The Olof Palme Prize 2022 is awarded to Patricia Gualinga, a leader of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon. She is recognised for her courageous leadership in campaigning for the rights of indigenous people and of nature, as well as her struggle to ensure the survival of the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest.
In an age when biodiversity is threatened and climate change is demanding huge transformations, indigenous people are particularly vulnerable. Through her relationship with the land and the natural world, Patricia Gualinga shows us a path to sustainable societies, and shows us that we must all learn to live with nature, not in competition with it. Indigenous peoples’ struggle for survival is, therefore, the struggle for the survival of humankind. As the world faces ecological catastrophe it is vital that the voices of Patricia Gualingas and her fellow activists are heard.
See the award ceremony for the Olof Palme Prize 2022, Sunday, January 30, 2022
Welcome speech Pierre Schori
Discurso pronunciado Pierre Schori
Photo: Kathrin Harms