The environment in the news
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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ROAP MEDIA UPDATES19 JUNE 2006 _____________________________________________________________________________ UN or UNEP in the News 2006 UNEP Champions of the Earth: lives that inspire TerraGreen, 15 June 2006 - By Roshni Sengupta What does it mean to be a ‘Champion of the Earth’? Ask communities in Africa about the contributions that Tewolde Gebre Ezgiabher of Ethiopia has made towards their development and empowerment, and you would surely get the answer. Or better still profile the life of Massoumeh Ebtekar, Iran’s first female vice-president and a champion of cleaner production in the petrochemical industry. Lives that inspire and lives that propel the rest of us to think ahead and think big. Ezgiabher and Ebtekar are among the green leaders celebrated as the 2006 Champions of the Earth by the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). Other awardees include Tommy Koh of Singapore for his contributions to the cause of the environment by chairing the Earth Summit and the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea; Mikhail Gorbachev of the Russain Federation, a champion in the field of international environmental politics and for conflict prevention on waterways globally; Late Rosa Elena Simeon Negrin of Cuba for her contribution to small island developing states and for being a subscriber and regional force behind the philosophy of ‘thinking globally and acting locally’; the WEDO (Women’s Environment and Development Organization), a champion for over 15 years in the field of women’s economic, social, and gender rights and a beacon for the empowerment of women across the environment and development debate, and Mohamed El-Ashry of Egypt, a champion for the wise use of natural resources and a former head of the multi-billion GEF (Global Environment Facility), which helps developing countries onto the sustainable development path. A well respected figure in various world development fora, Tewolde Gebre Ezgiabher, a winner from the African region, has been instrumental in uniting and strengthening the African voice in the form of the well-prepared African negotiators who took a lead in the Group of 77 discussions. He was also responsible for securing recommendations from the AU (African Union), encouraging African countries to develop and implement community rights, a common position on TRIPS (Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights), and a clear stance against patents on life. As patron of The Nature Society, Singapore; Chairperson of the Asia-Pacific Centre on Environmental Law, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the Master’s degree on environmental management at the National University of Singapore, Tommy Koh (winner from the Asia and Pacific), has exhibited exemplary courage and commitment in the field of nature conservation, a culmination of a life-long love for nature. Not only did he chair the main committee at the Earth Summit, the UN Secretary-General appointed him to the high-level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development. For his contributions to the environment, he was made a Commander of the Order of the Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and received the Elizabeth Haub prize for Environmental Law from the Free University of Brussels and the IUCN (World Conservation Union). Mikhail Gorbachev, another Champion of the Earth for the year 2006 from Europe, has been actively promoting environmental awareness and responsibility, especially among political leaders for well over a decade. He has worked tirelessly to encourage shared water to become a source of cooperation among Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians, and engaged in mediation efforts at the highest level. Personally supporting Green Cross water conflict prevention initiatives in Africa, South America, Central Europe and his own native river basin, the Volga, Gorbachev, the former president of the erstwhile USSR has been instrumental in breaking deadlocks and encouraging parties to negotiate. The 2006 champion from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Late Rosa Elena Simeon Negrin from Cuba, has contributed selflessly to fostering the notion of sustainability and for raising the environmental awareness of Cubans. She took on a leadership position when the issue of sustainable development and the environment was beginning to feature prominently in the political agenda of governments the world over and was able to translate the best environmental practices into everyday life in Cuba. Until her death in 2004, Negrin played a prominent and acclaimed role in regional forums. She also presided over her country’s delegation for the Rio Summit. WEDO, USA, the champion from the North American region was established in 1990 by former US Congresswoman Bella Abzug and feminist activist-journalist, Mim Kelber. The organization advocates for women’s empowerment and gender equality in global forums, and promotes women as decision-makers for the achievement of economic, social, and gender justice; a healthy and peaceful planet; and human rights for all. In the lead up to the 1992 UNCED (UN Conference on Environment and Development), WEDO brought together more than 1500 diverse women from more than 80 countries for the World Women’s Congress for a Healthy Planet, where they produced the Women’s Action Agenda 21, a comprehensive platform they used at UNCED to put women’s rights and gender equality on the official sustainable development agenda for the first time. WEDO pioneered a Women’s Caucus at the United Nations through which advocates from around the world worked together to gain crucial commitments at UNCED and in other key international development conferences of the 1990s. The West Asian champion for 2006, Mohamed El-Ashry from Egypt has been contributing to protecting the environment and the wise management of natural resources for more than 35 years. El-Ashry’s most significant achievement, however, is his 12-year role in the re-structuring, management, and operation of the GEF, of which he was the first Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. Under his leadership, the GEF grew from a modest pilot programme with less than 30 members and an 800-million-dollar purse to the largest single source of funding for the global environment with 174 member countries. Another notable winner from the Asia and Pacific is Massoumeh Ebtekar of Iran, whose philosophy that sustainable development depends on maintaining the balance between economic growth and environmental concerns is one that the United Nations shares. Ebtekar has influenced the integration of environmental