The Equator Initiative has announced the prize winners for the 2012 Equator Prize.
Twenty-five community projects were honored for their contributions to furthering sustainable development across the globe on topics such as freshwater access, food security, sustainable energy and oceans.
23 March 2012: The Equator Initiative has announced its 2012 Equator Prize winners, honoring 25 initiatives from around the globe for their role in advancing sustainable developments through innovative and pioneering projects.
After evaluating the 800 nominations received by the Equator Initiative’s Technical Advisory Committee, winners’ projects consist of initiatives on freshwater access, food security, sustainable energy and oceans, among others. A total of seven projects from the Asia-Pacific were selected, one project from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, six from Latin America and the Caribbean, three from the Middle East and North Africa, and eight from Sub-Saharan Africa. They will each receive US$5,000 in prize money, with ten projects receiving special commendations and a total of US$20,000. All winners will be officially honored at a high-level event at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) in June 2012. They will also participate in a community summit that will run in parallel to Rio+20.
Helen Clark, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator, lauded the winners for their efforts in addressing sustainable development and other environmental challenges through community-based efforts, noting that the Equator Prize is an opportunity to highlight innovative community-based projects to address these challenges. Charles McNeill, UNDP, underscored the leading role local and indigenous communities play in realizing green economies and pioneering innovative solutions.
The winners include:
Chunoti Co-Management Committee – Bangladesh
Kangmei Institute of Community Development and Marketing (KM) – China
Namdrik Atoll Local Resources Committee – Marshall Islands
Pemuteran Bay Coral Protection Foundation (Yayasan Karang Lestari Teluk Pemuteran) – Indonesia
Shashwat – India
Sisi Initiative Site Support Group – Fiji
Tetepare Descendants’ Association (TDA) – Solomon Islands
Abrha Atsbha Natural Resource Management Initiative – Ethiopia
Association Anja Miray – Madagascar
Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) – Kenya
Swazi Indigenous Products (SIP) – Swaziland
TRY Oyster Women’s Association – Gambia
Village Development Committee of Ando Kpomey (Comité villageois de développement d’Ando Kpomey) – Togo
West Africa Initiative of Liberia (WAIOL) – Liberia
Association Amsing – Morocco
Medicinal Plants Association – Egypt
Zenab for Women in Development – Sudan
Centro Alexander von Humboldt – Nicaragua
Environmental and Social Studies Group (Grupo de Estudios Ambientales y Sociales, AC) – Mexico
Ixpiyakok Women’s Association (Asociación de Mujeres Ixpiyakok – ADEMI) – Guatemala
Pacari Network (Articulação Pacari) – Brazil
Women and Land (Zan va Zamin) – Tajikistan
The Equator Prize is awarded every two years by the Equator Initiative to recognize community action in furthering sustainable development throughout the world. [IISD RS Sources] [UNDP Press Release] [Equator Prize 2012 Winners]