Equals Change Blog

Here's how mapping technology are helping Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities in Brazil prove that they are the best #Guardiansoftheforest

How can we ensure that large numbers of trees are able to reduce emissions and suck up more carbon? One important answer is to give indigenous peoples and traditional communities greater rights to the forests where they live.

In rural and remote places, increasing numbers of women are mobilizing and becoming leaders in their organizations and communities.

Todo comenzó con un grupo de chat entre amigos en WhatsApp, quienes buscábamos la manera de ayudar a los afectados por el terremoto.

It all started with a WhatsApp group chat between friends looking for ways to help those affected by the quake.

Around the world, corporations are using Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to silence environmental activists. 

El Salvador's Congress voted to prohibit metallic mining, putting aside their differences to protect human health and the environment.

It has now been a year since the courageous environmental activist and indigenous leader Berta Cáceres was murdered in Honduras, and those responsible still have not been brought to justice.

Ford Foundation program officers reflect on the progress made in the past year since the Paris Climate Agreement was adopted, the roles of business and indigenous land rights in combating climate change, and how countries are moving from planning to implementation.

Protecting our forests and restoring indigenous peoples' rights over their land will keep carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and slow the rate of global climate change. 

Derechos indígenas a la tierra: Una solución efectiva y de bajo costo ante el cambio climático, y justo a tiempo

The documentary When Two Worlds Collide captures the conflict between indigenous communities determined to protect their tribal lands, and government-supported business interests eager to open those lands up to oil drilling, mining, and clear-cutting.

A pesar de que los grandes acuerdos intergubernamentales son negociados y adoptados por los gobiernos nacionales, son las autoridades regionales y locales quienes entienden mejor las necesidades y desafíos locales y son, en última instancia, los responsables de establecer un desarrollo equitativo en sus regiones.

Javier Ciurlizza, the Ford Foundation’s Andean Region representative, discusses the strategy behind the opening of a new regional headquarters in Bogotá, Colombia, inequality in Colombia, the historic peace agreement, and what’s ahead for the region.

El 5 de septiembre de 2016, la Fundación Ford abrirá una nueva oficina regional en Bogotá (Colombia), la cual se convertirá en la sede central de nuestras labores en la Región Andina. Javier Ciurlizza, director de la fundación para esta región, habla sobre la estrategia que motivó el traslado, así como la desigualdad en Colombia, el histórico acuerdo de paz y lo que le espera a la región en el futuro.

The worst-hit countries were Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines, and nearly 40 percent of victims were members of indigenous groups. 

Indigenous peoples are stewards of their ancestral land, vital to keeping our planet healthy and fighting climate change.

Si bien cada vez se está prestando mayor atención a los derechos indígenas, la mayoría de las personas aún no entienden estas cuestiones y cómo están conectadas con sus propias vidas. Pensé que sería útil explicar los principios básicos en materia de derechos indígenas: qué son, exactamente por qué están siendo amenazadas estas comunidades, y por qué desempeñan un papel fundamental en el abordaje del cambio climático. 

Director of Natural Resources and Climate Change David Kaimowitz reflects on the courageous life and work of indigenous rights leader Berta Cáceres

Ford staff recount their most memorable social justice moments from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

Foundation staff weigh in on Obama's final State of the Union, and  his takes on criminal justice reform, raising the minimum wage, climate change, discrimination, and inequality

Landesa honored with Hilton Humanitarian Prize for "extraordinary contributions to alleviating human suffering"

Ford partners are working with local communities, the private sector, and government to help residents secure rights over natural resources in the Turkana Basin.

Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, Ford Foundation reflects on the progress and philanthropy's investment in New Orleans and the work ahead.

The best thing about Berta Cáceres receiving the Goldman Environmental Prize, and being recognized internationally for her grassroots efforts to protect the environment, is that it means she is still alive.

Deforestation is a major cause of global warming, and so we all have a stake in helping indigenous communities defend their resources.

In anticipation of Showtime's premier of The Years of Living Dangerously, a documentary series supported by the foundation, Steve Rhee, who works on community rights over natural resources and climate change from our office in Jakarta, discusses the human impact of climate change.