New YorkSeptember 23- This year’s Equator Prize Award Ceremony will honor 10 outstanding indigenous and local groups from 10 countries, each showcasing innovative, nature-based solutions for tackling biodiversity, climate change, development, and poverty challenges. The event highlights concrete responses and practical solutions to the environmental crisis by indigenous peoples and local communities all over the world. The winners show that even during a global pandemic, local action for the environment is a crucial element to secure well-being and livelihoods.

The high-profile virtual event, associated with the UN Biodiversity Summit, will feature award presentations by celebrities from the winning countries, videos on winning initiatives, community statements and government commitments, as well as musical and cultural performances. The event will be part of the Nature for Life Hub, a 4-day series of virtual events designed to raise ambition for nature-based solutions in global biodiversity and climate policy.

Countries featured in the ceremony include Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Thailand. For a full list of winners please visit https://www.equatorinitiative.org/2020/06/02/meet-the-winners-of-the-equator-prize-2020

What: Equator Prize 2020 Award Ceremony

When: Tuesday, 29 September, 9.00 AM – 10.30 AM EDT

Where: streamed live on the virtual Nature for Life Hub at https://www.NatureForLifeHub.org and at https://www.learningfornature.org/en/topic/session-1-equator-prize-2020/

Who:

•     Henry Golding, Actor

•     Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder, Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace

•     Lila Downs, Grammy Award-winning Musician and Actor

•     Ricky Kej, Grammy Award-winning Musician, Composer, and Environmentalist

•     Sofi Tukker, Grammy-nominated Musical Duo

•     Achim Steiner, Administrator, UN Development Programme

Award presentations by celebrities from the winner countries include:

•     Clara Hughes, Olympic Champion and Humanitarian (Canada)

•     Trudie Styler and Sting (for Ecuador)

•     Nicholas Saputra, Actor and Producer (Indonesia)

•     Margaret Atwood, World-renowned Author and Environmental Activist (for Kenya)

•     Prof. Raymond Ranjeva, Judge and former Vice President of the International Court of Justice (Madagascar)

•     Lahpai Seng Raw, Founder, Metta Development Foundation (Myanmar)

•     Khemupsorn "Cherry" Sirisukha, Actor (Thailand)

For press interest in attending the event, please contact: Sangita Khadka, sangita.khadka@undp.org, phone +1-212-906-5043.

PLEASE NOTE – This is a virtual event. A #NatureForLife Newsroom (held on Zoom) will be open to all credentialed media during both the Equator Prize event and for the full Nature for Life Hub. Interested reporters/bloggers should RSVP to adeline.thompson@undp.org for access and the full schedule of speakers for the week. Interviews with Equator Prize winners and select speakers are available on request (both in advance and in the Newsroom). Summaries of Equator Prize 2020 winners are available at https://www.equatorinitiative.org/.