Wangari Maathai is 64 years old, graduated in biology in the United States and subsequently became director of the faculty of veterinary medicine at the University of Nairobi. She began engaging with social and environmental issues from 1970, when her husband stood as a candidate in parliamentary elections. From this interest, a grassroots organisation soon emerged, centred on the idea of providing work for poor people while improving and conserving the resources of the surrounding environment. Maathai deepened this commitment by becoming co-founder, together with the National Council of Women of Kenya, of Green Belt, a movement with two aims: to provide work for poor women, thereby fostering an improvement in their image; and to improve the environment by planting trees in areas at risk of desertification. Indeed, in Africa, thanks to the activities of Green Belt, between 25 and 30 million trees have been planted since 1977.

Wangari Maathai, currently Under-Secretary for the Environment and Natural Resources of Kenya, will continue her commitment to Green Belt. "She deserves the Prize: I am proud because it has been awarded to a courageous person, a true role model for many women in Kenya": so said Isabella Karanja, president of the National Council of Women of Kenya.

By honouring a person who has dedicated her life to creating economic and social wellbeing through the improvement of the environment, the Nobel Prize jury has highlighted the connection that exists between environmental, social and spiritual degradation.