Equator Prize 2017 Call for Nominations: Global Search for Nature-Based Local Solutions for Sustainable Development (USD 10,000 & Funded to UN General Assembly)

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Application Deadline: 8 March 2017.

The Equator Initiative announces a global call for nominations for the Equator Prize 2017. This year’s prize will be awarded to outstanding community and indigenous initiatives that are advancing nature-based solutions for local sustainable development. The Equator Prize winners will join a prestigious network of 208 community-based organizations from 70 countries that have been awarded the Equator Prize since 2002.

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the Equator Initiative will also launch a web portal of local nature-based solutions to sustainable development. The platform will serve to connect communities around the world and share local solutions that work. Participation in this platform is optional when submitting nominations for the Equator Prize.

NATURE FOR DEVELOPMENT

This year’s Equator Prize winners will feature innovative solutions related to protecting, restoring and/or sustainably managing nature to achieve local sustainable development, such as food security, water security, sustainable jobs and livelihoods, and disaster risk reduction. Crosscutting issues include advocacy for land and water rights, social and environmental justice, and gender equality. The selection of winners will emphasize replicability and scalability of community initiatives to achieve progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Local communities from rural areas in 145 countries are eligible to be nominated. Nominations are open to indigenous peoples’ groups from any country, operating in rural areas.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Equator Prize 2017, the following requirements apply:

• The initiative must have been in existence for at least three years, and/or the actions taken must have been in place for at least three years.
• The nominee must be either a local community-based group, operating in a rural area, based in a country receiving support from the United Nations Development Programme (for a list of eligible countries, see the list below); or an indigenous peoples’ community in any country, operating in a rural area.
• The actions taken must be nature-based, and must deliver benefits related to two or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Eligible Initiatives

• Community-based associations or organizations
• Community-based enterprises and cooperatives
• Women’s associations or organizations
• Indigenous or ethnic minority groups or associations
• Youth groups or associations
• Non-governmental organizations

Benefits:

• Each winning group will receive USD 10,000 and will be invited to participate in a series of policy dialogues and special events during the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2017, culminating in an award ceremony at the beginning of Climate Week.

Submit nominations for the Equator Prize 2017

To access the online nomination system, please visit prize.equatorinitiative.org. Nominations may be submitted in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish.

Nominations must be submitted by 8 March 2017.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Equator Prize 2017 Call for Nominations