An environmental organisation from India, a couple of green activists from Canada and Russia and a gender and peace activist from Cameroon were on Wednesday (29) awarded a top Swedish honour called the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'.
The Right Livelihood Award, which recognises environmental and international development achievements that are not included by the traditional Nobel Prize, said “this year’s change-makers show that lasting image is built on communities banding together”, AFP reported.
India’s Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment was awarded for “innovative legal work empowering communities to protect their resources in the pursuit of environmental democracy in India”.
From Canada, indigenous rights campaigner Freda Huson was conferred the award “for her fearless dedication to reclaiming her people's culture and defending their land against disastrous pipeline projects”.
Her actions are credited for setting the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline project in northern British Columbia “back by years”.
Vladimir Slivyak, who is the co-chair of Russian environmental group Ecodefense, was recognised for “for his defence of the environment and for helping to ignite grassroots opposition to the coal and nuclear industries in Russia”.
Marthe Wandou became the first person from Cameroon to win the prize and she got it “for building a model of community-based child protection in the face of terrorist insurgency and gender-based violence in the Lake Chad region of Cameroon”.
The Right Livelihood Award, which was created in 1980 by Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von Uexkull after the Nobel Foundation that gives the Nobel Prizes refused to create awards honouring feats in area like environment and international development, consists a cash prize of one million Swedish kronor ($114,000) for each laureate.
US whistleblower Edward Snowden and teen climate activist Greta Thunberg were among the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award in previous years.
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event