EQUATOR PRIZE 2002 JURY

H. E. Dr. Oscar Arias S¶nchez
Founder of the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress
President of Costa Rica, 1986-1990
Nobel Peace Laureate, 1987

Dr. Oscar Arias is Founder of the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress and a spokesperson for the causes of worldwide peace and disarmament. Educated at the University of Costa Rica and the University of Essex, England, he earned a seat in the Costa Rican congress in 1978, became Secretary-General of the National Liberation Party in 1981, and was elected President of Costa Rica for the term 1986-1990. Assuming office at a time of regional discord, Dr. Arias worked throughout his Presidency to promote peace in Central America. In 1987, Dr. Arias developed the Arias Peace Plan to halt regional conflict. This culminated in the signing of the Esquipulas II Accords which helped establish a firm and lasting peace in Central America.

In 1987 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Using the monetary award from the Nobel Prize, he established the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress - a foundation that promotes gender equality, the strengthening of civil society in Central America, and demilitarization and conflict resolution throughout the world.

H. R. H. Princess Basma Bint Talal
Royal Hashemite Fund for Human Development

Her Royal Highness Princess Basma has worked internationally and in her native Jordan to promote a host of important issues, most notably in the areas of human development, gender equity and the well-being of children. She plays an active advocacy role, through the United Nations, contributing to global strategies on health, education, population, the environment and the advancement of women. Her Royal Highness is also committed to strengthening the capacity of local communities and groups and fostering models of socio-economic development that increase community participation.

She was instrumental in establishing the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD) and the Queen Zein Al Sharaf Institute for Development (ZENID). She also established the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Her Royal Highness was instrumental in the International Advisory Group to the UN Secretary General in preparation for the 1995 Conference on Women and has contributed to international organizations by serving as Goodwill Ambassador for UNFPA and as a member of the UNESCO International Advisory Board of the International Council on Social Welfare and the UNESCO International Panel on Democracy and Development.

Prof. Calestous Juma
Program Director, Kennedy School of Government and Senior Research Fellow,
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs,
Harvard University

Professor Calestous Juma is Director of the Science, Technology and Innovation Program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Research Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Chancellor of the University of Guyana.

Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Professor Juma is also former Executive Director of the African Centre for Technology Studies in Nairobi, which he founded in 1988, a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde (UK), a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, and a Member of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences.

In addition to serving on the governing and advisory bodies of several international organizations, Professor Juma has won numerous awards for his dedication to technology and environmental policy, including the 1991 Pew Scholars Award in Conservation and the Environment and the 1993 United Nations Global 500 Award. Professor Juma holds a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Policy Studies from the University of Sussex, UK.

Mrs. Graåa Machel
President, Mozambique National Commission for UNESCO

Ms. Graça Machel is recognized for her dedication to education in Mozambique and for her leadership in organizations devoted to literacy, the rights of children, families and community. A participant in the armed struggle against colonial rule in Mozambique, Ms. Machel became Minister of Education and Culture in the nation’s post-independence government. As Minister for Education, she worked to implement universal education for all Mozambicans and made great strides for peace, reconciliation, and national development in her country.

As President of the Foundation of Community Development, she has facilitated greater community access to knowledge and technology and has promoted the cause of sustainable human development. Recognizing the particularly devastating effects of war on children, Ms. Machel became Chairperson of the National Organization of Children of Mozambique and was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations to chair the UN Study on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children. Ms. Machel serves on the Board of Directors of the UN Foundation.

Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse Navarro
President, IUCN - the World Conservation Union

Ms. Yolanda Kakabadse Navarro was elected President of IUCN - The World Conservation Union, in 1996. Born in Ecuador, she studied Educational Psychology at the Catholic University of Quito. In 1979, she was appointed Executive Director of Fundación Natura, which under her direction became one of Latin America's most important environmental organizations. From 1990 until 1992, Ms. Kakabadse coordinated participation of civil society organizations in the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (UNCED) and in 1993 founded the NGO Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano. In August 1998, she was appointed Minister of Environment for the Republic of Ecuador, a position she held until January 2000.

A board member of numerous international bodies dedicated to protecting the environment, Ms. Kakabadse Navarro has received the Insignia of the National Order for Merit of the Republic of Ecuador, the Global 500 Award of the United Nations Environment Program, and the Order of the Golden Ark, bestowed by Prince Bernard of The Netherlands.

Dr. Emil Salim
Chairman, Preparatory Committee for the WSSD

Dr. Emil Salim has chaired the preparatory committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. He is also a member of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia. From 1978 to 1993, he was the Indonesian State Minister for Population and Environment. He currently serves as a member of several international and national committees, including the United Nations High Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development. Dr. Salim is also a member of the National Economic Board, the Economic Expert Team on Debt and Development Issues of the Nonaligned Countries, and the Indonesian Peoples' Assembly.

In addition to serving on the board of trustees for a number of leading Indonesian environmental organizations, including the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation, the Foundation for Sustainable Development and the Indonesian Ecolabelling Institute, Dr. Salim was Co-chairman of the World Commission on Forestry and Sustainable Development. Dr. Salim received his master's degree and doctorate in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Prof. M.S. Swaminathan
UNESCO Cousteau Chair in Ecotechnology
Chairman, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

Professor M.S. Swaminathan has been a world leader in sustainable development for the past 45 years and is known as the father of the Green Revolution in India. As Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operation, he developed a strong food security system in India. For his work in crop genetics and sustainable agricultural development in India and other developing nations, he was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987, the Tyler and Honda Prizes in 1991, and the UNEP Sasakawa Award in 1994.

Dr. Swaminathan served as Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (1972-78) and of the International Rice Research Institute (1982-88). He has also served as Independent Chairman of the FAO Council (1981-85) and as the President of International Union for the Conservation of Nature (1984-1990). He is a former president of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences of India, is member of the Royal Society of London, the US National Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy, and the Italian and Chinese Academies.

Mrs. Rigoberta Menchu Tum
President, Rigoberta Menchu Tum Foundation
Nobel Peace Laureate, 1992

Mrs. Rigoberta Menchu Tum is a Guatemalan activist who works to promote the rights of indigenous people worldwide. The child of activists, she was inspired by her parents and continues their struggle for the rights and dignity of indigenous peoples. She dictated her acclaimed autobiography, I, Rigoberta Menchu in 1984.

Her book and the campaign she led for social justice brought international attention to the conflict between indigenous people and the military government of Guatemala. In 1992, Rigoberta Menchu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She used the $1.2 million cash prize to establish the Rigoberta Menchu Tum Foundation to continue the fight for the human rights of the indigenous people. Mrs. Menchu Tum worked hard to support the United Nations Declaration of 1993 as the International Year for Indigenous People.