Mostafa Kamal Tolba

Who is Mostafa Kamal Tolba?

Mostafa Kamal Tolba is an Egyptian scientist who served 17-year tenure as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Born in the town of Zifta, 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. After serving briefly as President of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, 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, he played a role in the fight against ozone depletion, which culminated with the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol.