By NAVEENSANCHAR ONLINE
Kathmandu
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and partners announce the winners of the 14th Equator Prize, acknowledging Indigenous peoples and local communities from ten countries. Selected from a pool of over 500 nominations received from 108 countries, the winners are from Nepal, Brazil, Burundi, Bolivia, Ecuador, Greenland, Guatemala, Liberia, Philippines, 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.
The winner from Nepal is Tergar Charity Nepal (TCN), a locally-driven organization focused on improving food security and livelihood in the remote Himalayan community of Samagaun, Northern Nepal. They promote crop diversification and sustainable crop management while implementing bioclimatic passive solar greenhouses for enhanced food security. TCN also promotes women’s empowerment through raising awareness and providing guidance around menstrual health and hygiene in Samagaun. They also offer a literacy class to promote education and income generation for women in the community. In partnership with a Canadian luxury tea company, TCN has shown a strong motivation to empower women, as they have successfully developed a value chain project, resulting in increased income for Samagaun women. They pick and process rose hips for the production of tea sold in Northern America. Building upon this success, TCN expanded the project in 2022, constructing 32 additional greenhouses in Samagaun and 15 in the neighboring village of Samdo.
Key Facts about Nepal’s winner: Tergar Charity Nepal
Equator Prize Winner: 2023
Year of establishment: 2018
Location: Samagaun, Nepal
Ecosystem: Mountains; Agricultural
