Charles de Haes

Biographical Information
"An economist and a lawyer, Charles de Haes was born in Antwerp in 1938. He first became involved in WWF in the early 1970s when asked by International Trustee Anton Rupert to help create “The 1001: A Nature Trust”. Through this, HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands – WWF founder President – and one thousand other influential individuals agreed to each contribute US$10,000 to WWF... From 1975, Charles de Haes went on to serve 18 years as Director General, including two and a half years as Joint Director General with his predecessor, Fritz Vollmar. During this time, he helped initiate international fundraising and awareness campaigns, and further develop the WWF network through initiatives such as the partnership with IUCN and UNEP in the World Conservation Strategy, which links conservation and development."