As part of the IKI Cafecito series: “Gender in Climate Change, Biodiversity, and a Just Energy Transition,” we spoke with Yuvelis Morales Blanco, an environmental leader and winner of the 2026 Goldman Prize for her advocacy on behalf of the Magdalena River.
In this testimonial, Yuvelis reflects on her motivation to become an environmental advocate in her community, her deep connection to the Magdalena River, the hopes that drive her work, and her experience in the “Regional Women’s Leadership Course.”
“When we meet other women, we also encounter other struggles, other forms of advocacy, and other ways of caring… This course brought us all together; on the one hand, we have care, advocacy, and struggle, and on the other, the vulnerability that we sometimes also need to explore among women leaders and advocates—to feel supported, to feel cared for, and to be with other women,” she commented
The course brought together women leaders from the public sector, civil society, and local communities to build capacity in the areas of climate, energy, and biodiversity, as well as to promote the creation of regional networks aimed at a just, inclusive, and resilient energy and climate transition in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This initiative was supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) through the IKI Interface and the Action Program for Climate Diplomacy (CDAP), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Colombia’s ministries of Energy, Environment, and Foreign Affairs.