fbpx
Skip to content

Protestors Take to the Streets of Rio in a Mass Demonstration

June 21, 2012

A wet and rainy day in Rio did not dampen activists’ spirits. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets, as the UN Sustainable Development summit got underway on Wednesday. Protests of every variety now fill the city, spotlighting everything from environmental protection to economic reform.
photo1-11 photo5-11 march1

Goldman Prize staff members Melina Selverston-Scher and Jenny Park had the opportunity to participate in one of the marches that effectively shut down traffic in Rio’s financial district. They met up with Tony James, chief of the Amerindians Association of Guyana and Davi Kopenawa (pictured above), the spokesperson for the traditional Amazonian Yanomami people, to march with numerous indigenous rights groups. The colorful flag they carried is symbolic of the indigenous movement of Andean Communities.
photo-11 photo4-12

Images from the People’s summit and mass demonstration. Click here for a great slideshow of Rio’s colorful protests.

UNDP1 gilberto-gil1

Following their march, Park and Selverston-Scher made their way to the UN Development Programme (UNDP)’s Equator Initiative Prize ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Edward Norton and Camilla Pitanga. Norton, a popular American actor, is also a UN Special Ambassador for Biodiversity. Pitanga is a Brazilian actress.

The program recognized 25 local initiatives from around the world, including Women and Land, an NGO based in Tajikistan, directed by Mukhabbat Mamadalieva. Park and Selverston were pleased to learn that Mamadalieva had recently connected with 2010 Goldman Prize winner Humberto Rios Labrada through a learning exchange program, where they shared lessons from their work.

The evening was wrapped up with an energetic performance by Brazilian music legend, Gil Gilbert, who dedicated a song to the indigenous people fighting the Belo Monte dam in the Xingu region of Brazil.

Recent Posts

Women Environmental Leaders throughout History


March 7, 2024

Women are critical defenders of their communities and environments. Join us in learning about some of their stories. Rachel Carson Perhaps the mother of the American environmental movement, Rachel Carson (1907-1964) set into motion a global awakening to the dangers of chemical pesticides (she, of course, preceded the Goldman Prize). A marine biologist and nature…

Read more

Three Black Environmental Leaders You Should Know


February 20, 2024

We celebrate the contributions of Black leaders to the environmental movement in the United States and around the world. Join us in learning about some of their stories. Sharon Lavigne Environmental justice advocate Sharon Lavigne (United States, 2021) successfully stopped the construction of a $1.25 billion plastics manufacturing plant in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The…

Read more

The 35th Goldman Environmental Prize is Monday, April 29, 2024


January 9, 2024

The Goldman Environmental Prize is excited to share that the 2024 Prize winners will be announced on Monday, April 29. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Goldman Prize. The Prize winners will be celebrated at live ceremonies following Earth Week: at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco on Monday, April 29, and at…

Read more