10 May 2011: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced the five winners of this year’s UN Champions of the Earth prize, which recognizes leaders who take action through visionary thinking, unwavering dedication and action towards global green growth.

The winners are: President Felipe Calderon (Mexico), in the category of policy leadership, for commitment to lead international efforts to combat climate change; Olga Speranskaya (Russian Federation), in the category of science and innovation, for successfully mobilizing civil society in eliminating obsolete pesticides and toxic chemicals in the former Soviet region; the BROAD Group and Zhang Yue (China), in the category of entrepreneurial vision, for business leadership on energy efficiency and sustainable production; and in the category of inspiration and action, Louis Palmer (Switzerland) for raising global awareness of the need for renewable energy and sustainable transport, and Angélique Kidjo (Benin), for advocacy on social equity and women’s empowerment in support of sustainable development.

The awards were presented at a ceremony hosted by UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, Gisele Bündchen, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, US. [UNEP Press Release] [Champions of the Earth website]