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Her Life

Iqbal Awarded the 2016 Excellence in Leadership

July 6, 2016

In honor of her many years of remarkable service and dedication, Iqbal was honored at the Staff Association's 2016 Excellence in Leadership in a ceremony on June 23, 2016 at the World Bank headquarters.  Iqbal's son was on skype from Canada to see the event and witness one more time the enormous appreciation her colleagues have of her life and legacy. 

President Kim presented the award to 10 recipients, selected amongst 400 nominations for 220 individuals.  The nominations address staff who lead in a variety of areas including Communicates a compelling vision, Manages change an drives results, Forges partnerships, and Develops Self and Others.  Among the award winners was  Iqbal, who received the award posthumously.  Her World Bank career spanned 23 years.  Iqbal was serving as Senior Social Protection Specialist in the East and Southern Africa Unit of the Social Protection and Labor Global Practice at the time of her passing.  Her service also included numerous years of development work in MENA.  In his remarks, SA Chair Daniel Sellen stated:

Iqbal was a person who had compassion and led efforts to provide professional paths for the underprivileged.  In Eqypt, she developed a project that provided rehabilitation for thousands of child laborers who had lost the use of their legs after kneeling for 10-14 hours a day in the mud making bricks.  While battling her own illness, she continued to work on behalf of the poor and marginalized.  Never seeking the limelight for herself, she was the quiet leader from behind, the person who did the work, stayed up late and nudges all to do more."

Obituary

May 1, 2016

The untimely death of our beloved friend and colleague, Iqbal, has been a profoung loss.  While no one can fully share the sorrow which the death of a loved one brings, she will be sorely missed. 
 
Iqbal was serving as Senior Social Protection Specialist in the East and Southern Africa Unit of the Social Protection and Labor Global Practice at the time of her passing.

Iqbal joined the World Bank in 1991. She spent much of her career working in the MENA region where she worked on a wide range of countries, including youth employment, safety nets and inclusion of people with disabilities. Most recently, she was working on a flagship program in Ethiopia that ensures the delivery essential health, education, and other local services to communities, and the Malawi social safety net program.

Iqbal will be remembered by her colleagues as a champion for people with disabilities in MENA and globally. In MENA, she coordinated the regional disability strategy and helped lead a review of all World Bank offices and projects so that they would be accessible (the offices) and progressively inclusive (the projects).

Iqbal will be remembered for her warm smile, her positive spirit and energy, her professionalism and her commitment to the critical issues to which she dedicated her career. She was a generous colleague, a loyal friend, and someone whose work and dedication reminded all of us every day that what matters is helping to change lives for the best for those who need it the most.

She is survived by her parents, Dayal Singh and Balbir Kaur, her brother Gurmeet Singh, and sister Reshpal Kaur Sethi and her son Rana S. Singh.

Our deepest sympathy is extended to their family and friends.