Tewolde Egziabher is General Manager of Ethiopia's Environmental Protection Authority, effectively the nation's Environment Ministry. He is the former Director of the Ethiopian Conservation Strategy Secretariat (1991-1994). He represented Africa during international negotiations for the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety. He won the Right Livelihood Award in 2000 "...for his exemplary work to safeguard biodiversity and the traditional rights of farmers and communities to their genetic resources.” In 2006 he was one of the recipients of the Champion of the Earth prize, the United Nations' foremost environmental award