All Laureates

Mrs. Elisea “Bebet” Gillera Gozun’s commitment to public service and her passion for the environment has given her the energy to overcome obstacles, persuade disbelievers and shape alliances.

Her leadership in World Bank projects resulted in tangible results such as the introduction of pollution charges for industrial effluents in the…

Ms. Viveka Bohn has played a prominent role in multilateral negotiations, including environmental treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Her leadership has been especially evident in global efforts to ensure chemical safety, which has been increasingly…

As General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev was instrumental in bringing the Cold War to an end and ensuring that humanity and our planet does not suffer nuclear devastation.

In 1970, he was elected to the USSR Supreme Soviet.
From 1971 till 1991, Gorbachev was a member of the Communist Party…

The steadfast, committed and selfless work of Dr. Rosa Elena Simeón Negrín has been vital for fostering the notions of sustainability amongst and raising the environmental awareness of Cubans.

She took on a position of leadership, which was to continue for some 20 years, just at a time when the issue of the environment was beginning to…

Summary

WEDO, established in 1990 by former U.S. Congresswoman Bella Abzug (1920-1998) and feminist activist and journalist Mim Kelber (1922-2004), brings together women from all around the world to take action in the United Nations and other international policymaking forums. 
Since its inception, WEDO has been a…

Dr Tewolde Berhan was born on 19 February 1940 in a small village near Adwa town in Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. His father was an Orthodox priest and his mother the daughter of one of the founders of the Lutheran Church of Mekane Yesus who had originally been trained for priesthood in the Orthodox church. Both parents put a strong…

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…

As President of Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea (1980-1982) and as the Chairman of Preparatory Committee and of the Main Committee of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (1990-1992), Professor Tommy Koh of Singapore has contributed greatly to promoting international environmental cooperation. These events are only two of…

Dr. Massoumeh Ebtekar served as Vice President of the Islamic Republic and Head of the Department of Environment from 1997-2005 during the reformist government of Seyyed Mohammad Khatami. Dr. Ebtekar believes that the remarkable achievements of this period were made possible due to the tireless efforts of a coherent and competent team of…

Mr. Zhou Qiang currently occupies the most senior position in southern China’s Hunan Province as Party Secretary. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Zhou was the governor of Hunan and during his tenure he dedicated himself to transforming the province into a model of environmental sustainability, calling on the protection of the Dongting Lake, China’s…