NIGERIAN ACTIVIST KEN SARO-WIWA, NOBEL PRIZE WINNER PAUL CRUTZEN, AMONG 21 ENVIRONMENTALISTS TO RECEIVE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME AWARD

Press Release
HE/931

NIGERIAN ACTIVIST KEN SARO-WIWA, NOBEL PRIZE WINNER PAUL CRUTZEN, AMONG 21 ENVIRONMENTALISTS TO RECEIVE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME AWARD

NAIROBI, 29 May 1996 (UNEP) -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today announced that it has recognized the extraordinary contributions of 21 individuals and organizations to environmental protection by electing them to the prestigious ranks of its Global 500 Roll of Honour.

These distinguished environmentalists from around the world will be officially honoured on 9 June at a special award ceremony in Istanbul, which will be attended by the President and Prime Minister of Turkey as well as the Chairman of the Turkish Parliament. The event -- hosted by UNEP and the Government of Turkey during the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements -- is part of this year's World Environment Day celebrations.

Among the laureates who will be recognized and/or receive their award from UNEP Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell, include the late Ken Saro-Wiwa of Nigeria who led the resistance of the Ogoni people against the pollution of their delta homeland; 1995 Nobel Prize winner Paul Crutzen, of the Netherlands, for his significant contributions to environmental research which has led to enhanced atmospheric protection measures; Earth Love Fund of the United Kingdom, a non-profit organization founded by three individuals in the music business who put aside their commercial ventures to raise money for conservation projects; Garanti Bank of Turkey for its commitment to conserving Turkey's natural assets; Carlos Roberto Hasbun of El Salvador whose environmental activities have been undertaken at the grass-roots level without publicity or fanfare; Professor Akio Morishima, of Japan, a leader in environmental law and policy development; Bahuddin Hi Pabbite, of Indonesia for his lonely struggle to preserve the Maleo bird; Sonia Regina de Brito Pereira, of Brazil, for bringing to international attention the destruction of forests in the Amazon; Tatyana Stepanenko, of the Russian Federation, for finding ways to limit waste dumped into the Newa River system and the Baltic Sea, and Lalita Balakrishnan, of India, who spearheaded her country's woodstove programme, resulting in more than 3,000 rural women being trained in the construction and maintenance of improved woodstoves and their becoming self-employed and earning decent wages.

The list of winners also includes four Global 500 Youth Environment Award laureates who have demonstrated that one is never too young to make a difference. Among these young environmental activists is Herederos del

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Planeta, a young people's organization from Colombia, which motivates and trains young people to become environmentally conscious and dedicated global citizens; a high school student group of Junior Journalists for the Environment from China for raising students' sense of responsibility to the world around them; Wahn Lee, of the Republic of Korea, for raising environmental awareness through a children's book and for his numerous recycling efforts; and Fatih Yilmaz, of Turkey, for his dedicated efforts to beautify both his school and his village.

"In honouring these environmentalists, UNEP seeks to encourage individual and community action in defense of the environment. They gave all, not because they want recognition, but because their concern comes from deep within", says Ms Dowdeswell.

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