2026 Raftopris Awarded to Colombian Group Fighting Illegal Gold Mining

The 2026 Raftopris has been awarded to the Collegiate Body of Guardians of the Atrato River (CCGA), a Colombian group combating illegal and environmentally hazardous gold mining along the Atrato River. The award highlights the group's role in exposing human rights abuses and environmental destruction linked to mining, which threatens indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. This recognition underscores ongoing environmental and social conflicts in Colombia's mining regions, though it is primarily a symbolic acknowledgment rather than a policy shift.