VIETNAMESE WILDLIFE CONSERVATIONIST, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDER AND WRITER DR. TRANG NGUYEN RECEIVES 2022 PRINCESS OF GIRONA FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL AWARD

The Embassy of Spain in Hanoi (Vietnam) is pleased to communicate that the Vietnamese wildlife conservationist, environmental defender and writer Dr. Trang Nguyen has won the 2022 Princess of Girona Foundation International Award for “her courageous and inspiring work in wildlife conservation in her own country and elsewhere in the world. Dr. Nguyen has shown a rare combination of leadership, perseverance and humility as she pursues an intersectional approach that also encourages women to work for the protection of wildlife, she does this at a time when the greatest crisis facing humanity is our own environmental future.”

The Embassy of Spain applauds the opportunity of this award which coincides with the double anniversary in 2022 between Spain and Vietnam: the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries and the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Embassy of Spain in Hanoi, a perfect occasion to stress the importance that Spain gives to the relevant position of Vietnam in the fight against Climate Change and Environmental Preservation.

The winner’s name was announced yesterday after an online meeting of a jury of international experts chaired by doctor, epidemiologist, researcher and member of the FPdGi’s Advisory Council Pedro Alonso; artist Mat Collishaw; cofounder and CEO of Humanity Crew Maria Jammal (2019 FPdGi International Award); CEO of European Centre Delphine Moralis;, CEO-General Manager of Education H-Farm, Antonello Barbaro; CEO and founder of ProTalento Juan David Aristizábal, (2021 FPdGi International Award), who acted as secretary to the jury,  and historian and journalist Giles Tremlett.

The Embassy of Spain promoted her candidacy in recognition of her merits in the defense and conservation of the environment. Particularly remarkable are her commitment to fight against the illegal trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna, her defense of ecosystems which are vital to biodiversity and climate resilience, her solidarity with her colleagues in tackling sexual harassment in environmental conservation and her engagement in environmental education and awareness, both in Vietnam, in cooperation with the Vietnamese authorities, and internationally. Dr. Trang Nguyen is in a unique position of leadership in Southeast Asia for her very broad international understanding of environmental issues and her well-known multidisciplinary and cross-cutting work, thanks to her academic excellence, her pioneering research and scientific publications, her long professional career -despite being only 32 years old- in various continents and organizations and her role as founder and director of the NGO WildAct Vietnam. The life of Dr. Trang Nguyen is an example of the conviction with which we must act in this critical decade, in which decisions will determine the course of humanity and the quality of life of future generations.

The Princess of Girona Foundation was constituted on 26 June 2009.  Her Royal Highness Princess Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, Heir to the Crown of Spain, also holds the title of Princess of Girona and is the Honorary President of the Princess of Girona Foundation. The Princess of Girona Foundation created the International Award in 2019 with the aim of recognizing the professional and personal efforts of young people from any part of the world who stand out for their work, merits and exemplarity in any of the other categories of the Foundation’s Awards. In addition to Dr. Trang Nguyen, previous winners of this award include Juan David Aristizábal Ospina, the cofounder and CEO of Humanity Crew Maria Jammal (2019) and the founder of the Ocean CleanUp Boyan Slat (2020). The Foundation’s main objective is to work for young people in all areas that are critical for their future. And Dr. Trang Nguyen is the first Asian recipient of this Award. The 2022 Princess of Girona Foundation Awards Ceremony will be taking place in Barcelona (Spain) in these coming weeks.

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