Future Perfect

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] 134

ustainability

olicies

, P

rogrammes

and

their

conomic

mpact

Women Lawyers, the International Law Association, the International

Commission of Jurists and the International Council of Environmental

Law established at Kuwait University in 2001, Dr Badria served as

General Coordinator for Regional Organization for the Protection of

the Marine Environment for more than 10 years. She is a founding

member of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society and served as

Secretary General for the Society for over 10 years. Dr Badria is also a

Global 500 Laureate. She has published several books and articles on

various issues including the environment, human rights, women’s and

children’s rights and environmental awareness for children.

Beyond the Award

• In his acceptance speech during the award ceremony in Dubai in

2006, former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated

that the prize money would go to charity, promoting agriculture and

girls’ education in Africa

• With the cash money received from the Zayed Prize, the Millennium

Ecosystem Assessment Board developed and published Ecosystems

and Human Well-Being: A Manual for Assessment Practitioners,

launched in May 2010 at the Convention on Biological Diversity,

Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice,

in Nairobi, Kenya

• The Under-Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and

the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration in the United

States, and a world leader in environmental sciences, Professor Jane

Lubchenco received her award in 2008. Professor Lubchenco discov-

ered fundamental ecological and evolutionary relationships among

animals and plants within complex coastal systems. She also studied

the effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies, and how biotic and

abiotic local interactions can have a strong influence on the large-scale

properties of ecosystems. Her recent work has shown how coastal

oceanographic features can affect local community structure and

dynamics. These studies have led to a general understanding of factors

affecting the distribution, abundance and biodiversity of species

• In his acceptance speech, President Lee Myung-bak of the ROK

suggested the world share the vision of green growth to adapt to

climate change and build a planet-responsible civilization. In partic-

ular, with the establishment of a regional office of the Global Green

Growth Institute in the UAE, ROK and UAE can jointly work towards

sustainable development.

International, regional and local sustainable

development

Sustainable development is being promoted through

various environmental initiatives and activities alongside

the Zayed Prize, which has a long partnership with various

United Nations bodies, such as UNESCO, United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations

Industrial Development Organization, United Nations

Development Programme and the Economic and Social

Commission for Western Asia.

In collaboration with UNEP and the United

Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, in

February 2000, the Dubai International Conference

on Desertification was attended by several minis-

ters and more than 200 scientists and practitioners.

Several related activities ran in tandem, including

workshops, seminars and an exhibition on environ-

mentally sustainable technology, resulting in the

Dubai Declaration on Combating Desertification. The

Dubai Declaration on Integrated Water Resources

Management in Arid Regions was established follow-

ing the Dubai International Conference on Integrated

Management of Water Resources in the third

Millennium, in February 2002, in partnership with

UNEP and the Arab Water Council.

In April 2005, the Second Festival of the Civilizations

and Cultures of World Deserts took place in Dubai,

alongside the World Deserts Foundation and UNEP.

A ministerial conference was organized during the

event for the Ministers of Environment, Culture and

Tourism on the topic of Integrating Efforts towards

Sustainable Development in Desert Regions, followed

by the Dubai Charter for Sustainable Development in

Desert Regions.

The International Conference on Sustainable

Construction took place along with UNEP in June

2008. More than 500 delegates attended, including

ministers, officials from environment ministries and

scientists, as well as public and private sector repre-

sentatives from around the world.

In February 2005, regional initiatives included hosting

the Arab Region Roundtable on Harnessing Science,

Technology, and Innovation for Sustainability in Dubai

and establishing a partnership with the Academy of

Science for the Developing Countries. The Dubai

Appeal for Science and Technology was established,

allowing scientists to appeal to Arab Governments and

international organization, thus strengthening the role

of science and technology in implanting sustainable

development plans both regionally and nationally.

New local award launched

In 2011, Sheikh Mohammed integrated local and global

efforts in his role as patron of the Zayed prize by found-

ing a new award, The Emirates Appreciation Award for

the Environment. This award aims to recognize and

promote pioneering contributions from both individuals

and organizations within the UAE in the field of environ-

mental and sustainable development.

The Zayed Prize has long worked in partnership with various United Nations bodies

Image: Zayed International Prize for the Environment