19-10 2021 07:07
wrote:
I am so shocked and sad to hear this news. I remember Laleh from the first time I met her in 2001 at the GEF National dialogue in Iran. She was then as always such a brave and eloquent champion for the environmental NGOs and community based organizations in Iran. We met on many subsequent occasions over the years, in New York, various SGP regional workshops and in Tehran. She was always impressive in terms of her knowledge and intellect as well as being such a joyful, warm and giving individual. I remember her generosity and thoughtfulness, always bringing bags of pistachios to share with colleagues at SGP workshops. Her smile was infectious and her wisdom and energy remarkable.
Laleh had an outstanding ability to bring diverse stakeholders together. She actively worked to enlarge the space for civil society in Iran, bridging the divide and distrust between CSOs and government and forging new partnerships and collaborations. This over the course of her two decades with SGP is the truly remarkable achievement that Laleh, together with her teams of collaborators, interns and partners made possible. No doubt Laleh’s legacy will live on in the many initiatives she launched and was passionate about – from conservation of marine turtles, to the protection of Caspian forests, ecotourism in the Zagros mountains, indigenous agro-ecology practices, energy efficiency and waste management. For many years my son had the map of mammals of Iran that Laleh gave him on his wall. It was one of the products of an environmental education project that inspired him from a young age to be aware and concerned about species conservation.
Please convey my deepest condolences to Laleh’s family and friends on their tremendous loss. I will always remember the grace with which she lived her life.
Sincerely,
Tehmina Akhtar
19-10 2021 07:07
wrote:
I am so shocked and sad to hear this news. I remember Laleh from the first time I met her in 2001 at the GEF National dialogue in Iran. She was then as always such a brave and eloquent champion for the environmental NGOs and community based organizations in Iran. We met on many subsequent occasions over the years, in New York, various SGP regional workshops and in Tehran. She was always impressive in terms of her knowledge and intellect as well as being such a joyful, warm and giving individual. I remember her generosity and thoughtfulness, always bringing bags of pistachios to share with colleagues at SGP workshops. Her smile was infectious and her wisdom and energy remarkable.
Laleh had an outstanding ability to bring diverse stakeholders together. She actively worked to enlarge the space for civil society in Iran, bridging the divide and distrust between CSOs and government and forging new partnerships and collaborations. This over the course of her two decades with SGP is the truly remarkable achievement that Laleh, together with her teams of collaborators, interns and partners made possible. No doubt Laleh’s legacy will live on in the many initiatives she launched and was passionate about – from conservation of marine turtles, to the protection of Caspian forests, ecotourism in the Zagros mountains, indigenous agro-ecology practices, energy efficiency and waste management. For many years my son had the map of mammals of Iran that Laleh gave him on his wall. It was one of the products of an environmental education project that inspired him from a young age to be aware and concerned about species conservation.
Please convey my deepest condolences to Laleh’s family and friends on their tremendous loss. I will always remember the grace with which she lived her life.
Sincerely,
Tehmina Akhtar
