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Nov
24
Bahá’í wins top environmental award
Filed Under People, Social action, women | Leave a Comment
A member of the UK Bahá’í community has won a prestigious award for her work in protecting high conservation priority areas around the world.
Mrs Guilda Navidi-Walker of Stisted was honoured by the World Wide Fund for Nature for the role she has played in helping convene summits for heads of states and ministers to agree to the protection of such areas, particularly in Brazil, South East Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and the Carpathian and Danube regions.
WWF’s Leaders for a Living Planet award recognises individuals who make a significant personal contribution to the conservation of the natural world and sustainable development.
Presenting Mrs Navidi-Walker with her award, James Leape, Director General of WWF, said, “Achieving conservation success is almost always the result of the actions and inspiration of one or more individuals who choose to make a personal difference and inspire others to join them. I am delighted to present Guilda Navidi-Walker with this award.”
Accepting her award, Mrs Navidi-Walker said, “Bahá’í scriptures describe nature as a reflection of the sacred and advises that nature should be valued and respected…Every effort should be made to preserve the earth’s bio-diversity and natural order.”
“I am delighted to receive this award and would like to acknowledge the international Bahá’í community’s inspiring example of environmental leadership,” she said.
The award was presented at the annual WWF Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Awards held at St.James’ Palace in London, in the presence of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who is President Emeritus of WWF International. The event was co-hosted for the first time with Women in Diplomatic Service, the association of female diplomats in the United Kingdom. 84 countries were represented by their ambassadors at the ceremony.