Environmental
Life Support System Study and Caribbean and Indonesian Campaigners
also Scoop Key Green Prizes Dubai,
19 December 2005 –The global winner of one, if not the
world’s, most prestigious environment prizes was announced
today as Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary General.
The Zayed Prize International Jury
was unanimous in their decision to award Mr Annan the
2005 Prize for Global Leadership for the Environment.
Winners of the two other Zayed awards—Scientific
and or Technological Achievement in Environment and Environmental
Action Leading to Positive Change in Society—were also
announced today.
The 2nd Category Award - Scientific
and or Technological Achievement in Environment - has
been won by the 1,360 experts of the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment which has catalogued the condition of the globe’s
ecosystems and their life-giving services.
The 3rd Category Award - Environmental
Action Leading to Positive Change in Society - is jointly
shared between Ms. Angela Cropper, co-President of the
Cropper Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago and Mr. Emil
Salim, the former Indonesian State Minister for Population
and the Environment and the chair of the board of trustees
for numerous Indonesian environmental organizations.
The Zayed International Prize for
the Environment was established by Sheikh Mohammad Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and United Arab
Emirates Minister of Defense, to acknowledge the environmental
commitment of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
It is worth $ 1 million and is considered
among the most prestigious environment-related awards
in the world.
Previous Global Leadership winners
have been Jimmy Carter, the former President of the United
States, and the British Broadcasting Corporation for their
global media commitment to environment and sustainable
development issues.
Category I: Global Leadership for
the Environment
In their citation, the International
Jury say that “one person has done more than most to catalyze
political and public opinion to an understanding that
the environment is a fundamental pillar of sustainable
development That person is Mr Kofi Annan”.
They note the various reports, requested
by the UN Secretary-General in the run up to the 2005
World Summit in New York including “A More Secure World:
Our Shared Responsibility” and “In Larger Freedom”.
The Zayed Prize Jury also noted the
personal leadership of the Secretary-General at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 in South Africa
that addressed the Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture
and Biodiversity (WEHAB) themes.
“Five years ago, recognizing the
potential threat that environmental degradation posed
for people around the world, Mr Annan also called for
the first-ever international scientific assessment of
the health of the world’s ecosystems,” says the citation.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment reported in 2005,
again in the run up to last September’s World Summit.
‘Mr Annan has emphasized the importance
of the multilateral system in all facets of his work,
convinced that global environmental challenges require
global cooperation,” adds the jury.
Category II: Scientific and/or Technolgical
Achievement in Environment
In their citation the International
Jury says that the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the
work of 1,360 experts from 95 countries, is a “landmark
study on the condition of the world’s ecosystem services
from fisheries and freshwaters up to the carbon capture
of the world’s forests”.
“It also underlines the economic importance
of natural or nature’s capital and demonstrates that the
degradation of ecosystems is progressing at an alarming
and unsustainable rate,” add the jury.
They add that the Assessment is not
only a remarkable scientific achievement. But one that
is “commanding political attention while shaping the environmental
agenda of the 21st century, especially in the challenging
area of ensuring nature’s capital is given real value
alongside financial and human capital”.
Category III: Environmental Action
Leading to Positive Change in Society
Angela Cropper, a co-winner, is President
of the Cropper Foundation and also a co-chair of the Assessment
Panel of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (see Mrs.
Cropper's attached summary of achievements).
Emil Salim, the other co-winner, is
the former Indonesian State Minister for Population and
the Environment and the chair of the board of trustees
for numerous Indonesian environmental organizations (see
Prof. Salem's attached summary of achievements).
"The Zayed Prize Secretariat
received over 80 nominations from all 5 continents, these
were short listed by the International Technical Advisory
Committee and then went into final selection by the International
Jury before taking the recommendations to the Patron,
H.H. General Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for
final approval", stated Dr. Mohamed A. Bin Fahad,
Chairman of the Zayed Prize Higher Committee. He added
that the Zayed Prize Higher Committee hopes that the Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment will use the granted Award money
to disseminate the great achievements and make them available
to all world communities and policy makers. "The
HC is also hopeful that this Award will be an incentive
to Mr. Annan, Mrs. Cropper and Professor Salem to push
for more sustainable life on Earth", closed Dr. Bin
Fahad.
Klaus Toepfer, Chair of the Jury and
Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), said: “The Jury was faced with many outstanding
candidates for the Zayed Prizes. But when you look at
the overall global impact on politics, business, science
and civil society of Mr Annan’s environment and sustainable
development-related initiatives, we came to the conclusion
he is deservedly the global winner”.
“The winners of the other two categories
are also outstanding in their own right and we will be
delighted to welcome them in Dubai on 6 February 2006
for the Third Award Ceremony,” he added.
It is worth mentioning that the Zayed
International Prize for the Environment continues to develop
and refine its endeavors to promote Sustainable Development.
This foundation has held so many functions during the
second Cycle;
o The Second Festival of the Cultures
and Civilizations of World Deserts was held in April 2005
and was attended by two Heads of States: the presidents
of Algeria and South Africa, in addition to over 40 Ministers
of Environment, Culture and Tourism. It was a great success
and was mainly tuned towards environmental issues.
o The Arab Regional Workshop on "Harnessing
Science and Technology for Sustainable Development".
o Workshops on "Water Resources
Management", "Biodiversity" and "Environmental
Information"
o Just this month, the Zayed Prize
organized a conference on "Fuel Cells and Hydrogen
Economy" in collaboration with Private Enterprises
in order to encourage transfer of clean energy technology
to the region.
The Foundation continues to publish
the simplified monthly booklet series for school children,
the Monthly Magazine "Environment and Society"
in Arabic and English and the Refereed quarterly book
series, “The World of the Environment” in Arabic. The
fourth book issued last month was titled, "Clean
Agriculture".
Notes to Editors
The Zayed International Prize for
the Environment is awarded every two years. It was first
awarded in 2001.
The International Jury for the 2005
awards is chaired by Dr. Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director
of UNEP. Other members are Mr. Achim Steiner, Director
General of IUCN-the World Conservation Union; Prof. Mostafa
Tolba, President of the International Environment and
Development Centre; Yolanda Kakabadse, former IUCN President
and Zayed Prize Laureate; Sir David King, Chief Scientist
of the Government of the United Kingdom; Prof. Mario Molina,
a winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize for Chemistry and Yoriko
Kawaguchi, the former Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The United Arab Emirates is represented in the International
Jury by H.E. Mr. Hanad A. Al Midfaa, Minister of Health
and Chairman of the Federal Environmental Agency Board.
For More Information Please Contact
Dr. Meshgan Mohamed Al Awar, Secretary General and member
of the Zayed Prize’s higher committee, on Tel: 97 1433
26666, E-mail: drmeshkan@yahoo.com
, Web Site: www.zayedprize.org.ae;
or Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson, on Tel: 254 20 623084,
Mobile: 254 733 632755, E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org
Further Resources
Zayed Prize
Official Website
Arabic Version of the Press Release
UN Secretary-General Launches Report on Millennium Development
Goals
In larger freedom: towards development, security and human
rights for all
UN Secretary-General's report
UNEP Governing Council
The 9th Special Session of the UNEP GC/GMEF will be held
on 7-9 February 2006 in Dubai, U.A.E.
UNEP's GC Special Session to be Hosted in Dubai
UNEP Press Release
UAE Expresses Pride at Receipt of
UNEP Champions Prize
BBC wins Zayed International Prize
for the Environment
Speech by Klaus Toepfer, 2004 |