ACTO Team

Martín Von Hildebrand has spent the last five decades supporting indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon. During this time, he has been a key figure in securing the recognition of indigenous communities’ rights in the National Constitution, including collective ownership of their lands and the free development of their governments.

Currently, these communities possess 26 million continuous hectares in the Amazon rainforest; their rights have been recognized, and many of their governments have been established.

Today, Martín, together with NGOs, indigenous organizations, civil society, governments, and private companies, is coordinating the protection of the largest strip of tropical forests on the planet (the northern part of the Amazon between the Andes and the Atlantic, 260 million hectares).

He is an ethnologist, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Paris VII, and is the founder and current president of the Gaia Amazonas Foundation. He has been awarded a dozen international prizes, such as The Right Livelihood Award, Talberg Award, The Golden Arc Award, the Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award, and the National Environmental Award.

With a distinguished parliamentary career spanning three decades, from 1989 to 2019, Vanessa Grazziotin is recognized as one of the few Brazilian women with extensive experience in this field. In addition to serving as a Senator for the state of Amazonas (2011-2019), she held the position of Federal Deputy for three terms (1999-2011) and was a City Councilor in Manaus for three terms (1989-1999).

Throughout her political trajectory, she has built a solid reputation, particularly in the state of Amazonas, and is nationally acknowledged for her contributions. Furthermore, she has developed leadership and management skills, demonstrated by her role as the chairperson of various committees in both the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, including the Joint Committee on Climate Change and the Committee on the Amazon and Regional Development. Her leadership also extended to the Latin American Parliament, where she chaired the Brazilian Group.

Over the course of her career, she has participated in and organized conferences and missions both abroad and in Brazil, with a special focus on environmental, Amazonian, and gender equity issues. Her commitment to international cooperation and the pursuit of innovative solutions in public policies has made her a respected figure both nationally and internationally.

She is a committed and highly qualified Ecuadorian professional with a distinguished track record in the field of international cooperation and social project management. Her work experience includes key roles in national projects, collaborating with organizations such as UNHCR, IOM, ILO, UNDP, and UNICEF, as well as governments and NGOs. She stands out for her ability in budget development, monitoring budget execution, and promoting the inclusion of socio-economic issues on the government agenda. Her active participation in working groups has contributed to the design and implementation of activities to strengthen livelihoods in vulnerable communities, and she has led external communication strategies to facilitate engagement with various stakeholders.