Romanian Gabriel Paun among six environmental leaders named 2024 Champions of the Earth

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced the six recipients of the 2024 Champions of the Earth award, and Gabriel Paun, a Romanian environmental defender, is on the list. He has been honored in the Inspiration and Action category.

Gabriel Paun "is the first Romanian to receive this title, which comes after more than 20 years of uninterrupted struggle for Romania's nature and is a recognition of the importance of the fight to protect primary and secular forests, stop desertification, and adapt to climate change," Agent Green announced.

The Champions of the Earth award is the UN's highest environmental honor and recognizes trailblazers from the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia who are at the forefront of efforts to protect both people and the planet, according to the official announcement. It has been presented annually since 2005, with 122 laureates to date.

This year's Champions are Sonia Guajajara - Brazil's Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Amy Bowers Cordalis - an Indigenous rights advocate, Gabriel Paun - a Romanian environmental defender, Chinese scientist Lu Qi, Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil, and the SEKEM initiative in Egypt.

"Mr. Paun is the founder of Agent Green, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that has been helping save thousands of hectares of precious biodiversity in the Carpathians since 2009 by exposing the destruction and illegal logging of Europe's last old-growth forest. He has received death threats and been physically attacked for his work in documenting deforestation in an area that is vital for the ecosystem and supports unique biodiversity such as endangered lynx and wolves," reads the United Nations' press release.

The announcement of the 2024 Champions of the Earth on December 10 coincided with Human Rights Day and the Resilience Day at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Ilona Andrei)