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 The Equator Prize 2015 was held on Monday, 7 December 2015, in Paris, France. This round of the Equator Prize was awarded to outstanding community efforts to reduce poverty, protect nature and strengthen resilience in the face of climate change.
Hosted by Helen Clark, UNDP, and Alec Baldwin, Activist, the ceremony recognized Indigenous Peoples and local communities from 19 different countries representing Africa, Asia and Latin America. More than 1,500 people attended the event. Winners were honored for their achievements such as: securing land rights for communities; preserving millions of hectares of forests from destruction; protecting endangered species; creating jobs for local communities; and working in conflict zones, among others. This year’s ceremony was the first time the Prize was awarded to groups from Afghanistan, Guyana and Iran.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, noted in her speech that, “you cannot doubt the commitment of Indigenous Peoples to conserving the world. They are still saying the same thing and espousing the same values they have for hundreds of years, passed down from their ancestors.”
Following a global call for nominations, the Equator Initiative received a record-setting 1,461 nominations from 126 countries around the world. A Technical Advisory Committee comprised of international experts guided a rigorous, months-long peer-review process to select the 21 winning. Winning groups each received US$10,000. The winners have been announced here. |
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IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, covered the 2015 Equator Prize Awards Ceremony which took place on Monday, 7 December 2015, in Paris, France.
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Photo of the winners of the Equiator Prize 2015
