The Equator Prize 2021 Award Ceremony
The 12th Equator Prize Award Ceremony honored 10 local communities and Indigenous peoples from across the world. Due to the ongoing global pandemic, the ceremony was held virtually and garnered over 20,000 viewers. The winners were awarded a cash prize of US$10,000 each for their significant work that showcases innovative nature-based solutions for addressing biodiversity loss, our climate crisis, and sustainable development. The ten winners were recognized for championing effective solutions to manage sustainable food systems, strengthening climate resilience for people and planet, and spearheading a new nature-positive economy.
See the recording of the full event here as part of the 2021 Nature for Life Hub.
EP Winners 2021 (Copy)
Opening
R e m a r k s
The ceremony opened with a blessing from an Equator Prize 2021 winner. Kerly Santi, a youth group leader from the Pueblo Originario Kichwa de Sarayaku offered her benediction: “From the womb of the Living Forest, the women of Sarayaku bless humanity.”
Master of Ceremonies, television presenter and journalist, Femi Oke, welcomed the audience by celebrating the ways each of the Equator Prize 2021 winners lead sustainable development and address the unique challenges affecting their communities. “These awards are very special because what they do is bring honor to Indigenous and local communities who are finding creative solutions to tackle biodiversity and climate change. Really creative solutions!”
Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, highlighted the vital role nature-based solutions led by Indigenous peoples and local communities play in current conservation policies and efforts. “At this moment, we need hope, but perhaps even more importantly, we need solutions. This year’s ten Equator Prize winners, selected from 600 applications in 126 countries, are providing many reasons for optimism about the future. But it is much more than blind optimism. Their nature-based solutions show us the value of working with nature for climate action, for food and water security, and for sustainable livelihoods … Equator Prize winners show us what it means to put nature at the very heart of our economies, and at the very heart of sustainable development.”
Kerly Santi
Youth group leader from the Pueblo Originario Kichwa de Sarayaku
Femi Oke
Master of Ceremonies, television presenter and journalist
Achim Steiner
Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
Model, actor, producer, UNEP Goodwill Ambassador and UN Secretary-General’s Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, Dia Mirza, opened the thematic category on Food Systems by highlighting the importance of traditional practices to shape larger food policy.
This year’s Equator Prize winners demonstrate the success of Indigenous peoples and local communities in promoting a sustainable food system based on their traditional practices.
The
W i n n e r s
| Christiana Figueres, Founding Partner of Global Optimism and former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) |
| Cholponbek Abikeyev, Secretary of State of the Kyrgyz Republic |
| Dr. Makoto Kitanaka, President of Association Sasakawa Africa (SSA) |
Community Statement:
What Future Will You Choose?
The 10 Equator Prize 2021 winners delivered a powerful community statement – in their own words and languages – calling on world leaders to join them in their work to create a safe climate, healthy ecosystems, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The winners emphasized the impact of their work around the world. They made it clear that they cannot solve our planetary emergency alone, posing a stark question for world leaders: “What future will you choose?”
Paloma Costa, activist and member of the UN Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, opened the category of Climate Resilience for People and Planet. She lauded the unique and innovative ways in which Equator Prize winners are leading a global movement to take on the climate crisis.
The solutions to our climate emergency already exist. Communities all over the world have come up with creative ways to adapt to a changing climate … (The Equator Prize winners) show that defending their Indigenous lands serves all of us. They show that protecting wetlands and mangroves not only helps our climate but also improves community well-being…They show that humanity is ready for a sustainable future.
The
W i n n e r s
| Mauricio Kuri González, Governor of the State of Querétaro, Mexico |
Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson of Arghyam Trust
| Alberto Acosta, President of the Constitutional Assembly of Ecuador, 2007-2008 |
Session
H i g h l i g h t s
Bård Vegar Solhjell, Director General, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the main funder of the Equator Prize 2021 and a longstanding partner of the Equator Initiative, addressed the audience and congratulated the winners. He stressed the global importance of the Equator Prize and its winners: “We see this initiative as a great inspiration for all of the thousands of local groups working tirelessly to improve their livelihoods in and the natural environment in which they live.”
Musical Performance: Djuena Tikuna & DJ Eric Marky Terena
Mr. Solhjell’s statement was followed by a musical performance by Indigenous artists and journalists Djuena Tikuna and DJ Eric Marky Terence, recorded in the Amazon rainforest.
Bård Vegar Solhjell
Director General, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)
Djuena Tikuna & DJ Eric Marky Terena
Indigenous artists and journalists
Edgar Villanueva, author of “Decolonizing Wealth”, opened the category “A New Nature Economy”. He encouraged corporate and governmental leaders to recognize the long-term importance of local and Indigenous-led economies.
These community enterprises merely need to be afforded the same chances that their big competitors enjoy. It is our collective work to ensure that this paradigm shift exemplified by the Equator Prize winners and driven by Indigenous peoples and local communities all over the world receives the attention, appreciation, and partnership necessary to scale up.
The
W i n n e r s
| Honorable Joshua Osih, member of the National Assembly of Cameroon |
| Professor Gita Sen, Public Health Foundation of India |
| DJ Alok, DJ and Musical Producer from the Brazilian Cerrado |
CIosing
P e r f o r m a n c e
Portugal. The Man, “Grammy” award winning rock band and activists, performed from their home studio to celebrate the Equator Prize winners, and close the Equator Prize 2021 Award Ceremony.
Our
P a r t n e r s
The Equator Prize 2021 Award Ceremony was possible thanks to the Equator Initiative partners:
