 OK. Right. OK, John. Yes, right. Thank you, Jasper. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. Good evening, everybody in Baghdad. Good evening, those of you who are in the UK. And if there is anyone else anywhere else in the world, good evening, good morning, good afternoon to you, wherever you might be. My name is John Bennett. I'm Jim Brown. I think, John, you're hot, because Amal's going over. Sorry. Yeah, yeah. Do you want to stick to your script, John? Yeah. Yeah. So good evening. So my name is John Bennett. I am an ambassador for the Marsh Charitable Trust. Which means that I have come to know the Marsh Charitable Trust as a director of a charitable environmental organisation. The Marsh Awards were founded in 1981 by Brian Marsh, OBE. His aim was to create a sustainable way to give something back to society by supporting organisations and people who are making a difference. The Trust creates a long-standing relationship with the organisation it partners through the awards scheme. It gives around 80 different awards to individuals and groups from across the charity sector who make a difference to a cause they believe in. The environment features strongly among the awards, but other activities include modern slavery and human trafficking, addiction, the built heritage, the arts, diplomatic relations, and other activities such as trade and trade. The environment features strongly among the awards, but other activities include modern slavery and the arts, diplomacy, and social support. The recipients of the awards are not only receiving the recognition of their peers, but they're joining a diaspora, a family of other recipients across the sectors and across the world. All environmentalists recognise the importance of the world's wetlands and we watched with horror the draining of the arachnid marshes. So this year, the Marsh Marjan Award recognises the great contribution made by Ahmad Saleh Nima over the last decade in protecting all biodiversity connected to Iraq's central marshes. So, Ahmad, thank you for your efforts and thank you, Amal, for your work in translating my words and I now hand you back to Jasper, who will take over from here. Right, it's me. Thank you very much indeed, John. I will only speak briefly because we are here to listen to Ahmad translating to do. My name is Jasper Humphries and I'm Director of Programs at the Marjan Centre in the Department of War Studies in King's College University London. The Marjan Centre researches the connections between conflict and the environment. Examples of our work are related to water walls, legal wildlife trade and of course the climate change crisis. The Marsh Marjan Award is given each year to a person or group who have done outstanding conservation work in countries which have a history of conflict. Over the years, the award has been given to people in D.R. Congo, Colombia, Armenia, South Sudan, Serbia and other countries. Sorry, that's a lot. So I'm very happy to add Iraq and Ahmed to that list. Before I finish, I would like to thank the Marsh Foundation for their support over the years which has been fantastic. And also to thank Raghad and Amal in Iraq for translating and facilitation tonight. And also a special thanks to Dany in the Department of War Studies for her technical help. Thank you. And now I invite Ahmed to talk. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Now I invite Ahmed to talk. Thank you. I would like also to seize this opportunity to thank all those who are helping me tonight with the translation, Raghad, Amal and also Zaynab. But unfortunately, she got caught up in other business. The importance of the award from my point of view is an acknowledgement for the effort. It's nice to feel that someone on this planet that is really geographically remote from you, there is appreciation and evaluation for your efforts and acknowledgement encouraging us to go on saying it's the right direction. And also the sense that we are all one entity on this Earth, sharing our concerns and encouraging each other. I look forward now to see the gleam in my children's eyes as they feel the joy to honor their father, especially that the award is granted by a trustworthy, respectful and a specialized size. I've been trying very hard and for years now to build the name that can be an aid and support to others working in the same field. Conservation of the environment and this award will help me a lot in doing so. I would like to say something, a little thing about Ahmed. I was born in the southeastern part of Iraq in Misan. I was the home where I lived, witnessed or was overseeing many rivers and palm forests and especially the houses were on the grounds that covered thousands of donuts of cane sugar plants. It had a very unique biodiversity and also environmental system or ecosystem. I was struck by the topographical diversity of my city. The city itself embraced one end of the Himalayan mountains and a large desert at the same time with eight rivers flowing, five from internal sources, five internal rivers and three others coming from outside the borders. It also had tens of thousands of palm groves and also it covers a water surface of the marshes that sums up to about 2,000 square kilometers and this is a very huge surface if you compare it with other surfaces. It also has a very large surface and it covers a water surface of the marshes that sums up to about 2,000 square kilometers and it covers a water surface if you compare it with other surfaces of wetlands. It covers the largest cane forests used by the early Tomarians to build their homes and you can see that until today they build their homes in the same conventional way. It comprises also the first oil reservoir in Iraq. It also contains the largest gravel fields in construction that is used in constructions and building. And the largest fish wealth in the country also is in