DOHA: Qatar Airways on Monday announced its commitment as the Official Airline Partner of United for Wildlife (UfW), an initiative working to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and protect endangered species, founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales in 2014.
This prestigious partnership underscores Qatar Airways’ unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation. Qatar Airways and United for Wildlife will pursue campaigns around their shared mission to fight the illegal wildlife trade and advance the work of the United for Wildlife Regional Chapters.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Eng Badr Mohammed Al Meet said:"The illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade threatens our global biodiversity, and poses a risk to health and safety, particularly in marginalised communities. We are taking measures to disrupt this illicit trade in order to conserve biodiversity and safeguard our delicate ecosystems.As the Official Airline Partner, we believe that this ground-breaking partnership with United for Wildlife demonstrates our commitment to the Buckingham Palace Declaration and represents another important step in our commitment to protecting wildlife. United for Wildlife has brought together various businesses in a unique collaborative approach that shares the same mission as ours. We remain committed to collaborating with our stakeholders to raise awareness of the impact of the illegal animal trade, working tirelessly to deliver Qatar Airways Cargo – WeQare Rewild the Planet initiative to protect our planet’s most vulnerable species.”
Amanda Berry OBR, CEO of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, said:"As a founding member of our Transport Taskforce in 2016, Qatar Airways has a longstanding partnership with United for Wildlife and has consistently demonstrated commitment to tackling the illegal wildlife trade around the world. They were the first airline to complete the IATA IEnvA IWT certification and have implemented several initiatives to help prevent wildlife trafficking through their network.
"Qatar Airways’ enhanced level of support in their capacity as the Official Airline Partner is another example of their dedication to eradicating this harmful trade and preserving biodiversity for future generations.”
Qatar Airways Cargo launched its WeQare chapter: Rewild the Planet corporate sustainability initiative in 2020. As a part of the initiative, Qatar Airways Cargo encourages the preservation of ecological balance by providing free transportation services to organisations involved in returning wild animals to their natural habitat. One of the notable milestones of this initiative was the successful transportation of seven lions from Ukraine in 2021. This operation demonstrated Qatar Airways dedication to supporting the efforts of NGOs and conservation organisations in their vital work to rewild the planet.
Qatar Airways is the official airline to be certified to the industry standard for the prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking in aviation. The certification confirms that an airline has procedures, staff training and the reporting protocols that help with better detection of illegal wildlife products. Qatar Airways Group maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards the transportation of illegal wildlife and products and has implemented employees to undertake the illegal Wildlife Trade Awareness training. This training serves the dual purpose of enhancing knowledge and awareness about trafficking and equipping employees with skills to identify and respond effectively should they encounter trafficking activities.
The airline’s participation in the United for Wildlife Global Summit in Singapore aligns with its sustainability initiatives and responsibilities and encourages other organisations and individuals to join in their commitment to preserving the planet’s precious biodiversity.