UNEP Announces Champions of the Earth 2006

UNEP
http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=471&ArticleID=5237&l=en

Singapore to Host Top United Nations Environment Prize

Singapore/Nairobi, 23 March 2006 - Seven ‘green’ leaders are to be celebrated as the 2006 Champions of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The awards, presented for the second time, recognize prominent and inspirational environmental leaders from each region of the world. Through leadership, vision and creativity, each Champion has made an impact at the policy level.

As announced today, the 2006 Champions of the Earth are:

• Tewolde Gebre Egziabher of Ethiopia, a champion against the patenting of life forms and for community rights in Africa. 

• Tommy Koh of Singapore for his contributions to the cause of the environment by chairing the Earth Summit and the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea.

• Mikhail Gorbachev of the Russian Federation, a champion in the field of international environmental politics and for conflict prevention on waterways globally.

• Rosa Elena Simeon Negrin of Cuba, a champion of small island developing states and a subscriber and regional force behind the philosophy of ‘thinking globally and acting locally”.

• The Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), a champion for over 15 years in the field of women’s economic, social and gender rights and a beacon for the empowerment of women across the environment and development debate.

• Mohamed El-Ashry of Egypt, a champion for the wise use of natural resources and a former head of the multi-billion Global Environment Facility, which helps developing countries onto the sustainable development path.

• Massoumeh Ebtekar, Iran’s first female vice-president and a champion of cleaner production in the petrochemical industry.

The winners will be honoured on 21 April at a gala event hosted by UNEP, the Singapore Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the Singapore Tourism Board, with the support of various sponsors and partners including the Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings (APRIL), the Lien Foundation and Nanyang Technological University.

Other supporters of the ceremony include: CNN, Fortune, Time, Eco 4 The World Foundation, Singapore Environment Council, Channel News Asia and Today.

The event and the inspiring stories of the Champions will be broadcast across the Asia Pacific region by CNN and featured in such leading publications as Time and Fortune magazines.

Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s Executive Director, thanked the sponsors and the people of Singapore for supporting and hosting the prestigious event.

“I believe that this event comes at an exciting time, where the last 12 months will go down as a period in history when we rediscovered the crucial importance of the environment for our economic, social and spiritual lives,” he said.

“A renaissance in environmental politics and policy does not come in a vacuum. It emerges as a result of the collective efforts of governments, organizations and private business. It needs the long-term commitment and vision of men and women. It needs people who have been and continue to be Champions of the Earth,” added Mr Toepfer.