Mahnoor Saleh, a young Pakistani athlete, has been named as the IUCN’s Youth Ambassador.
In Pakistan’s Northern Areas, the International Union for Conservation of Nature assures biodiversity conservation and community-based eco-tourism.
On Tuesday, the IUCN-Pakistan named Mahnoor Saleh, Pakistan’s youngest athlete, as the Youth Ambassador for Environment in Gilgit Baltistan, recognizing her efforts to break down barriers and become a professional female in winter sports athlete.
Mahnoor Saleh, who comes from a remote area of the mountainous GB region, which is home to some of the world’s highest peaks, glaciers, and pristine biodiversity under threat from environmental degradation, was honored at a ceremony by the IUCN-Pakistan.
Mahnoor Saleh, at the age of four years and seven months, made the entire nation proud by earning a silver medal and becoming the country’s youngest athlete in the national winter sports, according to Country Director Mahmood Akhtar Cheema.
He said that the IUCN-Pakistan had been working in the Northern Areas for four decades to ensure biodiversity conservation and community-based eco-tourism and that it had established partnerships with local and international partners to achieve its goal.
Mahnoor’s father, Mr. Saleh, thanked the IUCN, the Italian Agency Office for Development Cooperation (AICS), and his family for their assistance in teaching his daughter to skate. He added that the journey was not easy and that social taboos caused strong opposition among the people.
“All criticism was brushed aside by my wife and me, and we stayed the course to see our daughter achieve her dream,” he continued.
