Pakistani lawyer and environmentalist named 2014 Yale World Fellow | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistani lawyer and environmentalist named 2014 Yale World Fellow

Pakistan Press Foundation

Lahore: Pakistani environment lawyer, activist, and founding partner of Saleem Alam & Co., Mr Ahmad Rafay Alam has been named a 2014 Yale World Fellow, announced by Yale University President Peter Salovey. Alam is among 16 World Fellows selected in 2014 from a pool of about 4,000 applicants.

The Yale World Fellows Program is the University’s signature global leadership development initiative and a core element of Yale’s ongoing commitment to internationalisation. Each year, the University invites a group of exemplary mid-career professionals from a wide range of fields and countries for an intensive four-month period of academic enrichment and leadership training.

As a lawyer-activist, Alam has argued a number of pro-bono public interest cases; he also teaches environmental law at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. With a background in commercial, civil and constitutional litigation, he is committed to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Alam’s firm specialises in energy, natural resources, and urban infrastructure. He currently serves as member of the Punjab Environment Protection Council and on the Board of Directors of the Lahore Waste Management Company.Michael Cappello, Yale World Fellows Director and professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, said, “Like prior cohorts, the 2014 Yale World Fellows are dynamic, high impact practitioners committed to effecting positive change.

Rafay Alam fits that mold perfectly and will bring immense talent and vision to the group. Through the Fellowship, Yale will provide global leaders like Alam with the valuable opportunity to take a step back from the intensity of their work and to develop a strategic vision for their personal and professional trajectories and continued impact on the world.”Alam added, “It is a great honour to be included amongst the other Yale World Fellows. I look forward to a rigorous programme, and to get the most out of the experience, so that I am able to bring back best practices and learning to Pakistan.”

Apart from Alam, the 2014 group also includes an Italian robotics engineer, an award-winning Indian actress and director, a Syrian peace activist and 12 other multitalented, global leaders.

This year’s cohort brings the total number of World Fellows since the program’s inception in 2002 to 257, representing 83 countries.Yale President Peter Salovey said, “It is a privilege to welcome these impressive leaders to campus. Each year, World Fellows enrich the educational experience of Yale students through their participation in classes, presentations on campus, and individual mentoring.

With their experiences on the ground, they also provide valuable context and practical perspectives that inform the scholarly pursuits of Yale faculty seeking to address today’s most pressing global challenges. This innovative program continues to represent the very best of Yale’s efforts to educate and inspire future leaders.”Three previous Yale World Fellows from Pakistan are Raheela Khan, Assistant Manager of Treasury and Investments, Doha Bank; Imtiaz Ali, Fellow at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding; Rozina Mistry, Health Consultant, Aga Khan University.

Daily Times