Uyunkar Domingo Peas
As an Indigenous leader from the Achuar nation in Ecuador and President of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance, he has succeeded in uniting 30 diverse Indigenous nations to steward 35 million hectares of rainforest— a vital ecosystem for both local communities and global climate stability. For his unifying and visionary leadership in environmental stewardship, Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai is awarded the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award 2025.
Recipient of the WIN WIN Award 2025
"I receive the WIN WIN Award with deep gratitude, on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples of the Sacred Headwaters of the Amazon. This recognition honors our ancestral fight to defend the rainforest, protect life, and walk with dignity toward a regenerative future for all of humanity—for both the visible and invisible beings. This award is not only for me, but for all the guardians of the Amazon who, with wisdom, courage, and sacrifice, have protected the forests, rivers, and life itself in the face of countless threats.
True leadership sustains hope amidst destruction and keeps us strong without losing tenderness. May this recognition amplify the urgent call of the Earth and of those who have lived in harmony with her since time immemorial, so that together we may build a future of unity and balance.”
- Uyunkar Domingo Peas, 2025
THE BACKGROUND
For more than 30 years, Domingo has dedicated his life to empowering Indigenous communities, protecting the rainforest, and inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders. In 2017, during the 8th Pan-Amazon Social Forum (FOSPA) in Tarapoto, Peru, Domingo helped bring together representatives from Indigenous and civil society organizations in Ecuador and Peru to create the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative.
Today, with nearly half of the Amazon at risk of ecological collapse from deforestation and climate change, extractive industries continue to endanger both the rainforest’s fragile ecosystems and Indigenous territories - over 20% of which have already been impacted.
Rooted in the philosophy of Buen Vivir - living in harmony with nature and collective well-being - Domingo's leadership goes beyond defending his people’s rights. He advocates for Indigenous stewardship as a cornerstone of Amazon protection and global environmental stability, while building alliances that extend beyond Indigenous nations to foster global awareness and collective action to protect the rainforest.
Domingo's Leadership and Impact
Through his ability to foster collaboration among Indigenous nations and engage with external partners, Uyunkar Domingo Peas has demonstrated that Indigenous-led initiatives are essential to confronting the environmental challenges facing the Amazon.
Domingo’s leadership philosophy is characterized by active listening, consensus-building, and decisive action for the collective good, all guided by the wisdom of ancestral traditions and a profound sense of unity with nature. Deeply rooted in the Achuar worldview, his approach reflects the belief that humans and nature are inseparable—that to harm the environment is to harm ourselves. His leadership emphasizes long-term sustainability over short-term gain, reminding us that “we all win or lose together.”
As co-founder of the Living School for the Amazon (EVA), an initiative dedicated to educating and empowering the next generation of Indigenous leaders, Domingo helps cultivate a deep understanding of ancestral knowledge, human rights, and sustainable development. The school ensures that the wisdom and traditions of the Amazon’s Indigenous peoples continue to guide future generations in stewarding their territories and preserving the rainforest.
Through hiw work, Domingo has not only protected Indigenous territories and strengthened self-determined governance but also inspired a globally recognized model of Indigenous-led environmental stewardship. His work advances a transformative vision of sustainable development—one that drives systemic change, redefines progress, and calls for a renewed harmony between humanity and the natural world.
LOOKING AHEAD
Domingo is working with the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance team to establish a Bioregional Fund, an Indigenous-led funding vehicle capable of mobilizing financial resources at ten times current levels towards advancing the goals of ASHA's Bioregional Plan 2030.
The Amazon Sacred Headwaters Bioregional Fund will operate as both a grant-making facility and a revolving loan fund for regenerative community enterprises, providing sustained funding to hundreds of local initiatives in the bioregion. Its governance will include investment and advisory committees with majority Indigenous leadership and trusted technical advisors, ensuring that decision-making over financial flows remains with local stewards. By creating a long-term financing vehicle anchored in Indigenous leadership and values, the Fund builds the infrastructure for sustained funding for indigenous territorial monitoring and conservation efforts, youth leadership, food sovereignty, ecosystem restoration and regenerative livelihoods.
The Bioregional Fund is in the participatory design phase towards the launch of the Fund in 2026 in partnerships with The BioFi Project, Regen Network, and Fundación Pachamama to develop the fund’s architecture and governance, legal structure, operational blueprint, initial portfolio and capital strategy. In tandem, ASHA is developing robust measurement and learning systems, and compelling storytelling materials and strategies for securing funding at scale. The Fund will lay the infrastructure for mobilizing tens of millions in blended finance to permanently protect this bioregion, strengthen Indigenous territorial governance, and transition toward a thriving regenerative bioeconomy for decades to come.
Looking forward, Domingo and ASHA is also working towards to expanding the Living School of the Amazon (EVA) into a new institute that will welcome both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth. This initiative aims to create a space for intercultural learning, where diverse perspectives come together to cultivate shared responsibility for the planet and build a new generation of environmental leaders.
At the same time, the Alliance continues its efforts to resist the expansion of oil, mining, and large-scale infrastructure projects that threaten the Sacred Headwaters region. Its current priorities include strengthening regional alliances among Indigenous nations, governments, and civil society; advancing a regional ecological economic plan grounded in stewardship and community well-being; and developing sustainable financing solutions to protect the living forests and halt extractive expansion.
Together, these initiatives form part of a broader mission: to build a post-carbon future, strengthen Indigenous leadership, and preserve the Amazon’s unparalleled biodiversity for generations to come. Guided by Domingo Peas’s vision and the collective wisdom of the region’s Indigenous peoples, the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance continues to lead the way toward a future where humanity and nature thrive in harmony.