12 mars 2016

Amazonian leader receives indigenous award for rights advocacy

Indigenous leader and Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) partner Ruth Buendía has been awarded the Bartolomé de las Casas prize for her commitment to standing up for the human and environmental rights of the Asháninka people in the Peruvian Amazon.

The jury, acting for the Spanish Foreign Ministry’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation and for Ibero-America together with Casa de America, praisedher activism that helped to halt the development of the Patizipatango dam, which would have flooded the rainforest home of 10,000 indigenous people.

Ruth, who is the president of the Central Asháninka in the River Ene (CARE) is also the recipient of this year’s Goldman Environmental Prize.

Aldo Soto, coordinateur de l'Amazonie andine pour la RFUK, a félicité Ruth pour toutes ses récompenses.

"Ces prix sont très significatifs car ils permettent de mettre en lumière le développement non durable des projets hydroélectriques en Amazonie. Nous sommes très fiers que le dévouement de Ruth ait été une nouvelle fois reconnu à un niveau aussi élevé."

The Bartolome de las Casas award was established in 1991 to recognise outstanding contributions and leadership in promoting rights and values of indigenous peoples.