2012 Awards Come in Run Up to Rio+20 and UNEP's 40th Anniversary Celebrations
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Champions of
the Earth -- the United Nations' flagship environment award that
recognizes outstanding visionaries and leaders in the fields of policy,
science, entrepreneurship and civil society action.
Next year’s award ceremony comes in
the run up to Rio+20 or two decades after the Rio Earth Summit of 1992
that established treaties on biodiversity, climate change and land
desertification and set the course for contemporary sustainable
development. It also comes 40 years after the Stockholm Conference that
established the UN Environment Program (UNEP).
The prize seeks to honor men and
women whose actions and leadership have made a positive impact on the
environment. Whether by helping to improve the management of natural
resources, demonstrating new ways to tackle climate change or raising
awareness of emerging environmental challenges, the Champions of the
Earth should serve as an inspiration for transformative action across
the world.
The 2012 Champions of the Earth
Awards will be especially interested in candidates whose achievements
can be significantly linked to the outcomes of Stockholm in 1972 and Rio
in 1992. Nominations of individuals and organizations providing
leadership and creative contributions towards Rio+20 — under its twin
themes of a Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and
poverty eradication and an institutional framework for sustainable
development — will also be keenly considered. A laureate will be
selected for each of the following categories: Policy, Leadership,
Science and Innovation, Entrepreneurial Vision, and Inspiration and
Action.
The 2011 laureates, who were honored at a high-level Award Ceremony in New York in May, included:
- Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Policy Leadership category, for his commitment to lead international efforts to combat climate change;
- Russian scientist Dr. Olga Speranskaya, Science & Innovation category, for successfully mobilizing civil society in eliminating obsolete pesticides and toxic chemicals in the former Soviet region;
- BROAD Group’s CEO, Mr. Zhang Yue, Entrepreneurial Vision category, for his business leadership on energy efficiency and sustainable production;
- Switzerland’s Louis Palmer and Benin’s Angélique Kidjo, Inspiration & Action category co-winners, for raising global awareness of the need for renewable energy and sustainable transport, and for advocating social equity and women empowerment in support of sustainable development, respectively.
Members of the public can now nominate a candidate who they believe is a true champion of green development. Nominations will be accepted until October 31, 2011.
Moreinfo: http://www.unep.org/champions
