23 April 2005 - Majesty the King and the people of Bhutan received the Champion Of The Earth award at a special ceremony in New York from the executive director of the United Nations Environmental Programme, Mr. Klaus Toepfer, on April 19.
Ambassador Daw Penjo with the other winners of the Champion of the
Earth award
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The award, according to the judges, was a recognition of Bhutan’s commitment in placing the environment at the centre of its development plan and giving high priority to its preservation and sustainable use. The judges praised Bhutan’s “excellent environmental track record” with more than 72 percent of its land under forest cover and 26 percent of this cover designated as protected areas.
“The kingdom’s decision that development should be pursued in a sustainable way is in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals,” they stated. “Bhutan is being recognised for its legislation and policies that ensure the sustainable use of resources, promote community involvement in environmental activities, improve land use planning, and integrate traditional with modern natural resource use practices.”
With Bhutan selected as the winner in the Asia and Pacific region, six other awards were given.
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (posthumously), President Thabo Mbeki and the people of South Africa, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Julia Carabias Lillo, former Environment Minister of Mexico, Sheila Watt-Cloutier of Canada, President of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, and Zhou Qiang and the All-China Youth Federation received the award which is a trophy and a certificate specially designed to symbolise the fundamental elements: sun, air, land, and water.
Bhutan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Daw Penjo, described the award as a fitting tribute to the commitment of His Majesty and the people of Bhutan to environmental conservation and sustainable development.
“We will continue to be guided by the vision and path to development charted by His Majesty the King,” he said.
