliance of Religions and Conservation.
  23. ^ a b c d "Dr Husna Ahmad".
  24. ^ "Dr Husna Ahmed".
  25. ^ "CIFoRB Advisory board".
  26. ^ "Joint Statement by United Nations Interagency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development (IATF) with the endorsement of the IATF Multi-Faith Advisory Council - World | ReliefWeb". 20 April 2020.
  27. ^ "17 ROOMS: Rejuvenating the Sustainable Development Goals through shared action" (PDF). Rockfeller Foundation.
  28. ^ "A Call for Interfaith Groups to Prioritize Water Crises Dialogue - Part 2". 23 March 2023.
  29. ^ "Husna Ahmad, OBE, PhD on LinkedIn: Environment - Viewpoints".
  30. ^ "Husna Ahmad OBE".
  31. ^ a b "ANCSSC | Global South South".
  32. ^ a b c "We are hosting a side event at #GSSDExpo ..." Twitter.
  33. ^ a b c "Reimagining our world together: Building Global South multi-stakeholder partnerships for an inclusive COVID- 19 recovery - JLI". July 2022.
  34. ^ a b c "MENA Climate Week 2022 - Daily Programme". United Nations Climate Change.
  35. ^ "Husna Ahmad, OBE, PhD on LinkedIn: #10downingstreet #future #civilsociety #globalone2015".
  36. ^ "Judges".
  37. ^ "Faith for Earth Dialogue" (PDF). United Nations Events & Conferences.
  38. ^ "Cambridge Climate and Sustainability Forum 2022". Cambridge Climate Forum.
  39. ^ "Religious Tourism".
  40. ^ https://indico.un.org/event/1000610/attachments/252/915/FAITH FOR EARTH DIALOGUE Info pack.pdf
  41. ^ "Home | Education Above All Foundation".
  42. ^ "GNRC SG leads a Panel Discussion on Prioritizing Children's Social, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-being". 30 November 2021.
  43. ^ "Conference of the Parties" (PDF). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
  44. ^ "World Bank Global Faith Engagement: The Role of Faith in Fragile Contexts".
  45. ^ "The Annual Kofi Annan Faith Briefings" (PDF). Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology.
  46. ^ "Schedule".
  47. ^ "10/19 Dr. Husna Ahmed: Ethical Review of Global Environment Status". YouTube. 26 June 2019.
  48. ^ "Webinar: Health and Socio-Economic Impact of COVID19 – Challenges and Opportunities for NGOs and CSOs in the Global South, 20 October 2020". 12 October 2020.
  49. ^ "Dr Husna Ahmad wins award". Planning Resource. 19 November 2004. Retrieved 1 December 2012. Dr. Husna Ahmad OBE
  50. ^ Buaras, Elham Asaad (30 July 2010). "Twenty five Muslims awarded in the Queen's Birthday Honours". The Muslim News. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  51. ^ "MCB congratulates Muslims named in Queen's Honors List". Arab News. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  52. ^ Marsh, Robin (27 June 2010). "UPF would like to extend our congratulations to Dr Husna Ahmad OBE". Universal Peace Federation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  53. ^ "Birthday Honours: Civil Order Of The British Empire, OBE". The Independent. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  54. ^ "MCB Congratulates British Muslims Named in Queen's Honours List". The Muslim Council of Britain. 12 June 2010. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
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