United Nations Honors Shane Warne with Conservation Grant

The United Nations (UN) honored iconic Australian cricketer Shane Warne with a new animal conservation grant, during his state memorial service in Melbourne, on March 30.

Andrea Egan from the UN Development Programme, revealed Warne joined its wildlife fund, ‘Lion’s Share’, in 2021. Egan added: “the last time I spoke with Shane he expressed his passion for our work, his connection to Sri Lanka, his desire to be part of something larger than him.”

Egan announced the Shane Warne conservation grant to memorialise the spin king’s work to protect wildlife, saying “the United Nations is committed to honoring Shane’s contributions”.

Warne, 52, died of a heart attack earlier in March while on holiday in Thailand. Credit: Department of Premier and Cabinet via Storyful

影片文字轉錄稿

ANDREA EGAN: I want to start by conveying the deepest condolences of the United Nations to Shane's family, friends, and fans. My name is Andrea Egan, and I am speaking today on behalf of the Lion's Share, a United Nations backed wildlife fund co-founded by the United Nations Development Program and our partners in Australia. In 2021, Shane became our first Lion's Share Champion. When he joined, he expressed his hope to be part of rewriting the future, protecting animals and their habitat. The last time I spoke with Shane, he expressed his passion for our work, his connection to Sri Lanka, his desire to be part of something larger than him. Shane was a man of his word. He was generous. He used his fame to lean into the Lion's Share at this most pivotal time for the planet. We wish we had had more time with him. The United Nations is committed to honoring Shane's contributions. We invite you to join us as we inaugurate the Shane Warne Conservation Grant to memorialize his service and catalyze more action. His legacy extends beyond the hearts of the people here today. It lives on in the people of Sri Lanka, promoting sea turtle conservation. In an all-female anti-poaching unit in South Africa. In the team at the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital, who were supported in the wake of the bushfires. All of this work and more, Shane helped make possible. We are forever grateful for his championship and will work to honor his memory in a manner that does justice to the person he was. Thank you.