We supported strong leaders that contributed to significant change

Women and youth land and territory defenders are key to protecting their communities and mitigating the impacts of climate change. However, their contributions and needs are often ignored, and they are frequently excluded from decision-making processes. The ILSB is committed to strengthening these land and territory defenders' leadership and raising awareness of the work that they do in an effort to support more integrated, resilient, and sustainable communities. In 2020, the Indigenous and Afro-descendant youth that we supported across 11 forestry and rural organizations in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama successfully implemented assessments, participatory research, and activities to advance gender equality and inclusion based on the needs they identified in their communities.