The Goldman Environmental Prize has announced its six 2026 winners, including Colombian environmental defender Yuvelis Morales Blanco.
The Goldman Environmental Prize notes: “As a young adult, Yuvelis Morales Blanco helped mobilize her community in Puerto Wilches against two key drilling projects, successfully preventing the introduction of commercial fracking into Colombia. In 2022, the campaign forced the country’s largest petroleum company, Ecopetrol, to suspend its contracts for the pilot fracking projects. In August 2024—with the projects still suspended—the Colombian Constitutional Court, in response to a lawsuit by a local organization, confirmed that the projects had violated the right of the Afro-Colombian community of Puerto Wilches to free, prior, and informed consent.”
The 5-minute Goldman Prize video highlighting Yuvelis’ work can be seen here.
CREDHOS accompanies Aguawil
Morales is the founder of Aguawil, the Committee for the Defence of Water, Life and Territory in the community of Puerto Wilches. Morales has commented: “This committee is quite special and is very important in Colombia as it’s a youth committee. We are all between 18 and 25 years old.”
Aguawil is accompanied by the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights (CREDHOS), which is accompanied by Peace Brigades International.
The first death threat against Morales came in January 2021, not long after she had organized a protest in December 2020. Morales says: “Some armed men came to my house and trapped me. They put a gun to my head.”
By April 2021, Morales highlighted on a PBI-Canada webinar: “When we became a problem for the oil companies, those interested in promoting fracking and its economic benefits, they started to threaten, stigmatize, and silence us. More than eight of our youth have been threatened.”
In May 2022, Morales spoke on another PBI-Canada webinar and made this comment about Canada: “When your companies and banks are investing in mining and energy megaprojects in other countries where human rights are being violated every day, you are not an environmentalist country, you are not a green country. I’m sorry to be so blunt. This is a reality that people don’t often want to say because when you open your mouth that could mean you are shot in the forehead.”
The two fracking projects
The two fracking projects being promoted near Puerto Wilches and the Magdalena River by Ecopetrol were called the Platero and Kalé projects.
At that time, Toronto-based Sintana Energy Inc. highlighted that it “holds an undivided 30% non-operated participation interest in a Contract for Exploration and Production for Block VMM-37” where the Platero project was to be conducted.
And Calgary-based Canacol Energy Ltd. commented that the Platero and Kalé projects were “positive steps towards realizing the commercial potential of the unconventional shale oil field in Colombia”.
The Banking on Climate Chaos report also noted then that Toronto-based Scotiabank had provided millions of dollars in financing to Ecopetrol.
Goldman ceremony on YouTube
UPDATE: The video of Yuvelis accepting the Goldman Environmental Prize can now be seen here (starting at 1:21:00).
We congratulate Yuvelis, Aguawil, CREDHOS and all the organizations, defenders and community who have supported her work.
Instagram post by CREDHOS.
