RRI is pleased to announce the recent international recognition of leaders of two of our Collaborator organizations in Guatemala and Perú.

Mr. Marcedonio Cortave (left), Director of the Association of Forest Communities of Petén (ACOFOP), received the 2014 Elinor Ostrom Award in Canada on June 2nd for his contribution to the development of Economic Governance, the defense of community rights, and the sustainable management of commons resources. This award is another milestone for the Concessions Process in Petén and for the communities themselves, who have achieved sustainable management of the forest, ultimately contributing to Guatemalan society.

Anthropologist Dr. Richard Ch. Smith (right), Executive Director of the Instituto del Bien Común (IBC) has been recognized as Personality Merit of Culture in Peru for his valuable contribution to the conservation of the Amazon through research and strengthening the rights of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples. The award was presented by the Minister of Culture of Peru, Diana Alvarez-Calderón, as part of the celebrations of the Week of Culture and Linguistics, held between May 21^st and May 27^th.