April 2014: The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) has announced the opening of nominations for the Wangari Maathai Award 2014. The award will be issued to an individual who has achieved success in the preservation, restoration and sustainable management of forests for the benefit of local communities, rural livelihoods, women and the environment.

Nominations should demonstrate how the nominees’ work reflects the spirit of Wangari Maathai’s work, and raises awareness of the importance of forests to rural livelihoods, the empowerment of women and the environment. Nominations should also highlight how nominees have empowered others to conserve and sustainably manage forests.

Nominations are due by 30 May 2014 and the award will be presented on 5 October 2014, at the 24th International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) World Congress. The award is supported by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), IUFRO, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) and the World Bank. [CPF Press Release]