Adil Najam

Adil Najam (Urdu: عادل نجم) is a Pakistani academic who also serves as the global President of WWF, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (starting July 2023),^[1] and is Dean Emerıtus and Professor of International Relations and Earth and Environment at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He was the founding Dean of the Pardee School from its creation in 2014 until 2022, when he was awarded the status of Dean Emeritus by Boston University. Previously he had served as vice-chancellor of the LUMS ın Lahore, Pakıstan.^[2]

Adil Najam
عادل نجم
Born	Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
Alma mater	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), U.S.
Scientific career
Fields	International relations, conflict resolution, and environment and development policy
Institutions	Boston University Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Tufts University Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Life

Since 2023, Dr. Adil Najam serves as the global President of WWF International.^[3] In 2022, Adil Najam stepped down after eight years as the founding Dean of the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. In recognition of his services the University conferred on his the status of Dean Emeritus and also established the "Adil Najam Prize and Fellowship for Advancing the Public Understanding of Global Affairs".^[4]

In 2011, Najam returned to Pakistan to head the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) as its third vice-chancellor. During his tenure at LUMS, he oversaw the launch of a major student financial aid program and brought in major philanthropic gifts to enable an expansion of the university.^[5][6] However, he faced criticism for not intervening over the controversial termination of Pervez Hoodbhoy by the university's School of Science and Engineering.^[7] Najam left LUMS in June 2013,^[8] and returned to Boston University. A year later he was appointed the inaugural dean of Pardee School.^{[9][10][11][12]}

In 2008 the President of Pakistan conferred on him the award of the Sitara-i-Imtiaz,^[13] and in 2023 he was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.^[14] In February 2009, he was appointed to the Committee for Development Policy by the United Nations Secretary General.^[15][16] He is a senior fellow of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. He has also served as the Chair of the Boards of the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE), of LEAD-Pakistan, and of the Luc Hoffmann Institute.^[17][18][19] He also serves as a Trustee on the International Board of the World Wide Fund for Nature and on the Board of The Asia Foundation.^[20][21] Adil Najam was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the Information Technology University (ITU) in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2017, for his contributions in science, climate change, and sustainable development.^[22]

Publications

Scholarly work

Adil Najam promotes the idea of living in the "Age of Adaptation" and conceptualizing water as being as important to climate adaptation as carbon was to mitigation.^[23]

He was the lead author for the 2018 Pakistan National Human Development Report,^[24] which focused on the topic of youth and included a first comprehensive district-by-district ranking in a national Human Development Index for Pakistan. The report and the district HDI index became a matter of much election campaign discussion during the 2018 Pakistani general election.^[25]

Bibliography

His books include How Immigrants Impact their Homelands (co-editor, 2013), "The Future of South-South Economic Relations" (co-editor, 2012), "Envisioning a Sustainable Development Agenda for Trade and Environment" (co-editor, 2007), "Portrait of a Giving Community" (2007), "Environment, Development and Human Security" (editor, 2003), and "Civic Entrepreneurship" (co-author, 2002).^[26]

Najam served as a lead author for the third and fourth assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions to advancing the understanding of global climate change.^[27]

Media

Early in his career Najam worked as a journalist (sports reporter and columnist) for various newspapers and magazines in Pakistan. He has contributed to newspapers in Pakistan and in the international press.^{[28][29][30][31][32]} In 2007 Najam launched the blog "All Things Pakistan (Pakistaniat)" which won the Brass Crescent Award for the best South Asian blog in 2010 and was judged the best current affairs blog by the Pakistan Blog Awards 2010.^[33]

Awards and recognition

Year	Title	Result	Presented by	Ref.
2023	Crescent of Excellence	Won	President of Pakistan	^[34]
2008	Star of Excellence	Won	President of Pakistan	^[35]
1997	Goodwin Medal	Won	MIT	^[36]

References

1. "Dr Adil Najam appointed new President of WWF International". WWF site. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
2. "Profile Adil Najam". Boston University site. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
3. "Dr Adil Najam appointed new President of WWF International". WWF site. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
4. Boston University (2 May 2022). ""Adil Najam Prize" Established to Encourage Public Scholarship at Pardee School". Retrieved 26 August 2023.
5. "Outgoing VC of LUMS: A job well done – The Express Tribune". 1 June 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
6. "LUMS to diversify, introduce new discipline – The Express Tribune". 11 April 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
7. "The Pervez Hoodbhoy-LUMS dispute – The Express Tribune". 30 October 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
8. Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (26 May 2013). "LUMS VC to step down on June 30". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
9. "Adil Najam – Agenda Contributor | World Economic Forum". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
10. Omar Sacirbey (18 February 2008). "Adil Najam puts things on global perspective". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
11. . The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
12. "Adil Najam Named Dean of Pardee School of Global Studies". BUToday site. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
13. "Adil Najam Awarded Civil Decoration by President of Pakistan".
14. "President Announces 2023 Civil Awards".
15. "ECOSOC appoints Mr. Adil Najam as a new member of the Committee, 10 February 2009" (PDF).
16. LEAD-Pakistan (20 January 2012). . Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
17. "Najam Elected Chair of South Asian Network of Environmental Economists". 14 December 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
18. "Dr. Ishrat Husain to Follow Dr. Adil Najam as Chairman BOG, LEAD-Pakistan". 4 May 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
19. "Adil Najam, Chair of the LHI Advisory Board". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
20. WWF (24 January 2012). "Adil Najam joins the WWF International Board of Trustees". World Wide Fund for Nature. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
21. "Adil Najam, Trustee of The Asia Foundation".
22. Pakistan Today (17 December 2017). "ITU's First Convocation". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
23. IIASA (August 2017). "Living in the Age of Adaptation". IIASA Options.
24. UNDP (August 2023). "Pakistan National Human Development Report". UNDP Pakistan.
25. "Adil Najam And Asad Umar Reveal Significant Facts, Determinants And Decisive Details About The Debated UNDP Report". Siyasat.pk. August 2023.
26. Citations (August 2023). "Google Scholar Citations for Adil Najam". Google Scholar.
27. IPCC. . IPCC. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
28. Adil Najam (8 June 2007). "Climate change conversion". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
29. Get rid of all nuclear arms 9 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine (18 February 2004)
30. Adil Najam. "António Guterres to be the next UN Secretary-General: Good choice, bad process". The Conversation.
31. NPR. "Pakistan's Role in Afghanistan Examined". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
32. Adil Najam (30 November 2015). "I've seen 21 years of COP failures. Paris needs to deliver action, not talk". The Guardian.
33. "All Things Pakistan". 28 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
34. "President Alvi bestows civil awards on Independence Day". The News International. 23 August 2023.
35. "Prof. Adil Najam Awarded Civil Decoration by President of Pakistan". The News International. 14 August 2009.
36. "The Goodwin Medal". 21 January 2024.

External links

• Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
• Boston University announcement of appointment of Dr. Adil Najam as Inaugural Dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies
• Outgoing VC of LUMS: A job well done
• Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
• Dean, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
• Adil Najam talk on Democracy and the Muslim world on YouTube
• Pakistaniat: All Things Pakistan blog
• Voice of Adil on National Public Radio (NPR)
• June 2007 Op-Ed on Climate Change in The Boston Globe
• December 2015 Op-Ed on Paris Climate Change Negotiations in The Guardian
• October 2016 Op-Ed on role of immigrants in USA's academic and Nobel Prize successes in The Conversation
• October 2016 Op-Ed on selection of new United Nations Secretary General in Time
• Adil Najam joins the WWF International Board of Trustees