About Green Star
Environmental emergencies are sudden-onset disasters or accidents resulting from natural, technological or human-induced factors, or a combination of these that cause or threaten to cause severe environmental damage as well as loss of human lives and livelihoods. In general, environmental emergencies can be divided into three categories: industrial/technological accidents, secondary environmental impacts of natural disasters, and environmental impacts of complex emergencies.
The Green Star Awards recognize those who have made remarkable efforts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to environmental emergencies around the world.
A joint initiative between the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Green Cross International (GCI), the Award aims to:
- Raise awareness of environmental emergencies
- Encourage increased international efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to such emergencies;
- Emphasise the connection between environmental impacts of disasters and emergencies, and the consequences for affected populations and providers of humanitarian assistance
The Green Star Awards are presented every two years as part of the Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies (AGEE) meeting. The first Awards ceremony took place on 6-8 May 2009 in Brussels, Belgium at the 8th AGEE meeting. The next ceremony will be held on Wednesday 18 May 2011 in Switzerland at the 9th AGEE meeting.
The idea for the Award was conceived in June 2007 during the 7th AGEE meeting in Rosersberg, Sweden where meeting participants recommended the establishment of a special recognition scheme. As a result the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations Environment Programme and Green Cross International were requested to develop a suitable award.
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