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Equator Initiative: A Worldwide Movement to Alleviate Poverty and Sustain Biodiversity

2002-08-02

Community-based initiatives to protect marine resources in Fiji, conserve medicinal plants in India, and support ecotourism in Kenya — what do these programs have in common? They all fulfill the objectives of the Equator Initiative: alleviating poverty while sustaining biodiversity.

The Equator Initiative, launched on 30 January 2002, seeks to promote a worldwide movement to reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity by recognizing local achievements, fostering South-South capacity development, and supporting policy strengthening and knowledge generation. This United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnership program focuses on the region between 23.5 degrees north and south of the Equator as this zone holds the world’s greatest concentrations of both human poverty and biological wealth.

So far, seven partner organizations have joined with UNDP to form the Equator Initiative — BrasilConnects, the Government of Canada, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), IUCN – The World Conservation Union, The Nature Conservancy, Television Trust for the Environment, and the United Nations Foundation.

To date, the Equator Initiative has held workshops in London, Bali, The Hague, New York, and Sao Paulo to bring together communities, research institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments ,and the private sector to explore linkages between communities, poverty reduction, and biodiversity conservation.

The first Equator Prize will be presented at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. An eminent jury of respected international leaders will select six final initiatives from 27 outstanding projects drawn from the pool of 420 nominations. The final six will be presented with a cash prize of US $30,000. Further, two representatives of each of the 27 identified initiatives have been invited to the Summit to participate in the conference, share experiences, and exchange ideas. The central venue for this dialogue will be the "Community Kraal" at the Ubuntu Village, hosted by the Equator Initiative and other partners.

After the Summit, a comprehensive learning and exchange program will be launched, building on insights gained at Johannesburg. Community experiences and stories will be disseminated broadly, including on the BBC’s Hands On Series, which will showcase all of the Equator Initiative nominees participating at the Johannesburg Summit.

For more information:

Sean Southey, Manager, Equator Initiative, Environmentally Sustainable Development Group, Bureau for Development Policy, United Nations Development Programme, One UN Plaza, New York, New York, USA 10017; Phone: (212) 906-6206; Fax: (212) 906-6973; Email: sean.southey@undp.org

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