Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has been awarded the 2019 Sustainable Development Leadership Award by The Energy and Resources Institute of India.
Director-General of the Institute Ajay Mathur has invited Bainimarama to attend and receive the award at the World Sustainable and Development Summit that will be held from the 11th to the 13th of this month.
However, Bainimarama has confirmed to Fijivillage that he will not be attending the summit because parliament will be sitting that week and he will send a video message.
Mathur says that they as an institute greatly admire the Government of Fiji’s effort to recognize the potential of the global community to increase the proportion of finance available for climate change adaptation and resilience building.
He says they also recognize the noteworthy presidency of Fiji at COP23.
Mathur says it will be their honour and privilege to have Bainimarama accept the award.
People like former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh, top Hollywood actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and United Nations Secretary-General Ban-ki-Moon have won the award.
The past recipients of the Award from 2005 to 2015:
- 2016 Mr Pawan Kumar Chamling, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Sikkim
- 2015 Dr Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, Former President of European Commission & Former PM of Portugal
- 2014 Mr Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra
- 2013 HE Mr James Alix Michel, President of Seychelles
- 2012 HE Ms Tarja Halonen, President of Finland
- 2011 Dr Manmohan Singh, Hon'ble PM of India
- 2010 HE Mr Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan
- 2009 HE Mr Ban-ki-Moon, Secretary-General, United Nations
- 2008 HE Mr Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of Maldives
- 2007 HE Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger, Former Governor, State of California, USA
- 2006 HE Prof. Ernesto Zedillo, Former President of Mexico and Director, Yale Centre for the Study of Globalization, USA
- 2005 Dr Shoichiro Toyoda, Honorary Chairman & Member of the Board, Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan
