Mostafa Kamal Tolba
مصطفى كمال طلبة
Dr. Mostafa Tolba
President of the Egyptian Olympic Committee
In office
1971–1972
Preceded byMuhammad Abu el-Ezz
Succeeded byAbdel Moneim Wahbi Hussein
2nd Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme
In office
1975–1992
Preceded byMaurice Strong
Succeeded byElizabeth Dowdeswell
Personal details
ProfessionDoctor

Mostafa Kamal Tolba (Arabic: مصطفى كمال طلبة) (8 December 1922 – 28 March 2016) was an Egyptian scientist who served for seventeen years as the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).[1] In that capacity he led development of the Montreal Protocol, which saved the ozone layer and thus millions of lives from skin cancer and other impacts.[2]

Biography

Mustafa Kamal Tolba was born in the town of Zifta (located in Gharbia Governorate), Tolba graduated from Cairo University in 1943 and obtained a PhD from Imperial College London five years later. He established his own school in microbiology at Cairo University's Faculty of Science and also taught at the University of Baghdad during the 1950s. In addition to his academic career Tolba worked in the Egyptian civil service.[3]

After serving briefly as President of the Egyptian Olympic Committee (1971–1972),[4] Tolba led Egypt's delegation to the landmark 1972 Stockholm Conference, which established the United Nations Environment Programme. Tolba became UNEP's Deputy Executive Director immediately after the conference, and two years later was promoted to executive director.

During his long tenure as director of UNEP (1975–1992), he played a central role in the fight against ozone depletion, which culminated with the Vienna Convention (1985) and the Montreal Protocol (1987).[3][5] He enabled these negotiations by serving as a bridge between ministers and scientists, since they did not understand each others' language.[2] He described the Montreal Protocol as a "start and strengthen" treaty, where the parties started modestly, gained the knowledge they needed to phase out the dangerous chemicals, and gained the confidence they needed to do more.[6]

He successfully steered negotiations for the Basel Convention on transboundary hazardous waste.[2] He was a significant influence in the creation and organization of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the Global Environment Facility.[7] He led the work to develop the Convention on Biological Diversity.[2]

In 1982, Mostafa K. Tolba, as executive director of the United Nations environmental program, told UN delegates that if the nations of the world continued their present policies, they would face by the turn of the century ''an environmental catastrophe which will witness devastation as complete, as irreversible, as any nuclear holocaust.''[8]

Tolba died on 28 March 2016 in Geneva at the age of 93.[9]

Publications

Tolba's publications include more than 95 papers on plant pathology, as well as over 600 statements and articles on the environment.[3]

References

  1. ↑ The Environment Encyclopedia and Directory 2001 (3rd ed.). Europa Publications. 2001. p. 545. ISBN 1857430891.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Vaughan, Scott (29 March 2016). "Dr. Mostafa Tolba: Architect of the Montreal Protocol, IPCC and Biodiversity Convention". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  3. 1 2 3 "2005 Awards Profiles: Mostafa Kamal Tolba (Egypt)". The Vienna Convention Award For Outstanding Contributions to the Protection of the Ozone Layer. United Nations Environment Programme. Archived from the original on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  4. ↑ "Egyptian Olympic Committee Presidents 1910 until now" (PDF, 2.86 MB) (in Arabic). Egyptian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
  5. ↑ "Mostafa Tolba: Green giant: A creator of the successful regime to reduce global emissions has died". The Economist. 2 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Dr. Mostafa Tolba, Father of Montreal Protocol, Dies at 93 - IGSD". Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  7. ↑ Bolin, Bert (2007). A History of the Science and Politics of Climate Change. The Role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  8. ↑ Shabecoff, Philip; Times, Special To the New York (1982-05-11). "U.N. ECOLOGY PARLEY OPENS AMID GLOOM". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  9. ↑ Weil, Martin (29 March 2016). "Mostafa K. Tolba, U.N. environmental official, dies at 93". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 April 2016.


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