Producing indigenous crafts in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador
The Equator Prize 2014 recognized 27 outstanding local and indigenous community initiatives at its biannual award ceremony, this year held at Lincoln Center in New York.
The winners, who were selected from 1,234 nominations in 121 countries, represent exceptional local achievements in advancing sustainable development solutions for resilient communities. The GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP) has supported 11 of the winning organizations with grant funding as well as technical support, including assistance in fundraising, networking and partnering and other capacity building activities.
"The knowledge, innovation, and hard work of local communities and indigenous peoples are indispensable to protect both the local and global environment," said GEF CEO Ms. Naoko Ishii during the ceremony. "The SGP is GEF's flagship program for engaging these communities and I look forward to continue to support this program in the coming years," she added.
Barbara Hendricks, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, who accompanied Ms. Ishii on stage, announced Germany's contribution of US$ 16.3 million to the Global Support Initiative for Indigenous and Community Conservation Areas and Territories, helping civil society-led efforts to voluntarily conserve these areas and implemented through the GEF SGP.
The event was organized in the context of the UN Secretary General's Climate Summit and the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, and included several distinguished speakers, among which were UNDP Administrator Helen Clarke and former US Vice President Al Gore.
About the GEF SGP winning projects
The organizations supported by the GEF SGP that received the awards come from different regions and were honored for their work in:
- Forest and tree kangaroo conservation in Papua Guinea;
- Women-led wetland rehabilitation in Jagadishpur, a Ramsar site in Nepal;
- Responsible fishing practices in Turkey's and Morocco's marine areas;
- Organic cocoa and indigenous handicraft production in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador;
- Climate resilient, sustainable agriculture in Jamaica;
- Mayan women-led forest conservation and indigenous land rights efforts in Mexico;
- Sustainable farming practices (including establishment of a seed bank) and utilization of renewable energy in the Palestinian Authority;
- Energy-efficient fish smoking kilns and forest conservation in Cameroon;
- Reversing land degradation and deforestation along the Kpaya River in the Central African Republic;
- Moving farmers from chemical-intensive tobacco cultivation to organic farming practices through organic certification in Zimbabwe.
In addition four of our grantee organizations also received special prizes:
- Papua New Guine's Tree Kangaroo Initiative won special prize for Sustainable Forest Management
- Central African Republic's Amical Bè Ôko won for Smallholder Farming
- Ecuador's Waorani Women's group won for Women's Leadership
- Morocco's AGIR won for Coastal Management
The Equator Initiative - A Partnership for Resilient Communities from Equator Initiative on Vimeo.
