COUNCIL - Earth Charter Initiative

She was led into civil society work in response to war in her region in the early 1990s. In 1995 she founded
the Women Organized for a Morally Enlightened Nation (W.O.M.E.N) at a time when the military, through
partisan women’s political rights organization in the country and played a vital role in the campaign against
the military junta. Zainab mobilized thousands of women to confront armed soldiers in pro-democracy street
protests.
NGO in Sierra Leone, Zainab led the organisation in promoting democratic participation, new civil society
organisations, human rights, the rule of law, and the political and economic empowerment of women. CGG’s
work earned international recognition and Zainab herself was honoured with the 2000 Human Rights Award
of the New York-based Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. Zainab Bangura left CGG to establish the
members from the local professional class, academia, and grassroots organisations. Zainab was nominated as
the party’s presidential candidate and thus the only female candidate. More recently, Zainab has worked as a
consultant for the UN High Commission for Refugees and the Open Society Initiative.
Mateo A. Castillo Ceja (Mexico)
Titular de la Unidad Coordinadora de Participación Social y Transparencia
Blvd. Adolfo Ruiz Cortines 4209,
6o. Piso, Ala B
Col. Jardines en la Montaña
Delegación. Tlalpan, México, D.F., C.P.14210
Mateo A. Castillo Ceja is the head of the Coordinating Unity of Social Participation and Transparency in
the Ministry of Environment of Mexico. Previously he served as president of the Ecological State Council
of Michoacan, Mexico, and, with many others, has instigated processes of social participation in the
development of environmental public policies for a sustainable Mexico. He is an altruistic person who takes
part in the world humanitarian movement. He is considered a national expert in the implementation of local
Agenda 21. He has been a representative of civil society in Mexico in many forums and international summits.
Castillo is the main developer in Mexico of the Earth Charter and the founder of the National Secretariat. He
was awarded the Citizen Merit Prize in 2003, and in 2004 he received honorary mention in the National Prize
for Ecological Merit. In 2005, he was awarded the Maximo Kalaw Award for his work in promoting the Earth
Charter in Mexico. Mr. Castillo holds a Master’s degree in quality and competitiveness and is a biochemist in
the area of pharmacology.
Rick Clugston (United States)
Executive Director
Earth Charter US
USA
Rick Clugston is Project Coordinator for the Earth Charter Scholarship Project at the Center
for Environmental and Sustainability Education at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is also
the Executive Director of Earth Charter US, and Earth Charter Coordinator for the Forum on Religion and
Ecology at Yale University.
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Earth Charter Initiative
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