"One person has done more than most to catalyze political and public opinion to an understanding that the environment is a fundamental pillar of sustainable development," it said quoting the award's citation.

The one-million-dollar prize was established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Dubai's crown prince and the country's defense minister, to acknowledge the environmental commitment of late president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan.

Previous prize winners include former US president Jimmy Carter and the British Broadcasting Corporation for their global media commitment to environment and sustainable development issues.

The jury noted Annan's commissioning of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report ahead of the World Summit in New York this year and his "personal leadership" at the previous summit in South Africa in 2002, according to the

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