Lee Myung-bak wins Zayed Environment Prize

President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea has won the Zayed Prize for Global Leadership in Environment.

Sir Partha Dasgupta won the Zayed Prize for Scientific and Technological Achievements in Environment, while Dr Mathis Wackernagel and Prof Najib Saab from Lebanon shared the Zayed Prize for Environmental Action Leading to Positive Change in Society.

The winners of the Fifth Zayed International Prize for Environment were announced on Wednesday by Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water.

The winners will be honoured by the Patron, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at a special Award Ceremony on March 14 at Dubai International Convention Center. The ceremony will be attended by Environment Ministers from different parts of the world, heads of regional and international organisations, Gulf dignitaries and international media; in addition to the Jury and Technical Advisory Committee members. Several publications will be distributed during the ceremony including a special issue of the Society and Environment Magazine (Arabic and English), an Arabic refereed book on 'Environmental Planning' and the Zayed Prize Nomination Guide for the 6th Cycle.

The establishment of Zayed International Prize for Environment and its local, regional and international achievements reflect the UAE leadership's commitment and role in protecting environment and achieving the UN objectives for the third millennium.

The prize value is $1 million, divided into three categories.

$500,000 for the Zayed Prize for Global Leadership in Environment. This category is given to an individual or organisation with a clear impact on the international policy in protecting environment and achieving sustainable development.

$300,000 for the Zayed Prize for Scientific and Technological Achievements in Environment. This category is given to an individual or organisation that has a world-known contribution in the scientific search and eco-friendly technology that pushes environment efforts towards success. This reflects the country's commitment to scientific search and clean technology.

$200,000 for Zayed Prize for Environmental Action Leading to Positive Change in Society. This category is given to a world-known individual or organisation for what he\they have done to promote environment works and change trends and concepts of volunteer work and civil community systems and coordinating among the private sector and government and non-government organisations in terms of balanced economic and environmental development.

Each winner receives a trophy, Zayed Prize diploma in addition to the financial prize.

 Lee Myung-bak

In the midst of the recent economic and financial crisis Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea, seized the moment to commit his country to "Green Growth," a new paradigm for economic development that binds together environment protection and economic prosperity, creating new growth engines and jobs through green technology and clean energy.

The President Lee Myung-bak's vision and leadership was a central driver in transforming the Republic of Korea's development path into a low carbon, resource efficient, and Green Economy.

Sir Partha Dasgupta

Sir Partha Dasgupta is the Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and one of the most outstanding environmental economists of his generation. An Indian national, he has been one of the leading economists making the link between sustainability and economics in many ways well before such work was fashionable or fully understood.

Professor Dasgupta coined the term "inclusive wealth" to spotlight the way conventional measures of wealth primarily GDP fail to capture natural capital or environmental assets.

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel has, through the co-founding of the GFN in 2003, translated the complexity of humanity's impact on the environment and natural resources into a more understandable and actionable form.

The concept of ecological limits and relating the demands of human beings to the planet's available ecological resources has attracted and is catalyzing action among governments, business and civil society.

Under Swiss-born Dr Wackernagel's leadership, the Footprint is now recognized as a leading and highly comprehensible indicator of sustainability.

Prof Najib Saab

Prof Najib Saab founded the groundbreaking and highly successful Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia (Environment and Development) magazine in 1996. The magazine triggered unprecedented environmental awareness at all levels, built a new relationship between the policy-makers and people of the Arab world with the issues of environment and sustainability, and placed the environment high on national and regional agendas.

The magazine and Mr Saab's vision also acted as a spring board for a wider pan-Arab initiative which catalyzed in 2006 the establishment of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED).

These are the achievments of the prize's winners in its fifth cycle. We hope the prize will be an incentive for them and others for more effort to achieve a safe environment and sustainable development everywhere across the world.

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