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The Print
5 days ago
- General
- The Print
Women-led initiative from India among winners of prestigious UN award
Founded in Karnataka, the Bibifathima Self Help Group is a women-led initiative that supports over 5,000 farmers across 30 villages through millet-based multi-cropping, seed banks, and solar-powered processing. The Bibifathima Swa Sahaya Sangha (Bibifathima Self Help Group) is among the 10 winners of the Equator Prize 2025 announced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Friday. United Nations, Aug 8 (PTI) A women-led initiative from India is among the winners of a prestigious United Nations award that honours nature-based solutions led by indigenous peoples and local communities aimed at promoting sustainable development and ecological resilience. 'Combining traditional knowledge with regenerative agriculture and renewable energy, it restores biodiversity, boosts food security, and empowers marginalised women and youth as agripreneurs, advancing climate resilience and equity,' UNDP said in a statement. UNDP, through its Equator Initiative, announced the winners of the Equator Prize 2025 on the occasion of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The award is presented annually to honour nature-based solutions led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities that promote sustainable development and ecological resilience. 'On this important day, the 2025 Equator Prize winners are a reminder of the importance of honouring and recognising the vision and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. 'These solutions, grounded in Indigenous knowledge and collective stewardship, are not only effective but essential to achieving a just, inclusive, and sustainable future for all,' UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP's Bureau for Policy and Programme Support Marcos Neto said. This year's winners are from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Tanzania and showcase the power of nature-based solutions led by communities on the frontlines of climate change. The winners are selected from a highly competitive pool of over 700 nominations from 103 countries. UNDP said the 2025 Equator Prize winners exemplify this year's theme, 'Nature for Climate Action', with a special focus on youth- and women-led climate action. Their work highlights two core areas: protecting and restoring critical ecosystems to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and advancing a just transition toward inclusive, nature-based economies that create opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Together, these initiatives safeguard biodiversity, promote food sovereignty, and build resilient communities, while honouring traditional knowledge and the essential leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in sustainable development. The other winners include Cooperativa de Mujeres Artesanas del Gran Chaco (COMAR) from Argentina, which empowers over 2,600 Indigenous women in northern Argentina's Gran Chaco through Matriarca, a brand that transforms traditional crafts into sustainable products for global markets; and Ranu Welum Foundation of Indonesia, a women- and youth-led Indigenous organisation that empowers Dayak communities through forest conservation, cultural preservation, and media. The winners also include Sea Women of Melanesia Inc (SWoM) from Papua New Guinea, which is an Indigenous women-led organisation that empowers women to lead marine conservation by combining traditional knowledge with modern science, and the youth-led nonprofit Sustainable Ocean Alliance Tanzania that restores Tanzania's marine ecosystems and empowers coastal communities. With the 2025 winners, the Equator Prize network now includes over 300 community-based organisations from 84 countries honoured since the award's launch in 2002. Each winning initiative will receive 10,000 dollars and be recognised during a high-level online award ceremony later this year, with the opportunity to participate in global events, including the UN General Assembly and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, UNDP said. PTI YAS SCY SCY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
News18
08-08-2025
- General
- News18
Women-led initiative from India among winners of prestigious UN award
United Nations, Aug 8 (PTI) A women-led initiative from India is among the winners of a prestigious United Nations award that honours nature-based solutions led by indigenous peoples and local communities aimed at promoting sustainable development and ecological resilience. The Bibifathima Swa Sahaya Sangha (Bibifathima Self Help Group) is among the 10 winners of the Equator Prize 2025 announced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Friday. Founded in Karnataka, the Bibifathima Self Help Group is a women-led initiative that supports over 5,000 farmers across 30 villages through millet-based multi-cropping, seed banks, and solar-powered processing. 'Combining traditional knowledge with regenerative agriculture and renewable energy, it restores biodiversity, boosts food security, and empowers marginalised women and youth as agripreneurs, advancing climate resilience and equity," UNDP said in a statement. UNDP, through its Equator Initiative, announced the winners of the Equator Prize 2025 on the occasion of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The award is presented annually to honour nature-based solutions led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities that promote sustainable development and ecological resilience. 'On this important day, the 2025 Equator Prize winners are a reminder of the importance of honouring and recognising the vision and leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. 