Climate and restoration
Kuwait Plants, a voluntary initiative launched in 2019, expands green space with locally adapted planting.
- Reserves, schools and parks across Kuwait
- Mangrove planting at Jahra Nature Reserve
- Bahrain Greening Campaign with FAO
Dr Ameera Al-Hassan
Greener cities. Stronger communities.
Development leader and environmental researcher. Head of the UN-Habitat Mission for Kuwait and the GCC, 2019 to 2026.
About
Her work brings government, international institutions, business and civil society together around one question: how to build cities that last.
Dr Ameera Al-Hassan’s experience spans education, ecological research, urban policy and United Nations service. Her academic training combines biology and education, ecology and environmental architecture.
Within UN-Habitat, she supported the translation of the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda into programmes responsive to Kuwait Vision 2035 and regional priorities, across sustainable cities, climate resilience, humanitarian reconstruction and community participation.
Impact
The work, in numbers.
100,000+trees and seedlings plantedKuwait Plants, across seven phases
KWD 4Mgrant to fight dust stormsKuwait Fund, for the Iraq and Kuwait project
60+embassies and international organisationsKuwait Plants 2026–2027 season
100homes rehabilitated in MosulHelping displaced families return
50family homes in the Gaza projectWith UN-Habitat’s Palestine office
260+tonnes of coffee waste recycledWith Alshaya Group and Starbucks
Figures are as reported by the UN-Habitat office and its partners, and reflect the work of teams, partners and volunteers.
Work
Six areas of focus.
Humanitarian reconstruction
Partnerships connecting Kuwaiti institutions with housing needs across the region.
- Mosul, Iraq
- Gaza
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Derna, Libya
- Afghanistan
Urban policy
Aligning urban priorities with Kuwait Vision 2035 and UN development frameworks.
- First and second National Urban Forums
- Eco-cities workshop with UNDP and the World Bank
- Urban October and World Habitat Day
Water and circular economy
Practical responses to water scarcity and waste in a dry climate.
- Sustainable water use event with the Embassy of Switzerland
- Coffee grounds reused in greening
- AI in office operations and the “Maryam” digital character
Youth and community
Bringing children, students and volunteers into the work of their own cities.
- Children’s sustainability camps
- Robotics workshop for young people with disabilities
- Blood drives and coastal clean-ups
Workers’ housing and well-being
A conference with Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ILO and the IOM.
- Fair and safe living conditions
- National and international partners
- Links to urban planning policy
Global stage
Representing the region.
World Urban ForumAbu Dhabi 2020 · Katowice 2022 · Cairo 2024
UN-Habitat AssemblyNairobi 2023
UN Climate ConferenceCOP27 Sharm El Sheikh 2022 · COP28 Dubai 2023
UN Convention to Combat DesertificationCOP15 Abidjan 2022 · COP16 Riyadh 2024
Sand and dust stormsJeddah 2022 · Tehran 2023
GCC housing ministers conferenceOman 2024
UN Conference on the Least Developed CountriesDoha 2023
Journey
From the lab to the United Nations.
- 1990
Volunteer
Microbiology laboratory technician at Ibn Sina Hospital during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
- 1994
Bachelor’s degree
Biology and geology, College of Education, Kuwait University.
- 1997
MSc in Ecology
University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom.
- 2009
Joins UN-Habitat
Begins as an intern while undertaking doctoral research.
- 2010
PhD
Environmental architecture education, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.
- 2014
Assistant Head of Office
UN-Habitat, Kuwait. Government liaison and regional cooperation.
- 2019–2026
Head of Mission
Leads the UN-Habitat office in Kuwait and its GCC-facing programme.
