Dame Jacinda Ardern to be given United Nations leadership award

Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern, wearing a traditional Maori Kakahu cloak, poses with her medal and insignia after being appointed a Dame Grand Commander of of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Photo / AFP, pool

By RNZ

Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern is to be given a global leadership award by the United Nations Foundation.

The annual awards, We The Peoples, recognise “extraordinary individuals and organisations whose work embodies the values and purposes of the UN”.

Ardern will be given the Champion for Global Change award.

The citation said it recognised her trailblazing and empathetic leadership, her commitment to championing the rights of women, combatting climate change and fostering of unity and peace.

Last month, Ardern received her damehood from Prince William in a ceremony in the United Kingdom.

Previous recipients of the Champion for Global Change award included UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, and former World Trade Organisation Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Other recipients at the 2024 awards include Time, poet and activist Amanda Gorman, singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo, chef and entrepreneur Louise Mabulo, and UN emergency first responders.

The awards are due to be presented in New York on Friday.

Since resigning as Prime Minister, Ardern has become a trustee of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, and spent time in the United States, including working for Harvard University, as well as writing a book about leadership.

- RNZ

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