The Right Livelihood Awards 2007

The recipients of this year's Right Livelihood Awards, often referred to as the 'Alternative Nobel Prizes', are coming to Stockholm. The Right Livelihood Awards will be presented in the Swedish Parliament on Friday, 7 December, at 6 pm.

Judge Christopher Weeramantry from Sri Lanka, best known for his landmark International Court opinion on the threat and use of nuclear weapons, is honoured for "his lifetime of groundbreaking work to strengthen and expand the rule of international law".

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi from Kenya, a Muslim woman and most effective peace-worker, receives the award "for showing in diverse ethnic and cultural situations how religious and other differences can be reconciled, even after violent conflict, and knitted together through a cooperative process that leads to peace and development".

Percy and Louise Schmeiser (Canada), who have given the world a wake-up call about the dangers to farmers and biodiversity from companies engaged in the genetic engineering of crops, are honoured "for their courage in defending biodiversity and farmers' rights, and challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws".

The company Grameen Shakti from Bangladesh, represented by Dipal Barua, Managing Director, is honoured "for bringing sustainable light and power to thousands of Bangladeshi villages, promoting health, education and productivity".

Founded in 1980, the Right Livelihood Awards are presented annually in the Swedish Parliament 'to honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today'.

www.rightlivelihood.org