Misan. Since my childhood, I have been looking at the map of Iraq and summing up the water areas on that map and I think in the early 2020, I think I still have 1,000 people who live in the area of Misan and I think I still have 2,000 people and no one in the region summing up the water areas on that map and comparing them to the areas of other countries, sometimes the wetland in Iraq is even larger than some countries. At that time when I was a child, I saw it like a big challenge that part of my country as a wetland is even larger than whole countries. But now I see where it fits, that it is a great biodiversity and part of the bigger ecosystem. Of course throughout my life, I started to notice and also observe how human hands started to manipulate and destroy this lovely biodiversity that we were enjoying once. Especially with the artificial waste from factories and also the illegal hunting and poaching. Especially that they use the electric pollution for fishing and also I find it is similar with the Karat Hadartak. Electric pollution. Yes. They were continuously doing it. So this has repeatedly thought of a way to prevent fishermen from using this kind of fishing like using electricity or the poison hunting. And I needed to find an economic alternative that preserve the environment and provide them with a living at the same time. My father used to have a fun study, this dated and so on. He had a big plantation for cane, sugar cane, and he had people working on it on that plantation. I have been working on it for 10 years and I have been working on it for 10 years and I have been working on it for 300 films and videos. Since 10 years I have been documenting the marshes and what is happening exactly and the changes that are taking place in the marshes. I have recorded about 300 videos which were published on my YouTube channel. And then I started a campaign to promote the marshes by sending indications to the satellite channel foreign journalists, photographers, and documentary directors to contribute to raising the profile of Iraq's environment. I have always thought of a way to prevent those fishermen from using electrocution, poison hunting, and to find an economic alternative that preserves the environment and provide them with a living at the same time. So I trained 22 Marsh people on tourism in order to quit the fishing industry. And then before that I started looking for tourist companies in the country even though they didn't deal with tourism in the marshes. So I just suggested they make trips to the marshes. I invited them to my home and I took them on a free tour. So I took them on a trip in the canoe for about 34 kilometers on the island of Bukhari. And I took them on a trip in the canoe for about 34 kilometers on the island of Bukhari. It was very hard for me to give them food because I had to wait for them to wake up from the Animation Day. Just to get an opportunity to get the food and to begin looking for tourists. trip in the canoe for about 34 kilometers. And of course, I tried to make them enjoy their lunch on a reed setting or a reed mat floating in the marshes, a reed platform. I always used to document their trip through my mobile phone, or the camera, or even the drone camera, and then make a CD so that they can have it for themselves. And this is what I did with the drone camera. I used to use the drone camera. They can have it for themselves. And this CD was always given away to those tourists. Have we lost them? Hello, Ahmed? We've lost Ahmed. No. Ragad, can you contact Ahmed? Hello? Maybe. Hello? Ragad? Yes, Jasper. I'm contacting him now. Oh, thank you. Well, I think while we wait for Ahmed, is he back? Is he? I can't see him. I can see that he has a signal issue. There is no signal on his phone. Oh, right. OK. Well, we'll give it another minute. And then maybe we have to say goodbye to Ahmed. I don't know. And then we have to arrange another time to finish the presentation. But for those people who are listening, I think it's been a fantastic insight to. Sorry. Yes. Sorry, we've got to translate. Ahmed, could you just translate to say it's been a fantastic for people in Britain to hear about the situation in the marshes? I would like to point out that it's been a great insight that people in Britain know about the various types of beauty for the Iraqi culture. And I think that the people in Britain could learn a lot about the effort and the commitment of Ahmed. And I think that people in Britain could learn a lot about the sincerity and commitment of Ahmed. And it is fantastic to hear somebody so passionate about the environment in a difficult situation. And it's also great that we finally hear a person who has the honor of protecting his skin and his skin in a difficult and exceptional environment in his country. And the world is talking about climate change a lot. But also we mustn't forget the biodiversity that is also suffering. Many people around the world talk about climate change and the effects of climate change. But many of the people in the world are also afraid of the importance of the type of life that is always affected by this. Ahmed, he is back. He's not, I can't, he's gone on mute. He's on mute. I'm ready. Ah, he does. Salam. How are you? So, can I continue? Yeah. Thank you. Please, Amal, can I wait for Amal to leave? No, I don't think so. Thank you. I think they have been cut off. No, no, they're still there. They're still there? Yes. From the most important moments in the last period, you were interested in the water dog, Max and Erdogan. I didn't remember the research, we went to the water dog. Excuse me? One of the important points of my environmental career now is my interest in the soft fur water. The otah. Yeah, otah. Otah, yeah. Very good. Otah, otah isme, isme Maxwell bin monoblamatilbe, Maxwell. The Maxwell species. Nisbeten ilal alem el-Britani liskotlendi, given Maxwell. It