Washington, D.C. Earth Day, April 22, 2000—Mohamed T. El-Ashry, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), announced today that Anil Agarwal, Director of the Centre for Science and Environment in India, and Denis Hayes, who initiated Earth Day in 1970, are winners of the Year 2000 Global Environment Leadership Award.

The annual award recognizes an individual group, or organization in government, the private sector, or the non-government arena, for leadership of significant national and/or international actions over a sustained period to protect the global environment. It was first presented by the GEF in 1998 to President Jose Maria Figueres of Costa Rica, and jointly in 1999 to Professor Bolin and Ambassador Bo Kjellen of Sweden.

In paying tribute to the two awardees, Dr El-Ashry said: "For the last three decades the contributions made by both Anil Agarwal and Denis Hayes to environmental education and awareness at the international, national and local levels have been truly outstanding."

"Anil Agarwal’s career as an environmental journalist, environment advocate and analyst, prolific author of the environment, chair of the world’s largest network of environmental organizations, and director of the Centre for Science and Environment has made him a major influence in environmental policy making both in India and internationally," he continued.

"I am particularly pleased to make this announcement on Earth Day, which Denis Hayes organized in the United States in 1970 with the involvement of over 20 million people," Dr El-Ashry said.

The selection of Anil Agarwal and Denis Hayes for the Year 2000 award was made by Dr El-Ashry on the advice of a panel of seven prominent international environmentalists after an open nomination process.

Agarwal, a mechanical engineer by training, began his journalistic career as science correspondent for the Hindustan Times in 1973. He has since written for the London-based journalists Earthscan and New Scientist.

In 1980, Agarwal founded the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), one of the world’s most dynamic NGOs, to examine the relationship between environment and development and raise public consciousness about the need for sustainable development. In 1982, Anil Agarwal conceptualized and edited the first citizens’ report on the state of India’s environment. Published by CSE, the report provided the social rationale for India to take environmental concerns into account, helped India’s civil society to see the importance of environmental and natural resource issues, and spurred the growth of NGO environmental action. It slowly helped to resolve the debate on environment versus development by promoting the concept of sustainable development widely known from the Brundtland Commission report.

From 1983 to 1987, Agarwal chaired the world’s largest network of environmental NGOs, the Nairobi-based Environment Liaison Centre. In 1987, the United Nations Environment Programme elected him to its Global 500 Honor Roll for his work in the national and international arena. The Indian Government has also honored him for his work in environment and development.

In 1991, Agarwal co-authored the book "Global Warming in the Unequal World" which had a considerable impact on the negotiations leading up to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. His position that the global ecological framework should be built on principles of democracy, justice and equality for all the world’s citizens influenced considerable the Rio Conference in 1992. Since Rio he has continued to advocate the need for the South’s participation in creating the rules of global governance.