Washington, DC – May 30, 2024 – H.E. President Dr. Hilda C. Heine has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Vital Voices Lifetime of Leadership Award, recognizing her unwavering commitment on the front lines of climate change. The award was presented during the 2024 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards ceremony held in Washington, DC on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Each year, the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards honors women leaders in the field of human rights, economic empowerment, and political reform. President Dr. Hilda C. Heine, the first female President of the Marshall Islands and the first Marshallese to earn a doctorate degree, has been a trailblazer in championing gender equality and women empowerment, and a strong advocate for education, climate justice and human rights, throughout her career.
In her acceptance speech, President Heine expressed her gratitude for the recognition and emphasized the urgent call for greater action to address climate change. “…the targets we set at home won’t move the needle on global emissions. To do that, we need the larger countries, the largest emitters, to live up to the promises they’ve made to transition away from fossil fuels”, she said. Other honorees were Nobel Laureate and Rappler Co-founder and CEO Maria Ressa (Global Trailblazer Award), Diplomat and Pan-African Feminist Aya Chebbi, Activist Nika Kovac, and Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia Susana Muhamad (Collective Action Award).
President Heine was supported by her small delegation during the award ceremony including First Gentlemen Thomas Kijiner, Jr., Ambassador Charles Paul, Chief of Staff Emma Kabua-Tibon, and DC Embassy staff.
