The 21 winning initiatives of the 2015 Equator Prize include a indigenous group in Brazil that inspired the film 'Avatar'; a conservation group in Indonesia that is saving sea turtles; a movement for pygmy rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and a community-based organization in the poorest region of Afghanistan that is restoring areas affected by conflict and creating new jobs.
The prize is the "flagship programme" of the Equator Initiative, a partnership that brings together the UN, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizations to advance sustainable development solutions.
21 September 2015: The 21 winning initiatives of the 2015 Equator Prize include a indigenous group in Brazil that inspired the film ‘Avatar’; a conservation group in Indonesia that is saving sea turtles; a movement for pygmy rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and a community-based organization in the poorest region of Afghanistan that is restoring areas affected by conflict and creating new jobs. The prize is the “flagship programme” of the Equator Initiative, a partnership that brings together the UN, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizations to advance sustainable development solutions.
The Equator Prize is unique for recognizing collective, rather than individual, achievement. The 2015 winners have secured land rights for hundreds of communities, saved millions of hectares of forest from destruction, protected endangered wildlife species, and created tens of thousands of jobs for their communities.
UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark said the winners show what is possible when indigenous peoples and local communities are able to manage their lands, territories and natural resources, and they demonstrate that land rights for indigenous people are good for the climate and for sustainable development.
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres called for the involvement of indigenous peoples and local communities to reach collective climate goals.
The winners were chosen from a record 1,461 nominations from 126 countries. A Technical Advisory Committee comprised of international experts guided a peer-review process to select the 21 winning initiatives. The 2015 award cycle represents the first time the Equator Prize was awarded to groups from Afghanistan, Guyana and Iran. The Prize was also awarded to winners from Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia/Kenya, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia/Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Uganda. Winners will each receive US$10,000 and will send a representative to the community summit in Paris during the 2015 Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 21). A gala event recognizing the winners will take place on 7 December 2015.
Partners include the Governments of Norway, Germany, Sweden and the US, as well as Conservation International, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Nature Conservancy, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UNDP and the UN Foundation. [UNDP Press Release] [Equator Initiative Website]