All Laureates

Despite progress in recent years, it still remains a tough ask for politicians to stand and operate successfully on a primarily green platform. The former President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, however, has been at the forefront of a transition to a new world order—in which politicians who champion good environmental stewardship as a…

Dr. Janez Potočnik became a Member of the European Commission in May 2004. As the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Potocnik is recognized for his strong commitment to the mainstreaming of the environmental dimension in the development of a more resource-efficient economy, as reaffirmed by his recent call for a 'New Environmentalism'.…

Minister Izabella Teixeira is a career employee of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), which she joined in 1984 as an Environmental Analyst. Over her 28 years as a civil servant she has held several high-level management and advisory positions in the federal area. She took office as Minister of…

President Tsakhia Elbegdorj of Mongolia, who was among the leaders of the peaceful democratic revolution that ended communist rule in 1990, has realized his commitment to putting a green agenda at the forefront of policies since coming to power in 2009.

Elbegdorj has turned his attention to decreasing air pollution, triggered by over-…

President Calderon has been a strong voice for the environment on the world stage since his election in 2006.

He has been praised for his stewardship of international climate change negotiations – most recently as host of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, last year. The Cancun talks resulted in several new initiatives…

Providing a green twist on Jules Vernes’ famous voyage, adventurer Louis Palmer successfully led a fleet of electric vehicles around the world last year. The “Zero Race” teams crossed the globe in eighty days, highlighting two of the major environmental challenges facing the world today- the need for more sustainable transport and cleaner…

His Excellency Mohamed Nasheed has been the President of the Maldives since 2008. He has received global recognition for his efforts to curb climate change and raise awareness of environmental issues, particularly as it related to island-nations.
He featured prominently in the international media in the run-up to, and during, the United…

As the Minister of the Environment and International Development of Norway, Erik Solheim put into place the Nature Diversity Act and the Norwegian Climate and Forest Initiative, which facilitates close cooperation with Brazil, Indonesia and Guyana to conserve rainforests and provided critical input to the establishment of UN Programme on…

Kevin M. Conrad is a Papua New Guinean lawyer and environmentalist, whose efforts have centered on reducing deforestation, strengthening forest conservation and recognizing the value of tropical forest ecosystems. He has made a significant contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) especially the United…

Dr. Mohamed T. El- Ashry currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, Dr. El-Ashry served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). He served as the GEF Chairman between 1991 and 2002, and was appointed the first CEO and Chairman of the GEF in 1994…