The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) on Tuesday designated seven "Champions of the Earth" for their efforts to preserve the environment, including a Canadian Inuit and a late sheikh from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The seven are the King and people of Bhutan, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan of the UAE, Patriarch Bartholomew of Turkey, South African President Thabo Mbeki, former Mexican environment minister Julia Carabias Lillo, Sheila Watt-Cloutier of Canada and Zhou Qiang of China and the All China Youth Federation. Watt-Cloutier is president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. The seven champions were being recognized for their efforts at an award ceremony at U.N. headquarters in New York later Tuesday. Only three of the awardees were to be present - Lillo, Watt-Cloutier and Zhou - while the others sent representatives. The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) created the "Champions of the Earth" award to recognize outstanding and innovative leaders in the field of environment. UNEP director Klaus Toepfer said in announcing the names of the champions that they have "to a large extent set the environmental agenda and laid the foundation for the many areas of progress we are able to see and celebrate today." UNEP, based in Nairobi, is responsible for U.N. ecological programmes. -- SPA 2314 Local Time 2014 GMT
