"The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask." - Rich Ridgeway, American mountaineer and environmentalist

Nothing about us without us

Mientras el mundo celebra el Día Mundial de los Océanos, nosotros dirigimos nuestra atención a la isla de Barú, una joya escondida frente a la costa de Cartagena (Colombia). En esta vibrante isla, la comunidad afrodescendiente funge como guardiana de los ricos ecosistemas de manglar que bordean sus costas.

Imagine walking through a museum in Japan and seeing a glass case containing a bronze plaque with the words inscribed on the surface, “George Washington slept here in 1776,” with the explanation that this bronze plaque was an important part of American history. As an American, you would assume that something had been lost in translation.

On June 5th, 2023, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, an annual celebration established by the UN General Assembly in 1973. Since its inception, the day has become the largest global platform for inspiring positive change and celebrating environmental action.

On August 15-17, MKW Co-conveners and partners will convene the Mni Ki Wakan (Water is Sacred) Summit, themed, “Indigenous Water Justice, Global Collaboration, & Dismantling Water Colonialism,” occurring in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States (mnikiwakan.org). The MKW Summit will bring together Indigenous Peoples, youth, and Indigenous-led environmental water organizations.

De acuerdo con el Informe de de Evaluación Biológica y los Servicios de Ecosistemas, realizado por la UNESCO en 2019, “los principales factores mundiales que impulsan la pérdida de la diversidad biológica son el cambio climático, las especies invasoras, la sobreexplotación de los recursos naturales, la contaminación y la urbanización”.

“After many years of paralysis of Indigenous land demarcation and rights violations (by former governments), we are now back to having our rights recognized, our lives valued, and our territories defined,” said Brazil’s first Indigenous State Minister, Sonia Guajajara, in a social media post. 

Over the past few years, the European Union has undertaken a more robust legislative approach requiring a more human rights-focused and environmentally conscious framework in its legislative initiatives.