The Equator Initiative Prize Ceremony, described as the ‘Academy Awards for Sustainable Development,' honored 21 indigenous and local community groups from 19 countries for their “outstanding achievements in advancing sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities.” The ceremony, which convened on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference, recognized winners for their contributions and innovations in preventing deforestation, protecting endangered wildlife species, securing land rights and creating jobs for their communities, among other actions.
8 December 2015: The Equator Initiative Prize Ceremony, described as the ‘Academy Awards for Sustainable Development,’ honored 21 indigenous and local community groups from 19 countries for their “outstanding achievements in advancing sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities.” The ceremony, which convened on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference, recognized winners for their contributions and innovations in preventing deforestation, protecting endangered wildlife species, securing land rights and creating jobs for their communities, among other actions.
Over 1,500 people attended the ceremony, which featured an award presentation highlighting the winners’ accomplishments, videos on the 21 initiatives by Edward Norton and a musical performance by a Malian duo, Amadou &Mariam.
The people and groups selected for the Equator Initiative Prize “have shown that action and innovation against climate change can and does happen at all levels,” UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark said, noting that such action and innovation should be encouraged and scaled up. Global Environment Facility (GEF) CEO Naoko Ishii highlighted indigenous peoples’ “generations of experience interacting with the environment,” which she said helps them cope with climate change. Gro Harlem Brundtland highlighted the winners’ contribution to a growing body of evidence on the ability of indigenous peoples to protect the environment, outperform other natural resource managers and provide social, economic and environmental benefits to their communities.
“We are part of the solution, with our millennial knowledge and proven practices that have sustained life for generations,” stressed Maria Incarnación Janamejoy who represented the prize-winning Wuasikimas, el Modelo del Pueblo Inga group from Colombia. The Inga received the Equator Prize for their deal with the Government of Colombia to expel guerillas and drug traffickers that had violated their territorial rights and degraded the environment. The Inga recovered the rights to 22,283 hectares of their ancestral territory.
Closing the event, Jane Goodall recommended listening to the wisdom and ways of indigenous peoples in addressing climate change. She commented, “There is a disconnect between the human brain, with its capacity to do so much, and the human heart. I believe we will reach our true human potential when the head and heart work in harmony.”
The UN announced the winners during a press conference on 21 September 2015. The winners then participated in a ‘Paris Dialogue’ held at the margins of the Paris Climate Change Conference. [UNDP Press Release, 8 December] [UNDP Press Release, 24 November] [GEF Press Release] [Equator Prize 2015 Winners] [Equator Initiative News on Paris Dialogues] [Award Ceremony Webcast] [IISD RS Story on Equator Prize Winners] [IISD RS Coverage of Award Ceremony]