The Inuit Circumpolar Council is among the ten winners the 2023 UNDP Equator Prize. UNDP, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and partners have announced the winners of the 14th Equator Prize, acknowledging Indigenous peoples and local communities from ten countries. The ten winners were elected from a pool of over 500 nominations received from 108 countries. The chair of the Council is Sara Olsvig from Greenland.
The Inuit Circumpolar Council is a non-governmental organizationwhich brings together 180,000 Inuit Indigenous peoples from Canada, Greenland, Russia, and the State of Alaska in the United States. Its role is to protect the Arctic ecosystem and to defend land and ocean rights using ancestral Inuit knowledge and practice. Through groundbreaking initiatives like the Pikialasorsuaq Commission, the organization aims to establish an Inuit-managed protected area in the Pikialasorsuaq region, preserving its ecological integrity and facilitating unrestricted movement between historically connected communities.
Ceremony in November
The other winners are from Brazil, Burundi, Bolivia, Ecuador, Greenland, Guatemala, Liberia, Philippines, Nepal and Zambia. The winners will be awarded at a ceremony in November, during UNDP’s Nature for Life Hub event.
This year’s winners shine a spotlight on the theme of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination. Among this year’s awardees, four are initiatives led by youth, each demonstrating a strong dedication to fostering intergenerational equity within their communities.
The 2023 awardees now become a part of a distinguished network comprising 275 communities that have been acknowledged for their exceptional contributions to adapt to and mitigate climate change and reduce poverty since 2002.
Equator Prize winners will receive US$15,000, and the opportunity to take part in a series of special virtual events associated with the UN General Assembly, SDG Summit, UN Climate Ambition Summit and COP 28 in Dubai.
