IUCN’s President, Yolanda Kakabadse, awarded world’s highest environmental prize

Gland, Switzerland, 24 April, 2001 (IUCN) - Yolanda Kakabadse, President of IUCN - The World Conservation Union, was awarded the Zayed Prize 2001 on 22 April.

The Zayed Prize represents the highest valued environmental award in the world and is intended for truly outstanding organizations or personalities whose merit and qualifications for the award are recognized by the global environmental family and scientific community. It has been reserved for individuals and organizations whose high calibre achievements are in line with the environment and development vision and philosophy of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

Over 200 nominations from 66 countries were received.

“The prize for the non-governmental sector was divided between an NGO person and a businessman. I find that to be a special omen for further future collaboration between two sectors that can really generate change towards sustainability", said Yolanda Kakabadse during the Award Ceremony held in Dubai.

Ms Yolanda Kakabadse was chosen for her leading role in the preparation, at the Rio Conference of 1992, of the chapter on NGOs in Agenda 21.

In recognition of the important role of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in shaping the course and outcome of environmental conservation efforts, the jury felt that the winner(s) chosen should demonstrate effectiveness in advancing the global environmental agenda. Accordingly, the jury decided to divide the prize in this category between two distinguished personalities, Ms Yolanda Kakabadse (Ecuador) and Mr Stephan Schmidheiny (Switzerland).

Ms Yolanda Kakabadse has achieved pioneering work at grassroots level as founder and President of “Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano”. She served as Minister of Environment of Ecuador and, in that capacity, she continued her leading role in addressing environmental concerns at the national, regional and international levels. She has been the President of IUCN since 1996, leading efforts to integrate the work of governments, NGOs and the scientific community to achieve IUCN’s vision of a just world that values and conserves nature. Despite her heavy international commitments, Ms Kakbadse maintains her links at the grassroots level.

Mr Stephan Schmidheiny was selected for breaking new ground through the publication of his book “Changing Courses” at a time when the private sector and industry were largely unaware of environmental concerns and for his efforts in establishing the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

The Zayed Prize included additional categories whose winners were:

• Former President of the USA, Jimmy Carter, for his futuristic vision and subsequent work on poverty, human health, human settlements and peace that helped improve the environment.
• Professor Mohamed El-Kassas (Egypt) for his life-long dedication to the study of arid lands ecology and their biodiversity. His leadership and vision were exhibited during his Presidency of IUCN, especially in the preparation of the Charter for Nature.
• The World Commission on Dams (South Africa). The Jury felt that the success of the World Commission on Dams in addressing the environmental impact of large dams set a standard for addressing other complex environmental problems, such as the equitable management of shared water resources.

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