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STOCKHOLM
- Vladimir Slivyak, one of
Russia’s most successful environmentalists, is
among the recipients of the 2021 Right
Livelihood Award for spearheading grassroots
campaigns against environmentally damaging
practices for
decades.
Founded in
1980, the Right Livelihood Award honours
and supports courageous people solving global
problems. It comes with a cash prize of 1
million SEK (around 100,000 EUR or 115,000 USD)
and long-term support to highlight and expand
Laureates’ work.
As
co-chairman and co-founder of Ecodefense, one of
Russia’s leading environmental organisations,
Slivyak has worked extensively on reducing
environmental risks, mitigating the climate
crisis and promoting renewable energy in Russia.
With some
of the world’s largest oil, gas and coal
reserves, Russia is among the world’s top
exporters of fossil fuels. As such, it has
routinely undermined international climate
negotiations.
Slivyak
has shown that grassroots campaigns can
effectively challenge environmentally harmful
projects even if they are backed by a powerful
government such as Russia’s. He has stopped
projects related to the exploitation of fossil
fuels, the use of nuclear power and the shipment
of radioactive waste from
abroad.
Right
Livelihood’s jury said that Slivyak is receiving
the Right Livelihood Award “for his defence of
the environment and for helping to ignite
grassroots opposition to the coal and nuclear
industries in Russia.”
“I’ve
spent my life in the environmental movement, and
it’s really a big honour for me to get an award
like this,” Slivyak said. “The Right Livelihood
Award provides more resources for the
environmental and human rights protection work
that my organisation is
leading.”
“Vladimir
Slivyak is a pioneering environmental activist
and co-founder of the prominent Russian
environmental NGO Ecodefense,” said Ole von
Uexkull, Executive Director at Right
Livelihood.
“Working
in Russia, one of the world’s largest exporters
of oil, gas and coal, Slivyak has shown that
grassroots mobilisation can stop environmentally
harmful projects, even in the face of powerful
geopolitical interests. Slivyak and Ecodefense
are successfully continuing their work despite
harassment by Russia’s authoritarian
government,” von Uexkull
added.
The other
2021 Right Livelihood Laureates
are:
The 2021
Laureates will be honoured during a televised
Award Presentation in Stockholm on Wednesday,
December 1.
Finally,
please note our updated logotype! Find
more information in our Press
Kit.
Find more
information on the other Laureates
here.
Photos and
videos of the new Laureates can be found
here.
Media
contacts:
International
media: Emoke Bebiak, emoke....@rightlivelihood.org,
+41 78 333
84 84
German
media: Julia Naumann and Nina Tesenfitz, pre...@rightlivelihood.org,
+49 (0)170
5763 663
Spanish
media: Nayla Azzinnari, na...@rightlivelihood.org, +54
9 11 5460 9860
Swedish
media: Johannes Mosskin, joha...@rightlivelihood.org,
+46 70 437 11 48
Short
biography
Vladimir
Slivyak is one of Russia’s most committed and
knowledgeable environmentalists, who has been
spearheading important grassroots campaigns
against environmentally damaging practices for
decades. He has stopped projects related to the
exploitation of fossil fuels, the use of nuclear
power and coal, and the shipment of radioactive
waste from abroad.
As
co-chairman and co-founder of Ecodefense, one of
Russia’s leading environmental organisations for
decades, Slivyak has worked extensively on
reducing environmental risks, mitigating the
climate crisis and promoting renewable energy in
Russia.
Led by
Slivyak, Ecodefense was the first environmental
group in Russia to start an anti-coal campaign
in 2013, which helped to empower local
communities suffering from the impacts of coal
mining and transportation. Connecting local
communities around the country and information
sharing led to a rapid growth of anti-coal
protests in various parts of
Russia.
Slivyak
has also opposed Russia’s promotion of nuclear
energy both at home and abroad. These enormous
successes have proven that even in authoritarian
Russia, grassroots activities can effectively
challenge government-backed
projects.
In recent
years, Slivyak and Ecodefense have been targeted
by Russian authorities for their work. However,
Slivyak has stayed the course heartened by the
growing influence of young climate activists.
Standing with them, he is committed to ushering
in a cleaner and more sustainable future for
Russia and the world.
Biographical
information:
Place of
Birth: Kaliningrad, Russia (USSR at the
time)
Date of
Birth: July 30, 1973
Website/SoMe:
www.ecodefense.ru
About
Right Livelihood
Established
in 1980, Right Livelihood honours and supports
courageous people solving global problems.
Housed under the umbrella of a foundation, Right
Livelihood is a courage-powered community for
social change committed to peace, justice and
sustainability for all.
Each year,
Right Livelihood highlights change-makers
through an Award. To date, 186 Laureates from 73
countries have received the distinction. By
recognising the actions of brave visionaries and
building impactful connections around the world,
Right Livelihood boosts urgent and long-term
social change.
However,
the work of Right Livelihood goes beyond only
presenting the Award: they provide these
change-makers with life-long support. Right
Livelihood is a megaphone and a shield for the
Laureates: raising their profile, providing them
protection when their lives and liberty are in
danger, and educating people on their innovative
solutions.
Right
Livelihood is headquartered in Stockholm, with
offices in Geneva and Zurich. The Foundation has
Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic
and Social
Council. | 
