Nauru’s President Waqa receives lifetime achievement award for leadership in climate change

Nauru’s President Baron Divavesi Waqa is the top recipient of The BrandLaureate Hall of Fame lifetime achievement award 2019, in recognition of his work and leadership in climate change.

President Waqa received the award from the World President of the BrandLaureate, Dr KK Johan at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on 27 June.

The award recognises the president’s work and leadership on climate change where he chaired the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) leading the charge of small island states in their deliberations in the various platforms including at the Conference of Parties (COP) talks.

In the official letter from Dr Johan to President Waqa informing him of the prestigious award, which is granted by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation (APBF), the award recognises President Waqa’s “impeccable leadership as the president of the Republic of Nauru and for your active involvement in combating climate change; in addition to being the driving force of the cause in the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, urging the transformation of these societies as envisioned under the SAMOA Pathway and the Paris Agreement and by extension, a voice in the world forum.”

“The BrandLaureate Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Award is the very finest recognition accorded by the Foundation to epitomic individuals and only the most inspirational are considered,” Dr Johan said in his letter.

In ascertaining President Waqa’s branding footprint, the Board unanimously concurred that the issues orbiting climate change are very real  and present, requiring immediate countermeasures if the world is to preserve a livable way of life in the days ahead.

As a native islander and head of state and government, the foundation said President Waqa is “more aware than most that any shift in the balance of the ecosystem can be intimately felt, amplified by its small population and resource base rarely yield the economies of scale sought by private investors.”

The outcome which selected President Waqa comes after a vigilant selection initiative involving the meticulous vetting of breakthrough leaders, universal captainship guild nominations, adherent approbation, political aficionado recommendations and the ilk.

Past international recipients of the award include the late former president Nelson Mandela, Hilary Clinton, Dr Ben S. Bernanke, the late Steve Jobs, Professor Robert Fry Engle (Nobel Laureate for Economics), Dr Jane Goodall and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook co-founder), sports personalities Kobe Bryant, the late Muhammed Ali, Michael Schumacher, Ivan Lendl and Tiger Woods; and entertainers Adele, Dame Judi Dench, and Harrison Ford, to name a few.

Its website states the APBF was established in 2005 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing brands in a myriad of business backdrops. It is led by its patron, the fourth prime minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir Mohamad with a board of governors who are experienced captains of industries and brand icons.

After its establishment, the APBF has embarked on many initiatives through The BrandLaureate to support its brand mission.

 

Photo Loop Nauru. Caption: Nauru President Baron Waqa