Brazil indigenous organizations awarded by UN

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) awarded the work of two indigenous associations conducting sustainable development projects in the Brazilian Amazon: the Ashaninka do Rio Amônia Association, or Apiwtxa; and the Terra Indígena Xingu Association, or Atix.

The two indigenous NGOs are the only two Brazilian institutions among the 15 winners of the 2017 Equator Prize. Created in 2002, the competition received over 800 applications from 120 countries in June. Each association is to receive $10 thousand. A representative from each selected project will travel to New York to take part in the 72nd General Assembly of the United Nations.

"By highlighting initiatives from all over the world, we hope that other people draw inspiration from their examples. Their dedication and commitment show what communities are capable of when they come together to protect nature and manage nature in a sustainable way, for the benefit of all,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. He explained that project selection takes into account the potential of proposals to be replicated by other communities.

Apiwtxa—a term in a native language meaning "union"—was founded in 1991 and is based in Cruzeiro do Sul, a town in Acre state, northern Brazil. In order to protect the Ashaninka indigenous territory, located in Marechal Thaumaturgo, also in Acre, and promote the local community's sustainable development, the NGO came to use the 3D land mapping technology to demarcate the boundaries of the reserve. Also devised was a plan for the management of the Kampa do Rio Amônia indigenous territory, an 87 thousand hectare space home to 800 people, according to data from the association.

The association created an educational center that promotes sustainable agroforestry practices and the exchange between Ashaninka communities in both Brazil and Peru, as well as between other indigenous and non-indigenous groups and local educational centers, the Equator Prize organizing committee declared. “Through their numerous initiatives, Apiwtxa developed a cohesive strategy to defend indigenous land and improve the community's means of subsistence,”

Organic honey

The Terra Indígena Xingu Association (Atix) was founded in 2004. Its work allowed communities to jointly produce some two tons of certified organic honey every year. The association has been supported for years by the Socio-environmental Institute (ISA) in the project involving 100 beekeepers from 39 Kawaiwete, Yudja, Kisêdjê, and Ikpeng villages.

The income from the sale of organic honey helps “preserve an exciting indigenous culture and promote a sustainable lifestyle for the communities living in the approximately 27 thousand square kilometers of the Xingu indigenous territory, according to UNDP data.

Atix is the first indigenous association of Brazil to be granted official government license in 2015 to work as an agency certifying organic products   locally manufacture, UNDP reports. According to ISA, the decision was made to shun the high costs and red tape of private companies that specialize in this kind of auditing.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira