SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 06: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attends the launch of ‘the NZ Design edit’ at David Jones Elizabeth Street Store on July 06, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage); LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 04: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince William, Prince of Wales attends the United for Wildlife (UfW) Global Summit at the Science Museum on October 4, 2022 in London, England. During the summit the prince delivered a keynote speech highlighting the serious and organised nature of illegal wildlife crime and its damaging impact on global biodiversity and local communities. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Jacinda Ardernhas a new role withPrince William’sEarthshot Prize.

The Prince of Wales' prestigious environmental awards announced Tuesday that the former prime minister of New Zealand, 42, has joined its Board of Trustees.

“It is an honour to welcome @jacindaardern to the @EarthshotPrize team. Her life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions, along with her experience as Prime Minister of New Zealand, will bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission,“Prince Williamsaid in a rare personal tweet, signing off “W.”

The news comes three months after Ardernunexpectedly announcedat the Labour Party’s annual caucus that she was resigning as prime minister after five years in office.

“I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It’s that simple,” she said in January.

Ardern added that she would not seek reelection and would not be putting herself forward as a future leader of the Labour Party. The politician said she hoped to spend more time with her partner Clarke Gayford and theirdaughter Neve, whom they welcomed in 2018.

FIONA GOODALL/AFP via Getty

Britain’s Prince William (R) and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (2nd R) attend the Anzac Day service at Auckland War Memorial Museum on April 25, 2019. - Dawn services were held across the two countries on the anniversary of the ill-fated 1915 campaign of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps that left 11,500 of them dead in what is now Turkey during World War I. (Photo by Fiona Goodall / AFP) (Photo credit should read FIONA GOODALL/AFP via Getty Images)

The elected official got to know Prince William during her time leading the Commonwealth country, and spoke on his behalf at the inaugural Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City in September. The Prince of Wales, 41, was unable to attend the event following the death of his grandmotherQueen Elizabethdays before.

“As I was preparing my remarks today, I couldn’t help reflect on Her late Majesty the Queen. She is someone who was focused, committed and demonstrated what could be achieved when you show fortitude and longevity,” Ardernsaidon stage.

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty

Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s prime minister, speaks during the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. The first-ever Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit brings together climate leaders to showcase transformative solutions that repair and regenerate the planet. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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“We need all of those same characteristics to take on the environmental challenges ahead of us. But we’re also at a cross roads in this difficult journey, where it won’t just take our global collective will to create the scale of change required to turn around our environmental trajectory, it will also take innovation. The speed we need to move, demands it,” she added.

Now, the former prime minister can look forward to being part of the third Earthshot Prize cycle this year. Nominations have closed and finalists are set to be announced in the fall, with winners celebrated at a ceremony later in 2023.

Prince Williamcreated the contestin 2020 to promote impactful approaches to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, with plans to award Earthshot Prizes until 2030. Winners receive £1 million ($1.2 million) and support to scale their solutions, focused on reviving and repairing the land, air or sea, to size.

source: people.com