Zhou Qiang and the All-China Youth Federation win the special prize of the inaugural Champion of the Earth environmental award, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced Tuesday.

The awards were announced in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday.

The prize was awarded to Zhou Qiang in recognition of his "outstanding achievements" as honorary chairman of the Federation and leader of the China Mother River Protection Operation, which mobilized 300 million Chinese youth to protect the environment.

The awards, for prominent environmental activists from around the world, will be presented on April 19 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

(CRI April 13, 2005)