Hakima El Haite

Hakima El Haite (born 13 May 1963) is a Moroccan climate scientist and politician who currently serves as Minister delegate in charge of the Environment.

El Haite was born in Fez on 13 May 1963. She has a degree in biology and microbiology from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez (1986), a postgraduate degree in ecotoxicology from Moulay Ismail University in Meknes (1987). She has two PhDs, one in environmental studies from the University of Meknes (1991) and one in environmental engineering from the École nationale supérieure des mines de Saint-Étienne in Saint-Étienne, France with a thesis on the treatment of wastewater. She also has a diploma in political communication from the University of Washington in the United States (2008).

El Haite worked for the urban agency of Fez in territorial administration until 1993. She was also the treasurer of the National Union of Women. In 1994, she founded the company EauGlobe, which specialises in engineering and environmental works. She is Vice President of US-NAPEO, the US North Africa Partnership for Economic Opportunity.

El Haite is a member of the Popular Movement political party. In 2007, she became president of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco. She became president of the International Network of Liberal Women in 2012. Since December 2012, she has been president of the International Relations of the Popular Movement.

El Haite was appointed Minister delegate in charge of the Environment for the Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment in 2013. She has overseen the enshrinement of public environmental policies in the constitution so that every public policy has to include a component on sustainable development. Morocco also has environmental police.

She participated in the 2013 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Warsaw and 2014 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Lima before taking a leading role in 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the climate change negotiations in Paris in December 2015. In May 2016, she was appointed a "High Level Climate Change Champion" by the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In July 2016, she was criticised for having granted Italy the right to import waste to Morocco. She stated that Morocco imports Refuse-derived fuel in order to produce high-calorific fuel.

On 19 September 2016, El Haite gave the keynote address at the opening event of Climate Week NYC in New York City, calling on world leaders to move from their Paris Agreement commitments to more robust climate action. She was a host of 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh in November 2016.

El Haite is fluent in Arabic, English and French.

In 2014, El Haite was awarded the Freedom Prize by the Spanish Foundation Women for Freedom and Democracy. In December 2016, she received the insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic from President François Hollande. The award was presented by former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius for her national and international commitment to the ecological cause.