20 April 2026, San Francisco, USA: Yuvelis Morales, defender of the Magdalena River and part of the leadership collective of the Colombia Free of Fracking Alliance, just received the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize, the world’s most prestigious award for environmental defenders. This award adds Yuvelis to a list of influential figures who have previously received it, including Colombia’s current Vice-President, Francia Márquez; the legendary Honduran activist Berta Cáceres, who was murdered in 2016 for defending her land; and Wanjira Mathai, who continues the legacy of her mother, Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Her award comes just days before Colombia hosts the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta (24–29 April), a gathering that will define the global plan for moving away from fossil fuels — a struggle in which both Yuvelis Morales and the Colombia Free of Fracking Alliance have been actively involved.

More than an individual honour, the prize highlights the crucial role of grassroots environmental movements in the fight against the expansion of the extractive frontier in Colombia and the Global South, in a critical global context where moving away from fossil fuel dependence has become an undeniable urgency, not only for environmental reasons, but also for geopolitical ones.

Originally from Puerto Wilches (Santander), and having been threatened on several occasions due to her opposition to fracking, Yuvelis received the Goldman Prize in recognition of her involvement in the fight against this technique and the pilot projects that the Iván Duque government sought to impose on her territory, which led to her temporary exile.

“The Colombia Free of Fracking Alliance is the movement that taught me that the struggle is for a dignified life, for water and for our territories. We reject the ‘development’ that comes from destroying nature and which claims that communities must hand over their land because what lies beneath it does not belong to them”, declared Yuvelis Morales in her acceptance speech, emphasising that the award belongs to the collective that puts their bodies on the line every day in the country.

If these pilot projects go ahead, they would not only pave the way for the destruction of the communities of the Magdalena Medio, but would also extend the extractive frontier to other regions of the country. To date, the government has maintained the commitment it made four years ago to put an end to all fossil fuel expansion by not awarding new oil and gas exploration and exploitation contracts, and by not proceeding with the exploitation of unconventional deposits through fracking.

This recognition comes amidst the processing of a bill promoted by civil society, which seeks to halt fracking through legislation, for the fifth time.

Amarilys Llanos, a member of the Colombia Free of Fracking Alliance, highlighted the importance of this award in the South American context: “Congress’s persistent refusal to schedule a national debate, driven by the interests of the extractive industry, not only leaves the door open to the destruction of water and territories across the country, but also validates a model that criminalises protest and targets social leaders. In the face of this, this award validates the vitality of the anti-fracking resistance, which is now more alive and stronger than ever. Yuvelis is the voice that resonates today in San Francisco, but she represents every woman, girl, young person and man defending their territory in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. This award recognises her courage and persistence, but also the fact that the connection of the heart to the land is not romanticism; it is real.”

With this recognition, Yuvelis Morales establishes herself as a key spokesperson ahead of the Santa Marta Conference, bringing strong demands to her government to achieve a truly just energy transition for Colombia and the world: “Colombia must continue to lead the Fossil Fuel Treaty. We are just days away from the First Conference on the Transition Beyond Fossil Fuels. Santa Marta could mark the beginning of the end of global fossil fuel expansion. This historic conference would not be possible without us, without the local voices who put our hearts and souls into saying no to the destruction of life,” declared Morales.

Andrés Gómez, Latin America lead for the Fossil Fuel Treaty initiative, emphasised: “Yuvelis’s message transcends borders: it makes it clear that no transition is legitimate if it is based on violence against defenders, and that the ‘transition’ is insufficient if it does not dismantle the extractive model that colonises the Global South. Whilst Colombia has a clear commitment to curbing extractivist expansion, the reality is that no country can break free from its dependence on coal, oil and gas on its own; it requires a globally coordinated effort. That is why it is crucial that Colombia continues to lead the call for a Fossil Fuels Treaty, a central issue in the upcoming discussions in Santa Marta. Yuvelis makes it clear that local resistance movements must be heard and supported in international diplomatic forums because they are on the front line of the global struggle, and because it is from these territories that real alternatives to the fossil-fuel-based economic model are being proposed.”