15/05/2025
Mohan Munasinghe received the Medal of Honour for Exceptional Contributions to Sustainability and Peace and title “Scion of Magna Mater” (Son on Great Mother Earth) from the World Peace and Diplomacy Organization (WPDO), at the 7th Global Business Leadership Forum in Colombo, recently. The meeting was attended by thought leaders and visionaries from Asia, Africa, Americas and Europe. This exclusive award is reserved for individuals whose lifetime of work has harmonized human advancement with planetary stewardship. The citation recognized Prof. Munasinghe’s “pivotal role in shaping global discourse on sustainable development, his shared 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, 2021 Blue Planet Prize, and visionary contributions to science, climate policy, and ethical leadership, that have inspired generations worldwide.”
In his keynote speech, he said by 2030, humanity would require the resources of two planets to sustain itself. “There is so much inequality. It’s not fair that the richest people on Earth consume hundreds of times more than the poorest. The more we destroy the planet’s resources, the more we will fight over what is left. To bring peace and harmony to the world, we must first find peace and harmony within ourselves.”
Nations must harmonize the ‘sustainable development triangle’ (including economy, society and environment), which leads to balanced inclusive green growth (BIGG). He advocated supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which he called humanity’s final opportunity to right its course and achieve the earth civilization of the 21st century. Munasinghe recommends integrating climate change into national sustainable development strategy. He said that human beings are the cause of climate change, while the poor will be the ones who suffer the worst impacts. This is a gross injustice because the problem was caused by the excessive greenhouse gas emissions of the rich.
He stressed that “Business is part of the solution, and not necessarily the problem” and urged business and civil society to work with government to achieve the 17 SDG. “Ethical managers are essential for business sustainability, and firms can achieve win-win outcomes that reduce both costs and natural resource use. Digital technology will facilitate both sustainable production and consumption.” He stressed that cities are the starting point for a digital technology-led, smart sustainability transformation focusing on better infrastructure and governance.
He noted that world leadership is weak and incapable of tackling the many sustainable development issues, including climate change -- which only makes other threats worse. He explained how the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have overtaken the G7 countries in terms of global gross domestic product in PPP terms. The BRICS+ led Global Majority (85% of the global population) are shifting away from the Western-led unipolar world order to a more balanced, multilateral world, with priorities focusing on sustainable development, poverty eradication, peaceful trade, cultural links, etc. Now, with digital, green and other new technologies, there are more opportunities for poor countries to level the playing field and restore their dignity and self-respect. He urged business leaders to bridge the gap between BRICS+ and the west, to build a more prosperous world, and especially to avoid nuclear World War 3.
Professor Munasinghe is Chairman of the MIND Group in Colombo, which includes the non-profit Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND), a UN recognized centre of excellence on sustainable development, and MIND AM focusing on data analytics and management. He is Chairman of the Board of Climate & Conservation Consortium (CCC). He is also Board Director of Eureka Group, Distinguished Guest Professor at Peking Univ., China, and Chairman of the Presidential Expert Committee on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision.