considerations into the industry and energy sectors in Iran and, thanks to her efforts, clean production technologies and environmental accounting and management systems have been integrated into the country’s petrochemical industry. Under her guidance, the Department of Environment is working with the government and the private sector to create necessary incentives and economic mechanisms for enhancing environmental awareness and management capacity. The Champions of the Earth award, a new international environment award established in 2004, is presented by UNEP each year to outstanding environmental achievers and leaders. No monetary reward is attached to the prize. Each laureate receives a trophy made of recycled metal, especially designed by the Kenyan sculptor Kioko. The trophy represents the fundamental elements for life on Earth: sun, air, land, and water. http://static.teriin.org/terragreen/Issue110/feature.htm#f1 A call to save the drylands TerraGreen, 15 June 2006 - By Navneet Mendiratta Don’t Desert Drylands! This is the slogan for this year as announced on the World Environment Day, that was celebrated the world over on June 5. The World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It was adopted by the General Assembly the same day, leading to the creation of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). It is a day that serves as a reminder to our commitment towards nature and conserving the environment. The slogan – Don’t Desert Drylands – emphasizes the importance of protecting drylands that cover more than 40% of the planet’s surface. The shifting sands and threat to the ecology in the desert regions due to climate change have raised concern among the international community. The ecosystem is home to one-third of the world’s population that comprises more vulnerable members of society. Life sustaining vegetation struggles against desertification in these arid and semi-arid zones and livelihoods are threatened by harsh conditions. The locals face continued land degradation. Water scarcity is rampant and energy alternatives are few and far between. To top that, they are largely unprepared for climate change. It is to address this problem that UNEP christened this years commemoration as ‘Deserts and Desertification’ and it was decided that the main international events would be held in Algeria. As part of the celebrations, street rallies were organized, parades and green concerts were held, tree-planting efforts and clean-up campaigns were taken up, besides holding poster and essay competitions for school children. The global winner of the 15th International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment was announced. Children aged 6–14 years were invited to express their hopes and fears about the world’s deserts and drylands through the medium of art. In this year’s competition, children from 100 countries contributed more than 8000 paintings. One such painting by a nine-year-old Chinese boy, Lau Tsun Ming, showing two contrasting scenes of Earth — one of desertification and the other showing its natural beauty — won the top prize. UNEP also announced nominations for its 200 000-dollar environment prize –UNEP Sasakawa Prize – for this year. This prize is given annually to a group or an individual with an established track record of achievement and the potential to continue to make outstanding contributions to the protection and management of the environment. The five short-listed candidates are Dr Elena Maria de las Nieves Abraham from Argentina, Mauricio P Bedoya from Columbia, Dr Emma Gabunschina from Russia, Rodrigo Hernan Viva Rosas from Columbia, and the Tenadi Pre-cooperative Group from Mauritania. The final winner of the 2006 UNEP Sasakawa Prize will be presented at a formal ceremony later in November. In India too, the day was marked by different activities organized by the government, schools, non-profit agencies, the corporate sector, and other organizations, each asserting its support to the cause. The WWF-India celebrated the World Environment Day by hosting a photo exhibition and dance performance. The three-day exhibition showcased the works of renowned photographers like Raghu Rai, Gopi Gajwani, Avnish Pasricha, Amita Pasricha, Nanak Dhingra, Jagdeep Rajput, Mohit Midha, Deb Mukharji, and Soumendra Singh, along with those by the local artists of Sawai Madhopur and creative house Ogilvy and Mather. Speaking in the Indian context, Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India said: ‘We need to use the knowledge of the bio-diversity of the Aravalli range and enrich flora and fauna so that desertification of the region beyond the Aravalli range, which could cause soil erosion and affect the lifestyles of the local populations, could be prevented.’ In another event, the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, N N Meena announced the Government of India’s plan to set up a new regional centre at Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, which would showcase the flora and fauna of the desert eco-system. Meena stressed the need to recognize that drylands are also home to some of the most magnificent ecosystem of this world—the desert. He said that desertification is related to land degradation in about two-thirds of India’s geographical area. About 173 million hectares of our country is degraded in some form or the other. Translated in human figures, he said, the desertification affects about 30 million Indians. The not-for-profit organization, We for Yamuna, organized a green concert – Yamunotsav, celebrating the river – and released the Hindi version of their film Jijivisha: the river struggles. The film showcases the journey of the river. The British Council, New Delhi, too, showcased a series of films highlighting the role of environment and wildlife as part of nature conservation and environment protection movement. Four 12-minute documentaries – Climate’s First Orphans (by Nila Madhab Panda), A Degree of Concern (by Sayed Fayaz), A Green Agony (by Geeta Singh), and The Weeping Apple Tree (by Vijay Jodha) – were screened on the day. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, too, called upon the people to concentrate on improving survival rates of saplings by properly looking after the plants daily. While participating in the drives being carried out by the Delhi government’s Department of Environment and Forests at the Central Ridge, she informed Delhiites that the green cover of Delhi has gone up 13 times during the last eight years. The department also distributed free saplings through government nurseries and selected petrol pumps. After all, efforts made at an individual level will only compound to form a movement—a green movement. http://static.teriin.org/terragreen/Issue110/feature.htm#f1 |