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International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) Celebrates Its Third Gala by Highlighting Outstanding International Conservation Efforts

Posted on: Monday, 19 January 2009, 17:00 CST

Foreign Heads of State, U.S. Administration, Member of Congress, and Celebrities Attend ICCF's Inauguration Conservation Gala

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) hosted its third annual gala, as an inaugural ball at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium to highlight conservation achievements by the international, corporate, NGO, and government communities that promote strong U.S. leadership in the sound management of the world's natural resources.

As one of the largest and most important gatherings of conservationists, hundreds of guests at the Inauguration Conservation Gala included foreign heads of state, members of the U.S. Cabinet, Members of Congress, world business leaders, American celebrities, and leaders from the international NGO community.

Leaders from these communities are presented with awards for their outstanding international conservation efforts, and this year promises to be the best yet. This year, ICCF presented the Good Steward Award to Edward Norton and the Conservation Leadership in Business Award to DuPont.

Celebrity guests included Bo Derek, Robert Duvall, Cheryl Hines, Dennis Hopper, Kelly Ann Hu, Gale Anne Hurd, Ashley Judd, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Edward Norton, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rick Schroder, and Joe Theismann to name a few. Wildlife also attended including a wallaby and sloth as a reminder of the importance that wildlife has on the environment.

Both the Boys Choir of Kenya and the Ron Clark Academy performed; Pete Seligmann, CEO of Conservation International, keynoted; company presidents of top sponsors Toyota, Volkswagen, Anheuser-Busch, Nestle, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund all made presentations; and, National Geographic Services in addition to Former Presidents William Jefferson Clinton and George Herbert Walker Bush provided video messages.

"America can and must take the lead in a global conservation movement. We must share our extensive natural resource management 'know how' to assist developing nations grow their economies and feed their people," said Former President William Jefferson Clinton. "We must understand that by investing in the environment, we are also investing in people. We must recognize the obvious link between good natural resource management and economic development and poverty alleviation."

President George H.W. Bush emphasized that, "The caucus recognizes that we can achieve prosperity in this generation that does not harm future generations and that we must establish a global conservation ethic that we can all embrace. This is something we can achieve together but it will not happen without inspired leadership. "

"Not only are we at the International Conservation Caucus Foundation celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, but we are also uniting so many different people, organizations, and ideologies in focusing on solving the climate crisis that continues to plague our planet," said David H. Barron, President, International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF). "As part of ICCF's mission, we are convinced that it is in America's national interest to expand its leadership in the world to promote sound, long-term policies of sustainable land, water, and biodiversity management."

About ICCF

Founded in 2006, ICCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The ICCF unites policymakers in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and Administration with foreign leaders, business leaders, and civil society worldwide through informed debate on proactive policies that integrate natural resource stewardship into U.S. foreign policy and foreign assistance programs. ICCF motivates international policymakers to generate strategies that launch, fund, implement, and monitor international conservation measures and mitigate conservation crises, through its educational programs and a demonstration of consensus in the private sector.

SOURCE International Conservation Caucus Foundation

Source: PR Newswire

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