Wednesday October 14, 2009, 5:33 am
David Suzuki (Canada)
Honorary Award
"for his lifetime advocacy of the socially responsible use of science, and for his massive contribution to raising awareness about the perils of climate change and building public support for policies to address it".
René Ngongo (Democratic Republic of Congo)
"...for his courage in confronting the forces that are destroying the Congo's rainforests and building political support for their conservation and sustainable use."
Alyn Ware (New Zealand - Aotearoa)
"...for his effective and creative advocacy and initiatives over two decades to further peace education and to rid the world of nuclear weapons."
Catherine Hamlin (Ethiopia)
"...for her fifty years dedicated to treating obstetric fistula patients, thereby restoring the health, hope and dignity of thousands of Africa's poorest women."
http://www.rightlivelihood.org/home.html

Wednesday October 14, 2009, 5:50 am
Alyn Ware is one of the world's most effective peace workers, who has led key initiatives for peace education and nuclear abolition in New Zealand and internationally over the past 25 years. He helped draft the Peace Studies Guidelines that became part of the New Zealand school curriculum, initiated successful programmes in schools and thousands of classrooms throughout the country, and has served as an adviser to the NZ government and the UN on disarmament education. He was active in the campaign that prohibited nuclear weapons in New Zealand, before serving as the World Court Project UN Coordinator which achieved a historic ruling from the World Court on the illegality of nuclear weapons. Alyn Ware has led the efforts to implement the World Court's decision, including drafting resolutions adopted by the UN, bringing together a group of experts to prepare a draft treaty on nuclear abolition which is now being promoted by the UN Secretary General, and engaging parliamentarians around the world through Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.
http://www.rightlivelihood.org/ware.html

Wednesday October 14, 2009, 5:51 am
Catherine Hamlin came to Ethiopia from Australia in 1959 to work as an obstetrician and gynaecologist at a hospital in Addis Ababa. With her husband Reginald she pioneered the surgical treatment of obstetric fistula. The Hamlins built their own hospital in Addis, where women are treated free of charge. The facilities include reception hostels for the women, who come from all over the country, and a rehabilitation centre for the badly injured. They have also established regional centres to make the treatment more widely accessible and a midwifery school to help prevent obstetric fistula occurring in the first place.
http://www.rightlivelihood.org/hamlin.html

Wednesday October 14, 2009, 5:53 am
René Ngongo
The Congo rainforest, in global importance second only to that of the Amazon, is under grave threat from the aftermath of war, population pressure and corporate exploitation. Since 1994, including through the civil war from 1996-2002, René Ngongo has engaged, at great personal risk, in popular campaigning, political advocacy and practical initiatives to confront the destroyers of the rainforest and help create the political conditions that could halt its destruction and bring about its conservation and sustainable use.
http://www.rightlivelihood.org/ngongo.html

Wednesday October 14, 2009, 5:54 am
David Suzuki is one of the most brilliant scientists, and communicators about science, of his generation. Through his books and broadcasts, which have touched millions of people around the world, he has stressed the dangers, as well as the benefits, of scientific research and technological development. He has campaigned tirelessly for social responsibility in science. For the past 20 years, he has been informing the world about the grave threat to humanity of climate change and about how it can be reduced.
http://www.rightlivelihood.org/suzuki.html

Friday October 16, 2009, 2:56 am
David Suzuki has recently been criticizing the Canadian government to "join in" on mitigating climate change. Until now it has been uncharacteristic of him to mete out criticism on anyone. He has asked 3 times to meet with our Prime Minister to discuss climate change and 3 times he has been turned down. Go figure!