The Prize may be conferred upon up to two individuals, institutions or non-governmental organisations, who must be nominated by the governments of Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, and by non-governmental organisations maintaining formal relations with UNESCO.
The main demand for the agency had come from the various environmental nongovernmentalorganisations (NGOs) who had earlier 'persuaded' the government to carry out a review of the need for more independence in environment governance.
In order to address these challenges, a wide range of integrated and multi-faceted literacy programmes has been initiated and implemented at the national and provincial levels by both governmental and non-governmental organisations.