Bochum, 17 March 2007 - Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, has been honoured as one of the recipients of the 2007 Steiger Award.

Mr Steiner was awarded in the category of the Environment for his "commitment and important work for the protection of our planet".

He was joined by other winners in categories, ranging from sports and music to journalism and politics, including H.E President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, Franz Beckenbauer, Wolfgang Niedecken, boy band US5, Peter Scholl-Latour and Hans Dietrich Genscher.

Der Steiger, which translates into English as "the miner" reflects the coal mining roots of the North Rhine Westphalian region of Germany where the prize is held. The award reflects the philosophy of straight-forwardness, honesty, fairness and helpfulness.

Mr Steiner said: "I am delighted to have been among the winners of the Der Steiger award for 2007. It brings together so many individuals from the worlds of politics, culture, sports and the entertainment. It is also recognition of our work in the United Nations on global environmental issues". [Full UNEP Press Release]