Congratulatations to René Ngongo, who receives the Right Livelihood Award (otherwise known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize") in Stockholm this evening. While we all hope we'd be ready to put our personal freedoms on the line for something we really believe in - like averting dramatic climate change - René was put to that test and passed.
During the civil wars that ravaged the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), René turned down several opportunities to leave the country. "Millions of people in the DRC count on the forests for their livelihood", René has said of his decision to remain. "I knew that if we didn't manage to protect the forests there could never be real peace because people would be left without homes, food and jobs."
René has worked tirelessly with grass roots organisations to save the forests from industrial loggers by helping communities to understand their rights. He has also created programs to give locals tools to fight "slash and burn" agriculture and develop income alternatives for local farmers.
René s skill at political negotiations, his expertise in forest conservation and his ability to work with people from all walks of life, have made him not only one of the foremost environmental leaders in DRC and Africa, but in the world, as evidenced by this prestigious award.
René likes to say that this award is for all of those in Congolese Civil Society who have continued to work for change under difficult conditions. Just days before the beginning of the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit, René's Right Livelihood Award signals the critical importance of saving the world’s forests, not only for the people who depend on them, but also for their role in averting catastrophic climate change.
Thank you René for making us all proud to be part of Greenpeace.