The laureates
Description
A student in environmental engineering, she is also a socio-environmental activist. Committed to human rights, she defends in particular the rights of all and especially the youngest to have access to water, to grow up in a healthy environment on their territory of origin and to make political decisions there. She is a member of the AGUAWIL committee and the Colombia Libre de Fracking Alliance.
"In a country like Colombia, we have no choice but to fight for our rights."
Interview Yuvelis Natalia MORALES BLANCO – June 23rd 2024
Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Yuvelis Natalia Morales Blanco and I am a Colombian. I live in Puerto Uliches, a small village on the banks of the Magdalena, the largest river in the country. My region (Santander) is particularly affected by the armed conflict and the lack of professional opportunities. Rather than being a defender of rights, I like to say that I am a "protector/guardian of life" ("soy constructeurs de la vida").
Can you describe your commitment as a human rights defender?
The duty of any human rights defender is to "protect life". For my part, I campaign for access to a dignified life for all, especially for children and adolescents.
Why did you decide to commit yourself in favor of human rights?
My story begins on the banks of the river Magdalena, which every day is subjected to oil extraction and mining. Coming from a family of fishermen, we fought for the respect of our rights and our environment. We are the weakest link in a consumer society that craves energy security, which plunges us into deep social insecurity. For more than a century, a constant struggle has opposed the conservation of our river’s biodiversity to the quest for development.
My commitment really began with the arrival of fracking in my village. This technique of extracting hydrocarbons and gases uses huge quantities of water and a multitude of chemicals. Socially, it’s a disaster, and environmentally, it’s even worse. The fight against fracking has become a fight for life and for my own survival. It is becoming increasingly difficult to defend human rights without risking one’s life. Colombia is the country with the highest number of murdered and displaced defenders.
How did the initiative help your project?
The Marianne Initiative is a real springboard, especially for advocates of rights recognized only at the local level. Meeting international foundations and associations is like having a microphone to make your voice heard worldwide. It is also the opportunity to be able to express ourselves without our physical safety being threatened.
For me, the most valuable aspects of the program were field visits and getting to know local initiatives, as well as the opportunity to get out of the routine and enjoy parties, meet friends and enjoy good food. Building networks is essential, and each activity – training, meetings, celebrations, exchanges, volunteering – has allowed me to create many contacts that I still maintain today. The Marianne Initiative’s ability to create networks that offer refuge and support is particularly remarkable.
What are your plans now that the program is over?
I went back to Colombia, and now my big project is to join the coordination of the Colombian Alliance against Fracking. Together with the association "Iving Dreams of Women", we carry out projects in favor of the promotion of human rights, especially those of women and children in Colombia.
I also worked at the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature in Latin America. At the same time, I coordinate Latin American initiatives against the proliferation of fossil fuels and collaborate with sustainability schools for young activists. I am now a teacher and workshop leader for the resolution of socio-environmental conflicts related to water.
I am part of the international network of human and environmental rights defenders and I am also an international speaker. My commitment focuses on promoting the rights of nature as well as the rights of children and young women. I continue to work on these issues while pursuing my university studies.
I collaborate with national and international journalists to document and act on the negative consequences of hydrocarbon extraction, particularly in my region. We prepare reports to better understand these impacts.
I am also part of the network for the decarbonization of the economy, and I finance hydrocarbon projects. In addition, I am involved with the "Youth for Environmental Care" movement and participate in La Chiva> Distimé, an innovative bus-based initiative to organize mobile workshops on climate action in regions affected by mining and oil extraction.
Finally, I am also a member of the tribunal handling the Vaca Muerta case in Argentina, where we are trying to reach a verdict on the effects of fracking.
Would you like to add anything else?
In France, I began to understand how to defend myself and my rights. As defenders, we often try to fill the gaps left by society, but sometimes we get lost in this mission. We women human rights defenders suffer systematic violence on a daily basis. Being a woman who defends human rights and the environment in such a violent context makes us question our status as women. In France, I surrounded myself with feminist collectives and nature defenders.
I always knew that I wanted to go back to Colombia. France is a beautiful country, but it’s not mine. In Colombia, we have our own definition of biodiversity. During my stay in France, as an advocate for nature, it was essential for me to explain that Colombia is experiencing a situation of deep social inequality, systematic violence and energy consumption from the northern countries.
