Catalyzing indigenous climate action in Bolivia
Author: Organizing Team, UNLEASH Hack Bolivia
UNLEASH Hack Bolivia was a virtual program that provided an opportunity for dedicated Talents, Facilitators, and Experts to collaboratively explore climate and gender challenges, with a special focus on Bolivia’s indigenous communities. For 2 days, the participants strove to propose 3 ideas to implement sustainable solutions for environmental protection with a special emphasis on the role of Indigenous women as custodians of nature.
The ideas that each of the teams proposed were well researched, geographically contextualized, and addressed from an original viewpoint. Participants gathered perspectives from the experiences of Bolivian indigenous peoples and their traditions and sought to respond to the pressing concerns of environmental conservation, resource management, and enabling women to address climate change.
As the teams presented their ideas, a panel of outstanding judges assisted them by providing constructive criticism which enabled them to make enhancements to their ideas. Their feedback highlighted the value of indigenous perspectives and the need for contextualization of the environment in which the solutions will be used. Following a riveting pitching and feedback session, the winning team was selected due to their creativity and demonstrated understanding of the challenges local communities face.
The program was impactful because it not only displayed the power of collective imagination, but also pointed towards the possibility of inclusive and sustainable solutions that embrace indigenous knowledge and technology to address the world’s challenges.