Aveda have announced a $50,000 grant in support of the Yawanawá Climate Adaptation plan unveiled at the Rooted in Partnership: Advancing Climate Resilience through Indigenous Leadership panel, co-hosted by UNDP Forest Guardians Invest during the UN General Assembly & Climate Week NYC earlier this month.
Launched in July 2026, the UNDP’s Forest Guardians Invest platform is designed to mobilize private finance directly to Indigenous-led forest conservation and bioeconomy initiatives. Meanwhile, Aveda’s Rooted in Partnership panel provides a blueprint for how brands can support climate solutions by partnering directly with Indigenous leaders and communities.
Taking place at Goals House at Tavern on the Green in NYC, the panel featured Tashka Yawanawá, Chief of the Yawanawá People from the Rio Gregório Indigenous Territory in Acre, Brazil; Laura Yawanawá, Executive Director of the Yawanawá Sociocultural Association (ASCY); Eric Raymond, Executive Director of Mission and Sustainability, at Aveda; and moderator Nina Kantcheva, Global Advisor for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Engagement and Partnerships, UNDP.
The discussion included insights from Indigenous leaders and land protectors about how long-term, rights-based partnerships can strengthen livelihoods, advance climate resilience, protect biodiversity and create sustainable economic opportunity, and showcased the success of Aveda’s long-term partnership with the Yawanawá People as an example.
“Indigenous communities steward nearly one third of the world’s tropical rainforests, and they are uniquely positioned to influence climate, biodiversity and sustainable land management,” said Nina Kanthcheva.
“As Forest Guardians Invest works to support conservation efforts by connecting these communities with private funding, we are proud to spotlight the innovative and impactful long-term relationship between Aveda and the Yawanawá as a best-in-class example for how brands and Indigenous peoples can work together to build a partnership that achieves climate outcomes while centering the rights, priorities and knowledge of these communities.”
As part of the brand’s mission of care, Aveda has nurtured relationships with Indigenous communities around the world for more than 30 years, and worked closely with the Yawanawá since 1992. Aveda said that partnership has evolved beyond an initial need for ingredient sourcing to encompass larger community priorities and environmental stewardship.
As the Yawanawá communities continue to feel the effects of climate change in their rainforest homeland, the tribe has developed the Yawanawá Climate Adaptation Plan, a community-led effort reflecting their priorities for building resilience in the face of a changing climate. Aveda’s founding grant will support the Yawanawá’s priorities and recognizes their role as protectors and stewards of the rainforest.
“Climate resilience begins with the strength of our communities and our relationship to our land,” said Chief Tashka Yawanawá.
“The Yawanawá Climate Adaptation Plan reflects our own priorities and knowledge, and it is important that Indigenous communities have the voice and authority to define the solutions that affect our future. Our partnership with Aveda has spanned more than 30 years because it has continued to evolve through shared learning and a respect for our community,”
The panel discussed what distinguishes a true partnership from a transactional relationship, including the importance of trust, sovereignty, shared priorities and respect for Indigenous knowledge. The panelists explored the cultural dimensions of partnership, from authentic representation and Indigenous storytelling to the role of artists and creators in shaping how Indigenous communities are represented in global beauty, fashion and media.
The conversation also turned to the potential of the bioeconomy to create economic opportunity while ensuring forests stay standing, connecting themes of Indigenous enterprise, livelihoods, biodiversity and climate resilience. Together, the panelists challenged business leaders to consider not simply what they can do for Indigenous communities, but how they can build partnerships with them that endure.
“For Aveda, partnership is a responsibility that is built over time. Our decades-long relationship with the Yawanawá has taught us that meaningful partnership starts with listening, respecting Indigenous leadership and supporting priorities defined by the community itself,” said Shane Wolf, Aveda Global Brand President.
“Bringing this conversation to Climate Week is an opportunity to share what we have learned and to challenge our industry to think differently about how business can contribute to resilient communities, thriving ecosystems and a more responsible future. This is Aveda’s mission of care in practice: care for the world we live in, care for the communities connected to it, and care for the natural resources on which beauty depends.”