| Why in the news? | UN Champions of the Earth Award 2024 |
| Award Overviews | UN's highest environmental honor, presented annually since 2005, 122 laureates to date |
| Global Context | Almost 40% of the world's land degraded, desertification and droughts increasingly common, 75% of global population may face drought impacts by 2050 |
| UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) | Aims to prevent, halt, and reverse ecosystem degradation, led by UNEP and FAO to revive billions of hectares of land and aquatic ecosystems |
| Key Moments | Awards announced on December 10 (Human Rights Day), aligns with Resilience Day at COP16 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Category and Laureate | Contributions |
| Policy Leadership: Sonia Guajajara (Brazil) | Advocate for Indigenous rights, recognized 10 Indigenous territories, combats deforestation and illegal activities |
| Inspiration and Action: Amy Bowers Cordalis (United States) | Restores Klamath River ecosystem, supports sustainable fishing, advocates for Yurok tribe's rights and livelihoods |
| Inspiration and Action: Gabriel Paun (Romania) | Protects Carpathian biodiversity, exposed illegal logging of old-growth forests, faced threats for environmental advocacy |
| Science and Innovation: Lu Qi (China) | Reversed land degradation and desertification, led the world's largest afforestation project, established research networks |
| Lifetime Achievement: Madhav Gadgil (India) | Influenced environmental policies, engaged grassroots, conserved Western Ghats biodiversity |
