Zahidah Afrin Nisa
United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellow.
(M.Sc. Environment Management and Development: The Australian National University)

Zahidah Nisa, is commonly known as Zaidy is a United Nations Nippon Foundation Fellow highly qualified in ocean governance and related disciplines. She acquired her professional qualification in ocean governance from the International Ocean Institute, Dalhousie University Canada, UN Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea and The University of Rhode Island. Zaidy has worked with multiple SIDS governments in the Caribbean and the Pacific region in the fisheries sector. Since 2011 she has been in service to the Government of Grenada, as technical support to the fisheries sector development and UNFAO Blue growth Initiative.

Zaidy is also a fellow of Nippon Foundation Partnership for Observations of the Global Oceans and has been engaged with blue planet and groups on earth observations community in advancing the agenda for Small Island Developing States in multiple international platforms over the last few years. Zaidy is also a dive instructor and a marine biologist and is passionate about introducing scuba diving to policy markers and open hearts and minds to the hidden beauty of nature’s creation and humans obligations to protect it. Her ocean governance, government sector development, and science experience and expertise brings an in-depth multi-disciplinary application to ocean policy interface for the conference. She is part of the organizing committee of the conference.