June 15, 2005, Oslo And Ottawa
Ms. Sheila Watt-Cloutier, the elected Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, today received the 2005 Sophie Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
The $100,000 Sophie Prize was established in 1997 by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder, author of Sophies World, and his spouse Siri Dannevig. This globally important prize recognizes individuals, groups, and/or organizations pioneering paths to environmentally sustainable development.
Ms. Watt-Cloutier received this award for bringing Arctic and Inuit perspectives to the global climate change debate, and highlighting the human rights perspective moving the focus beyond the effects of climate change on nature to humanity itself, and to eliminate transboundary contaminants, particularly persistent organic pollutants (POPs) many of which end-up in the Arctic.
Accepting the prize on behalf of Inuit in the circumpolar Arctic, Ms. Watt-Cloutier said: I am honoured to receive this prize. Inuit have survived in what people consider to be a harsh environment for millennia. We have learned to live with the natural environment, to appreciate its rhythms and cycles, and to understand that all of us are connected both to the environment and to each other.
She added: the Arctic is the worlds barometer of environmental health and it is telling us that the world is fast getting warmer and that ecosystems and cultures are at risk.
In her acceptance speech Ms. Watt-Cloutier called upon the G8 nations meeting next month in Scotland to commit to significant reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases, and to announce their intent to move beyond Kyoto at the 11th Conference of Parties to the UN climate change convention in Montreal in November and December 2005.
For additional information on the Sophie Foundation and the Sophie Prize please see:www.sophieprize.org and Anette Langtvet, sophiefo@online.no or phone 47 23 10 95 25.
For additional information on Ms. Watt-Cloutier and the Inuit Circumpolar Conference please see: www.inuitcircumpolar.com and Corinne Gray, cray@inuitcircumpolar.com or phone 613-562-2642.