UNDP EQUATOR PRIZE OR EQUATOR INITIATIVE AWARD

Why in News?

Bibi Fatima Women’s self-help group (SHG) from a small village in Dharwad district has bagged the ‘Equator Initiative Award’

What’s the Equator Prize?

• Organizer: The Equator Prize is awarded by the Equator Initiative within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Frequency: Awarded biennially (every two years).
• Purpose: Recognizes outstanding community efforts to:
  – Reduce poverty
              – Conserve biodiversity
              – Promote sustainable use of biodiversity
• Global Context:
  – Sustainable community initiatives in the tropics are creating a foundation for a global movement.
              – These local successes collectively contribute to achieving the    Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Role of Prize:
  – Highlights efforts of local and indigenous groups that exemplify sustainable development.
              – Celebrates and showcases their work on an international stage
  
  
• Selection Criteria: Equator Prize winners are selected by an independent Technical Advisory Committee, which assesses nominations based on the following criteria:
  – Impact
  – Innovation
  – Scalability and/or replicability
  – Resilience, Adaptability, and Self-Sufficiency
  – Gender Equality
  – Social Inclusion
  
  
  
  
• Eligibility Criteria:
  To be eligible for the Equator Prize, 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

About Bibi Fatima SHG

• The group introduced millet-based mixed cropping on rainfed farms, promoted climate-resilient farming systems, practised livestock rearing and horticulture and popularised millets.