Nature now depends entirely on us merely to survive
In the first year of his leadership as the 50th Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, Prince Rahim Aga Khan has moved across continents with quiet deliberateness—meeting his global community, forging development partnerships, and carrying forward an institutional legacy that touches millions of lives across dozens of nations. His family, too, has stepped into defined roles: a sister presiding over universities and receiving state honors, brothers championing ocean conservation and reconstruction in cyclone-ravaged islands. What unfolds in 2026 is not merely a transition of spiritual authority, but the careful, consequential work of a vast human network finding its footing under new stewardship.
- A new Imam inherits not only a title but a development network of 15,000 employees, schools, hospitals, and universities—and the world is watching how he will lead it.
- Official visits to eight countries in a single year signal an urgent need to establish personal legitimacy and trust with a globally dispersed community accustomed to the presence of his father for decades.
- A $100 million pledge to fight malnutrition, a new Ismaili Centre approved for Paris, and a multimillion-euro environmental agreement with France suggest institutional ambitions are accelerating, not pausing, during the transition.
- Princess Zahra's installation as Pro-Chancellor, Prince Hussain's ocean keynote, and Prince Aly Muhammad's foundation-stone ceremonies reveal a family deliberately distributing the weight of leadership across distinct and complementary portfolios.
- With visits to Germany and Western Canada still ahead, the question sharpening at year's end is whether the momentum of this extraordinary first year can be sustained into the longer, quieter work of institutional transformation.
In the first year of his leadership as the 50th Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, Prince Rahim Aga Khan has traveled across continents with deliberate purpose—meeting his global community, signing development agreements, and advancing the institutional legacy his father left behind. When Aga Khan IV died in February 2025, his son inherited not only a spiritual title but an enormous development apparatus operating schools, hospitals, and universities across dozens of countries. The new Imam's first year has been spent introducing himself to this far-flung community and to world leaders, from a meeting with King Charles III at Windsor Castle to formal gatherings with Ismaili Muslims—called Didar—in France, Kenya, Uganda, the United States, Portugal, Canada, and Pakistan.
The institutional work has been equally ambitious. Princess Zahra Aga Khan was installed as the Aga Khan University's first Pro-Chancellor in January, then traveled through East Africa presiding over convocation ceremonies, receiving one of Kenya's highest state honors along the way. In April, she addressed over 800 healthcare professionals in Houston, speaking plainly about service and the weight of expertise in a world of deepening health inequities. Her brothers have taken on distinct portfolios: Prince Hussain, an award-winning wildlife photographer, delivered a keynote at London's Oceans Forum in June, reminding his audience that nature now depends entirely on human will to survive. That same day, he and Prince Aly Muhammad signed an 8.5 million euro agreement with the French government to support the reconstruction of Mayotte, devastated by a cyclone in late 2024, with projects focused on lagoon regeneration, sustainable fishing, and erosion control.
In March, the new Imam announced a $100 million commitment over five years to combat malnutrition across Asia and Africa—more than doubling the network's existing financial commitment to nutrition. He also authorized the design of a new Ismaili Centre in Paris, a project his father had envisioned since 2008, expected to open by mid-2028. Prince Aly Muhammad, meanwhile, laid a foundation stone for a new prayer hall in Mumbai and represented the Imamat at the University of Central Asia's graduation in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where sixty students from six countries received degrees from an institution marking its twenty-fifth anniversary.
The year has not been without its quieter, more personal moments. The Imam sent congratulations to a 23-year-old Ismaili luge athlete from Calgary who competed in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, calling his participation an inspiration to the entire community. As visits to Germany and Western Canada approach, the shape of this first year becomes clear: a leader moving steadily toward his people, listening, and positioning a vast network of institutions to meet some of the world's most pressing challenges—from hunger to ocean degradation to the education of young people in remote mountain regions.
In the first year of his leadership as the 50th Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, Prince Rahim Aga Khan has moved across continents with deliberate purpose—meeting his global community, signing development agreements, and advancing the institutional legacy his father left behind. The year 2026 has been one of motion and consequence, marked by official visits to eight countries, strategic partnerships on ocean protection, and a significant financial commitment to combat malnutrition across Asia and Africa.
When Aga Khan IV died on February 4, 2025, his son inherited not only a spiritual title but an enormous development apparatus: the Aga Khan Development Network operates schools, hospitals, and universities across dozens of countries, employing over 15,000 people. The new Imam's first year has been spent introducing himself to this far-flung community and to world leaders. In February, he visited the United Kingdom, where King Charles III hosted him at Windsor Castle and he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Foreign Secretary. He has since traveled to France, Kenya, Uganda, the United States, Portugal, Canada, and Pakistan. Each visit follows a similar pattern: he meets with his Jamat—the community of Ismaili Muslims—in formal gatherings called Didar, and he meets with government officials to discuss development partnerships.
The institutional work has been equally ambitious. In January, his sister Princess Zahra Aga Khan was formally installed as the Aga Khan University's first Pro-Chancellor, a role she will hold on his behalf. Days later, she traveled through East Africa, presiding over convocation ceremonies in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya, where she was honored by President William Ruto with the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart—one of Kenya's highest distinctions. In April, she addressed over 800 healthcare professionals at a global conference in Houston, speaking about service and the responsibilities that come with expertise in a world of deepening health inequities. "Strive for the best you can in the contexts you are working in, no matter where that is," she told the assembled doctors and nurses.
