Uruguayan scientists Daniel Martino, Virginia Sena, Cecilia Ramos Mañé, and Walter Oyhantçabal stand with Uruguay Public Health Minister María Julia Muñoz, U.S. Ambassador Frank E. Baxter and U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Robin Matthewman following a ceremony held April 7 in recognition of their participation in the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. vice-president Al Gore.

As part of the celebration of World Health Day 2008 and the 60th anniversary of the World Health Organization, the Government of Uruguay held a ceremony to honor the six Uruguayan scientists who share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. vice-president Al Gore and other members of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The honorees, Agricultural Engineers Cecilia Ramos Mañé and Walter Oyhantçabal, Chemical Engineer Virginia Sena, Dr. Daniel Martino, Dr. Walter Baethgen, and Dr. Gustavo Nagy, received a special award from Uruguayan Minister for Public Health, María Julia Muñoz and Environment Minister Carlos Colacce, on behalf of the Uruguayan Government, for their work on climate change.

Muñoz outlined the vast experience and international recognition of each of the winners. For their part, the Uruguayan scientists were grateful for the distinction and thanked the authorities for taking concrete and practical steps to ensure that Uruguay will be better prepared to deal with the impacts that climate change will bring in the future. With proactive attitudes, policies, information, training and changing "the minds of the people," it is possible to adapt to this challenge, assured the scientists.

Cecilia Ramos Mañé with U.S. Ambassador Frank E. Baxter and U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Robin Matthewman.

Cecilia Ramos Mañé, a specialist in Environment, Science and Technology, and Health, with the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, was a member of the editorial and review group that developed the IPCC report “Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.”

The report provides good practice guidance to assist countries in producing inventories that are neither over nor underestimates as far as can be judged, and in which uncertainties are reduced as far as practicable. To this end, it supports the development of inventories that are transparent, documented, consistent over time, complete, comparable, assessed for uncertainties, subject to quality control and quality assurance, and efficient in the use of resources.

Along with other experts, Cecilia provided her time and expertise in climate change to write, comment and review the text, and attend technical meetings.

This is a comprehensive assessment, taking into account that the IPCC is a technical agency that does not conduct evaluations from country to country. Ramos Mañé pointed out that it conducts studies at the regional or global level and analyzes scientific and technical issues in particular. It deals with all the issues related to climate change including inventories, mitigation, vulnerability and adaptation, technology transfer, and capacity building.

Ramos Mañé said that to be part of the IPCC and to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which is considered the highest distinction in any professional field, is the culmination of her career, and said that it makes her feel very proud of the work she has done.