Grzegorz Peszko

Economist – a Lead Author of the reports for which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007

for outstanding contributions to global sustainability

Grzegorz Peszko is a world-renowned expert and leader in aligning economic and environmental policies for sustainable development. He was a lead author of the reports for which the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Born in Krakow, Poland, he was a pioneering force in the independent environmental and peace movements opposing communist regime. In the 1990s, his research, policy advice, and service for the Ministry of Environment facilitated the EU accession of Poland and other former communist countries.

In 1999, he joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, where he led a groundbreaking initiative on environmental finance for emerging economies. His guidelines on how governments should use public funds to benefit the environment were adopted as the model legal instrument for all OECD member states. His tenure at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London further solidified his reputation as a thought leader in energy and environmental economics. For almost 15 years, he has served as Lead Economist at the World Bank in Washington, DC, where his efforts have stretched the boundaries of economic analysis, policy reforms, and project financing. Thanks to his efforts, the UN is adopting an international standard on including renewable energy resources in national accounts on par with fossil fuel reserves. He holds two master’s degrees from Jagiellonian University and University College London, and a Ph.D. from The Krakow University of Economics.

He is recognized for his impact on advancing prosperity while mitigating climate change, reducing pollution, and promoting circular economy across Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. In recent years, he spearheaded international dialogue on climate strategies suitable for fossil fuel producing nations. He (co)authored over 70 influential books and articles and has served on several Polish and international boards and expert groups.

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Marek Probosz

Actor, director, screenwriter, author, producer and university professor

for achievements in film, theater, education and contributionsin promoting Polish and Native American history and culture

Marek Probosz is a Polish-American actor, director, screenwriter, author, and producer with over 60 film roles to his name. A graduate of the National Film School in Łódź and the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, Probosz was invited to the U.S. in 1987 by The American Cinematheque as the “Idol of his generation.” Since then, he has worked with Hollywood elites, with his films earning accolades at prestigious film festivals in Cannes, Berlin, and New York, among others.

Probosz’s global career includes guest roles in popular TV series such as Scorpion, Scandal, and MONK. The New York Times praised his portrayal of Roman Polanski in Helter Skelter (2004). His directorial debut, Y.M.I., won the ABBOT Audience Award at The Other Venice Film Festival. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Witold Pilecki in The Death of Captain Pilecki (2006). Probosz later recorded Pilecki’s Report from Auschwitz as a 10-hour audiobook and starred in the award-winning Broadway monodrama The Auschwitz Volunteer: Captain Witold Pilecki. In 2022, his solo production, Norwid’s Return, won the Best New York Premiere Award at the United Solo Festival.

Probosz has received numerous awards, including the Gold Medal Outstanding Pole Award USA (2023), and the Witold Pilecki Gold Medal (2011). A professor since 2005, he teaches acting at UCLA and has authored theater plays, screenplays, and two books.

Probosz’s life has deep connections to Native American culture. In 1990, he was welcomed onto a Hopi reservation in Arizona, where he received the name Owatsmo, meaning “rock mound,” and married his wife, Gosia, in a traditional Native ceremony. He also participated in the Summer Solstice ceremonial pow-wow in Teotihuacan, attended by leaders of various indigenous nations. In 2019, he portrayed an environmental advocate protecting Navajo interests alongside Saginaw Grant in Valley of the Gods, directed by Lech Majewski. Currently, he is developing a documentary titled Carving a Dream about sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski’s Crazy Horse Monument.