Meanwhile, his younger brothers have taken on distinct portfolios. Prince Hussain Aga Khan, an award-winning wildlife photographer, has deepened his conservation work. In June, he delivered a keynote address at the Oceans Forum in London, where he reminded the audience that "whilst we once needed nature to live, nature now depends entirely on us merely to survive." On the same day, he and Prince Aly Muhammad signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Paris with the French government to support the reconstruction and development of Mayotte, an island devastated by Cyclone Chido in December 2024. The initial projects, worth 8.5 million euros, will focus on lagoon regeneration, sustainable fishing, mangrove management, and erosion control. The agreement reflects a broader partnership between the Ismaili Imamat and France on environmental protection and climate change, formalized in July 2025.
Prince Aly Muhammad has attended graduations and laid foundation stones for new institutions. In June, he represented the Imamat at the University of Central Asia's graduation ceremony in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where sixty students from six countries received degrees. The university, established in 2000 through a unique partnership between three Central Asian republics and the Ismaili Imamat, marked its twenty-fifth anniversary this year. In March, the new Imam announced a $100 million commitment over five years to combat malnutrition, more than doubling the network's existing financial commitment to nutrition and food systems. The pledge joins a global campaign called "11.5: Edge of Life," organized by the UAE's Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.
The Imamat has also approved major institutional expansions. In January, the new Imam authorized the design and construction of a new Ismaili Centre in Paris, a project his father had wished for since his Golden Jubilee in 2008. The building, expected to be completed by mid-2028, will serve as both a congregational space and a cultural center for the community and its neighbors. In April, Prince Aly Muhammad laid the foundation stone for a new Jamatkhana—a prayer hall—at the Aga Hall Estate in Mumbai. These projects signal a commitment to permanent institutional presence in key cities around the world.
The year has also included moments of personal recognition. In February, the Aga Khan sent congratulations to Devin Wardrope, a 23-year-old Ismaili luge athlete from Calgary, for competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. Though Wardrope and his partner finished tenth, the Imam praised his "passion and dedication," noting that his achievement was "a source of pride for our Jamat, and an inspiration to us all." The message reflected the Imam's repeated guidance to his community that they should move their bodies and play sports—a concern rooted in his broader vision of community health and wellbeing.
As the year progresses, the Imam has announced further visits. In July, he will travel to Germany to meet with Ismaili communities across Continental Europe, followed by a visit to Western Canada later in the month. These journeys continue a pattern established in his first year: a leader introducing himself to his people, listening to their concerns, and positioning the institutions under his stewardship to address some of the world's most pressing challenges—from malnutrition to ocean degradation to the quality of education available to young people in remote mountain regions. The work is vast, the timeline is long, and the year ahead will test whether the momentum of 2026 can be sustained.
Notable Quotes
Whilst we once needed nature to live, nature now depends entirely on us merely to survive.— Prince Hussain Aga Khan, Oceans Forum, June 2026
Strive for the best you can in the contexts you are working in, no matter where that is.— Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Global Ismaili Health Professionals Conference, April 2026
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What strikes you most about this first year of leadership—the scale of it, or the specificity of the choices?
Both, really. He's visited eight countries, met with world leaders, and signed major development agreements. But what's interesting is that none of it feels scattered. Every visit has a purpose. He's not just showing up; he's meeting his community in person, and he's doing it methodically—UK, then Canada, then Germany, then Pakistan. There's a rhythm to it.
His sister seems to be doing something similar with the universities. Is that a deliberate division of labor?
It appears so. She's become the Pro-Chancellor of the Aga Khan University, which means she's his representative at the institution. She's traveling to convocations, meeting graduates, being honored by governments. Meanwhile, his brothers are handling specific portfolios—one on ocean conservation, one on development projects. It's almost like they're each stewarding different parts of a very large inheritance.
The ocean work seems urgent in a different way. Prince Hussain's message about nature depending on us now—that's not just institutional maintenance.
No, it's a pivot toward crisis. The Mayotte agreement came after a cyclone devastated the island. The ocean forum was about plastic pollution. These aren't abstract commitments; they're responses to real damage. And the $100 million on nutrition—that's the same logic. Malnutrition is a barrier to human development. They're identifying the places where their institutions and resources can actually change outcomes.
Do you sense any tension between maintaining what his father built and pushing in new directions?
I don't see tension, but I do see evolution. The Paris Ismaili Centre was his father's wish, so he's honoring that. But the ocean partnerships, the nutrition commitment, the emphasis on sports and movement—those feel like his own priorities. He's not abandoning the legacy; he's extending it into the crises of the moment.
What does a year like this cost? Not just money, but in terms of time and attention?
It's relentless. He's in a different country almost every month. He's meeting with presidents and prime ministers, presiding over ceremonies, delivering messages to graduates. And all of it is being documented and shared with a global community that's watching to see if he can lead as his father did. The pressure is immense, even if it's not explicitly named.