NEW YORK, 11 August – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and partners have announced the winners of the 13th Equator Prize, recognizing ten indigenous peoples and local communities from nine countries.
The winners, selected from a pool of over 500 nominations from 109 countries hail from Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Mozambique and Argentina. The announcement also marks the Equator Initiative’s twentieth anniversary.
This year’s winners highlight the theme of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge.”
The winning organizations demonstrate the ways that innovative, nature-based solutions can enable communities to achieve, even in a time of economic, environmental, political and public health shocks.
“For 20 years, Equator Prize winners have shown that local communities are already putting into place the economic and development transformations we need, to achieve a nature-positive future for all,” said Francine Pickup, Deputy Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. “Now more than ever, it is time to emulate their leadership and support their efforts.”
The important role of indigenous peoples in achieving sustainable development is recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Goal 2 (hunger), Goal 4 (quality education) and Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).
See the press release in English | French | Spanish and a blog in English | French | Spanish.
Also find here the links to a photo story in English| French | Spanish.
