The REDD+ Matavén Project participated in Forbes Colombia’s Powerful Women 2026 Forum, a space that brought together leaders from different sectors to reflect on women’s leadership, purpose-driven decision-making, innovation, business, and social transformation in Colombia.
For the Project, taking part in this type of forum is an opportunity to expand the conversation on the role of women in climate action, especially from Indigenous territories where forest conservation, cultural identity, and community governance are deeply connected.
Gender, Indigenous Governance, and Forest Conservation
The REDD+ Matavén Project works under a gender-sensitive approach that respects the worldview, cultural principles, and decision-making systems of the six ethnic groups of the Resguardo Indígena Selva de Matavén: Cubeo, Curripaco, Piapoco, Piaroa, Puinave, and Sikuani.
This approach recognizes the essential role of Indigenous women in community life, cultural transmission, education, food security, territorial care, and forest protection. Their participation strengthens local governance and contributes to long-term conservation across the territory.
Through the Project, more than 2,000 women have participated in decision-making spaces in Matavén, contributing their voice, knowledge, and leadership to community processes that support autonomy, organization, and the protection of forests.
Why These Spaces Matter
Forbes Colombia’s Powerful Women 2026 Forum highlights the importance of making women’s leadership visible across sectors, from business and public policy to innovation, culture, and social impact.
For REDD+ Matavén, these conversations are especially relevant because high-integrity climate solutions require inclusive governance, transparency, and long-term participation. In Indigenous territories, women’s leadership is a key part of strengthening collective decision-making and sustaining conservation outcomes over time.
The Project’s participation in this forum reinforces a central message: climate action must also recognize the people, knowledge systems, and local institutions that make forest protection possible.
A Gender-Sensitive Approach Rooted in the Territory
In Matavén, the gender-sensitive approach is developed in alignment with Indigenous governance and the cultural reality of the territory. It seeks to strengthen participation while respecting the traditions, roles, and organizational structures of each ethnic group.
This work supports a broader vision of conservation, one where protecting forests also means strengthening education, leadership, participation, and community well-being.
The presence of REDD+ Matavén at Forbes Colombia’s Powerful Women 2026 Forum reaffirms the importance of opening spaces where the voices of women and Indigenous territories are recognized as part of Colombia’s climate, social, and environmental future.