The laureates

Hernando CHINDOY CHINDOY is an Inga indigenous person, a human rights and environmental advocate in Colombia, an honorary doctorate recipient, and an academic expert on indigenous peoples, human rights, and international cooperation.

In 2003, he founded the Wuasikamas – Guardianes de la Tierra initiative to carry out actions that contribute to the social, economic, and environmental progress of indigenous and peasant communities in Colombia’s Andean-Amazonian Piedmont. He has distinguished himself through his work in local peacebuilding among communities affected by armed conflict and drug trafficking. He has also worked on health, education, the allocation of communal lands, special indigenous jurisdiction, the economy, and community organization, with a particular focus on women and youth.

He was recognized as one of Colombia’s top 120 leaders from 2011 to 2016, and Wuasikamas received the international “Equator Prize” in 2015. From 2017 to 2023, he helped establish and represent the AWAI National Indigenous Organization of the Inga People, contributing to the founding of a new indigenous university in the Colombian jungle.