is named after the science, it's the... It's named after the scientist, the British scientist, Maxwell. He's called Gavin Maxwell. Yeah, Gavin Maxwell. It went extinct since the 90s. And it returned very slowly and in very low numbers, but at the same time, it was suffering from over-hunting and also they were always hunting this animal for its fur. So its fur was a good trade to Europe for making codes and also handbags and the like. So I started to buy about seven otahs from those poachers and then I released them to their environment. I organized a protest in front of the provincial building, calling for the enactment of a law to prevent the hunting of these endangered animals. And I also documented that the main challenge in the wetlands of Iraq is the water challenge. We wrote a lot of reports. We reported to the ministries that are working, like the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health, Agriculture. So when the marshes were listed on the UNESCO list, the World Heritage List in 2016, it was a big joy for Ahmed and his companions. And I think it was a big joy for Ahmed and his companions who were working with him. It was in 2016, yes. The drought catastrophe happened in 2017. Next year. So we were in a constant relation and communication with the water directorates in the province so that we can keep the waters to the level that the biodiversity stays alive. The marshes do not stand only for this lovely biodiversity, or what we were talking about, the ecosystem, that is so balanced there. It is also a symbol for the Iraqi heritage, for mythology, for beauty throughout the years. So I also documented the lives of the people who were residing there, especially the elders who had a lot to say about the life of the people who were residing there, especially the elders who had a lot to say about the life of the people who were residing there. And I think it was a big joy for Ahmed and his companions who were working with him. Especially the elders who had a lot to say, they had a lot of stories, they recite poetry. Also their clothes, the way they dress, and how they speak, and all those habits and traditions that they enjoy have been documented. During those 10 years, I have been facing a lot of opposing situations. It was not easy for me during those 10 years. Due to those challenges that were some of them, because of funds, some of them were like moral, on the moral side, then I decided that I wanted to do something that was not easy for me during those 10 years. Due to those challenges that were some of them, because of funds, some of them were like moral, on the moral side, then I decided to take the four-year vacation that was granted by the government for the employees. And of course, the employee who takes this vacation receives only 25% of his salary. And I am really strongly criticized for this attitude by my friends, by my family. But I truly believe that if we have a certain aim or goal in front of our eyes, we have to do all the sacrifices that it takes. I apologize for not thanking Dani for her support tonight. I'm sorry, I forgot. So at the end of my speech, I would like to thank you all for this opportunity and I really consider it a big event in my personal life, a turning point. So has Ahmed finished, Amal? And do you want to thank Ahmed? Yes. Thank you. He's done his thing. He is finished? Yes. Right. But John is going to finish. I would just say thank you very much. It's a fantastic talk and very, very emotional, powerful. Thank you. He is very happy with this event tonight. And also we would like to, he feels proud, especially that his friends are all attending. And this is a great opportunity for him. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. He is very happy with this event tonight. And also we would like to, he feels proud, especially that his friends are all attending. And this is a great opportunity for him. Thank you. And, well, that's fantastic. So John Bennett is going to say the final words. John. Now with the teacher, John Bennett, for the last words. No, we have no John. We can't hear you, John. There you are. He's on mute. Thank you for this fascinating description of the crucial work you have been doing on the marshes. Thank you for you. It is an inspiring story. And I feel very privileged that I've been able to be part of this in presenting this event. And I feel very privileged that I've been able to be part of this in presenting to you the Marsh. Marjan award. Well, it has to be an enemy. I want one more. Lee, I know the force of it would be hot. Lee teslimic. Hi. Marjan. So I'd like to thank the Marjan Center for. Organizing this partnership between the trust and the center. I would and I should like to thank for your splendid translation. Is this really the first time you've done it? No, I am a translator. Sorry, I thought it was the first time you've done it on the. Well, you did that spendedly and like professional and Danny has done extremely well too. So my next thanks goes to Danny to for organizing the technical side. So well. And Jasper, of course, for. Being a master of ceremonies. And very finally, for the audience out there who have not been part of this, but we hope that you have found this is inspiring. As I have. Will have. Also in the military. The. Thank you. All right. Good. Well, I think. That's it. Finish. Thank you. All right. Well, I think that's it. Thank you. Okay, right. Good. Well, I think that's it. Finish. So, goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye, everyone. All of you have taken part in planting that beautiful smile in Mr. Ahmed's home this tonight. It is a very good smile. Okay. Bye-bye. Goodbye. We will be in touch. We will be in touch anyway. We will keep in communication. Sure. Sure. Sure. And I say I want to come and visit Iraq soon. You're welcome. You're welcome anytime. You're welcome anytime.