Habib is Coordinator, Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities. He was Director and Regional Representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia. He joined UNEP in 1988, becoming Deputy Chief of the Freshwater Unit in Nairobi and Deputy Director of the UNEP International Environment Technology Center in Japan. Dr. El-Habr worked as a water research specialist at the National Scientific Research Council in France. He has a long experience in coastal and marine management, waste-water management, and environmental health and assessment.