Group from Kyrgyzstan awarded Equator Prize for first time

Bishkek, July 15, 2021 . / Kabar / . The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and partners announce the winners of the 12th Equator Prize, recognizing local and Indigenous communities from around the world, the UNDP press service said.

The winning organizations showcase local, innovative, nature-based solutions for tackling biodiversity loss and climate change, and achieving their local development goals even during a pandemic.

Equator Prize winners demonstrate the benefits of placing Indigenous and local communities’ knowledge and practices of nature-based solutions at the heart of local development.

This is the first time the Equator Prize has been awarded to a group from Kyrgyzstan.

Reversing land degradation in rural and mountain communities in Kyrgyzstan, BIO-KG initiated the creation of "Organic Aimaks" (communities), in which villagers commit to only organic agriculture based on traditional knowledge and agrobiodiverse food systems. This model was instrumental in the government's announcement of the transition to organic agriculture throughout the country within a decade.

Equator Prize winners will receive $10,000 and the opportunity to take part in a series of special virtual events associated with the UN General Assembly, the Nature for Life Hub and the UN Food Systems Summit later this year. They will join a network of 255 communities from over 80 countries that have received the Equator Prize since its inception in 2002.

"We need a profound transformation in our economic and development models that will drive forward the protection and restoration of our natural world,” said UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner.

“This year’s Equator Prize winners demonstrate that this transformation is already happening across the globe -- their incredible nature-based solutions provide a blueprint to solve our planetary emergency. This year’s winners exemplify the kinds of changes we need now, and they provide us with inspiration to follow in their footsteps. We are grateful to the Government of Norway for its generous support to the Equator Prize 2021,” he noted.

Winners are also based in Brazil, Bolivia, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Niger and Mexico.