IN what has been a first-time achievement for Guyana, the South Central People’s Development Association of Rupununi (SSPDA) has been named among 20 organisations to capture the United Nations Development Fund’s Equator Prize for 2015.The South Central People’s Development Association is a local non-governmental organisation that aims to improve the standard of living of people in the South Rupununi region. It has been highly active in recent years in addressing health, agriculture, and capacity building in local villages.

The Equator Prize 2015 is awarded to 20 outstanding local and indigenous community initiatives that are advancing innovative solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities.

Each winning initiative has received US$10,000, and will be supported to participate in a series of special events at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015.

A release from the Ministry of the Presidency has acknowledged that this is the first time Guyana has managed to capture this prize, and the Government of Guyana would like to congratulate the SSPDA for the achievement. “We hope that this can be seen as an inspiration for further achievements in the area of sustainable development, as the country continues to lead the fight against Climate Change” the release has said.

The United Nations will soon host a press conference to announce the full list of winners.