'These solutions, grounded in Indigenous knowledge and collective stewardship, are not only effective but essential to achieving a just, inclusive, and sustainable future for all," UN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP's Bureau for Policy and Programme Support Marcos Neto said. This year's winners are from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Tanzania and showcase the power of nature-based solutions led by communities on the frontlines of climate change. The winners are selected from a highly competitive pool of over 700 nominations from 103 countries. UNDP said the 2025 Equator Prize winners exemplify this year's theme, 'Nature for Climate Action', with a special focus on youth- and women-led climate action. Their work highlights two core areas: protecting and restoring critical ecosystems to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and advancing a just transition toward inclusive, nature-based economies that create opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Together, these initiatives safeguard biodiversity, promote food sovereignty, and build resilient communities, while honouring traditional knowledge and the essential leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in sustainable development. The other winners include Cooperativa de Mujeres Artesanas del Gran Chaco (COMAR) from Argentina, which empowers over 2,600 Indigenous women in northern Argentina's Gran Chaco through Matriarca, a brand that transforms traditional crafts into sustainable products for global markets; and Ranu Welum Foundation of Indonesia, a women- and youth-led Indigenous organisation that empowers Dayak communities through forest conservation, cultural preservation, and media. The winners also include Sea Women of Melanesia Inc (SWoM) from Papua New Guinea, which is an Indigenous women-led organisation that empowers women to lead marine conservation by combining traditional knowledge with modern science, and the youth-led nonprofit Sustainable Ocean Alliance Tanzania that restores Tanzania's marine ecosystems and empowers coastal communities. With the 2025 winners, the Equator Prize network now includes over 300 community-based organisations from 84 countries honoured since the award's launch in 2002. Each winning initiative will receive 10,000 dollars and be recognised during a high-level online award ceremony later this year, with the opportunity to participate in global events, including the UN General Assembly and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, UNDP said. PTI YAS SCY SCY view comments First Published: August 08, 2025, 21:45 IST News agency-feeds Women-led initiative from India among winners of prestigious UN award Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Scoop
02-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Sevilla: Without Sustainable Development, There Is Neither Hope Nor Security
2 July 2025 Development benefits all countries because it is linked to other areas of activity and society, including basic security itself. Without it, there is no hope – and no stability. That is the key message from the Director of the UN Development Programme's Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (UNDP), Marcos Neto, to all other nations gathered in Sevilla who have signed up to the plan of action, which gets underway immediately. The Sevilla Agreement is the centrepiece of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, and it has been adopted by 192 of the 193 UN members. The United States withdrew citing fundamental disagreements with many policy approaches and is absent from the summit taking place amid scorching temperatures in the southern city of Sevilla, Spain. No lack of money In his interview during the conference, we asked Mr. Neto to explain in plain language what the Seville Commitment is all about. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Marcos Neto: We are five years away from the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. One of the biggest obstacles to this shared agenda of global solidarity is financing. In other words: where is the money? Where will the money come from? The Sevilla Commitment is a document that makes it clear that this is not about a lack of money – it's about aligning public and private capital flows toward those Goals, toward the Paris Agreement, and toward all other international commitments. The commitment outlines what to do with every kind of money – national, international, public, and private. It is a roadmap that was agreed upon through consensus among UN Member States, involving the private sector, civil society, and philanthropy. UN News: One of the major absences at this Conference was the United States, which left the negotiations on the Undertaking. How did Washington's withdrawal influence the Conference? Marcos Neto: A consensus among 192 countries was reached and approved here. Now, clearly, the United States is one of the world's largest economies and holds significant weight. I believe it's crucial to keep the dialogue open and continue engaging all Member States, each according to their own needs. For example, development financing is directly linked to security. Without development, you cannot have a stable society – one without conflict. What's your level of poverty? What's your level of inequality? Development is a security strategy. Development is hope. A people without hope is a people in trouble. UN News: In conferences like this, documents are adopted, but often people feel they are just empty words that don't really affect their daily lives. What would you say to those citizens to convince them that these decisions actually make a difference? Marcos Neto: I'll give you a very clear example. At the last Conference on Financing for Development ten years ago in Addis Ababa, there was a phrase that envisioned the creation of what we now call Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs). We at UNDP developed this concept in 86 countries. This is real: 47 billion dollars were aligned and mobilized through that mechanism. 50 billion dividend So, in practice, I can say we have helped put more than 50 billion dollars into the hands of countries. We've also helped them reform their national budget processes so that the money reaches where it's supposed to go. Our current commitment is to implement the Seville Commitment. We are committed to delivering on it. From Seville to Belém UN News: In addition, the Sevilla Platform for Action will also serve to implement various initiatives… Marcos Neto: Yes, we are leading 11 of the initiatives under the Seville Platform, and I think it was a great move by the Government of Spain to have created this action platform in Sevilla to turn this into implementation. It's very similar to what Brazil wants to do at the end of the year at COP30. There is a direct connection between Seville and Belém – the host city of the UN Climate Change Summit in Brazil later this year. These connections are important.
