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Arctic communities are the early warning system for the planet’ says campaigner.

A 53-year-old Inuit activist whose tireless advocacy has raised global awareness about the devastating impact of climate change on the Earth’s Artic communities will be presented today with a prestigious lifetime achievement award by the United Nations.

Ms. Sheila Watt-Cloutier—a political leader representing indigenous communities in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia and a nominee for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize—helped launch one of the world's first international legal actions on climate change, contending that unchecked greenhouse gas emissions from the United States violated Inuit cultural and environmental rights.

The activist will receive the Mahbub ul Haq Award for Excellence in Human Development from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the 2007 Human Development Awards being held at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The journey from a traditional Inuit childhood to a globe-trotting advocate on health and environmental issues has been a long one for Ms. Watt-Cloutier, who was born in a small village in Canada's frozen far north where dog sled was the main form of transport. Along the way, she witness the devastating changes being visited on her people’s way of life and, as a grandmother, she now worries about what the future will hold for her grandson and generations to come.

“Our elders having been experiencing disturbing changes to our environment,” said Ms. Watt-Cloutier. “Permafrost is shrinking, increasing erosion and forcing people to move homes; glaciers are melting creating torrents in place of streams; wildlife is dying. The world must pay attention to what's happening to Arctic communities because we are the early warning system for the rest of the planet,” she said.

In addition to her climate change work, the activist was an instrumental force behind a global campaign to ban industrial toxins that can cause infertility, cancer and brain damage.

The award Ms. Watt-Cloutier will receive was created in honour of Mahbub ul Haq, who pioneered the human development approach to development and founded the global Human Development Report, an independent annual research project commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme to analyze major issues confronting humanity and recommend policy changes. The 2007 Human Development Report, due out in early November, focuses on climate change.

“Ms. Watt-Cloutier's life work is what human development is all about: helping people live healthier lives so they can realize their full potential,” said Kevin Watkins, Director of the Human Development Report Office. “Her leadership and advocacy on behalf of Arctic communities have advanced the cause of human development around the world.  Her strength and dedication should inspire us all.”

Human Development Awards are presented only every two to three years.  This year, awards were also presented to research teams from Costa Rica, China, Chhattisgarh (a state of India), Guinea-Bissau and the Asia-Pacific region for excellence in human development policy analysis and advocacy.  The judging panel for the Awards included Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Princess Basma of Jordan, President Jorge Quiroga of Bolivia and Dr. Gita Sen of Harvard University and the Indian Institute of Management.